Unconventional Suitors 02 - Her Unconventional Hero (17 page)

Just like she had done every day since being back at Terrace Manor, Adel went directly to the gardens after her midday meal to cut a bouquet of flowers to take down to her mother’s grave in the family cemetery. Being outside in the fresh air made her feel better, and the long talks she had with her mother were already helping her to heal, she could feel it.

She had spent hours telling her mother all about Griffin, from the early beginning of their acquaintance, when he was arrogant and overbearing, to the intimate conversations they had shared about their mutual grief over losing their mothers. She had even been so bold to share with her mother the fact that they had kissed. She had briefly wondered if her mother had been alive if she would have been so blunt with her about all of her feelings and interactions with Griffin, but she hadn’t been able to answer that so she pushed the thought aside.

Adel hummed as she eyed the rose bush looking for the most splendid of blooms she could find. The gardeners were meticulous in their care of the peach roses that lined the edge of the garden, for they had always been her mother’s favorite and it was one of the ways that they kept their mistress’s memory alive. Grabbing a pair of scissors from her skirt pocket, she clipped off several perfect roses, then worked to tie them together with an ivory ribbon she had brought with her for that very purpose. Holding the bouquet to her nose she inhaled deeply of the scent and smiled.

Holding the roses in one hand, she used her other to lift the hem of her simple white walking dress, dotted with blue flowers, as she made her way towards the cemetery. The only sounds that could be heard were that of the birds chirping above. Adel had left her hair down, enjoying the way the wind blew wisps of her auburn locks daintily across her face and neck. It made her feel careless and free.

As she approached the cemetery, she paused long enough to unlatch the gate of the low, metal fence that bordered the graves, before strolling directly to her mother’s headstone. She knelt before it, placing the peach roses amongst the various other bouquets she had collected and brought with her since she had returned home. She smiled at the sight of so many colorful flowers, knowing that her mother would have loved each and every one of them.

Arranging her skirts about her legs, she sat at her mother’s grave and leaned back on her hands so that she could angle her face up towards the sun. She knew it wasn’t wise to be out without a bonnet, but the fear of gaining another freckle or two didn’t bother her a bit.

“Oh Mother, I am so glad that I came back. I feel closer to you when I can come to your grave every day. I think Father likes that I am back as well. I imagine he has been quite lonely here at Terrace Manor all by himself. Perhaps I will never leave. I have already decided that I do not wish to have another season, though I am sure Katherine will want one. She seemed to enjoy the dancing and socializing more than I ever did. I know that is quite surprising, since she has always been the shy one, but I think the season has been good for her.”

Adel paused as if she were waiting for her mother to respond, though she knew that she never would. After the brief silence she continued, “I think Aunt Tabitha will enjoy another season in Town as well. Between all of the shopping that they both like to do and the entertainments that are provided, they will hardly have time to miss me.”

“Adel,” a voice called out behind her.

Adel turned. Had her father come down to visit her mother’s grave? Dusting the dirt from her palms she rose from the grass and scanned the scenery looking for her father, but she didn’t see him.

“Father,” she called out. “Is that you?” How strange of him to come, she thought to herself, for during this time he was usually holed up in his study pouring over estate business.

“Over here,” the voice called.

It didn’t sound like her father, but she couldn’t quite tell from a distance. Perhaps it was one of the gardeners taking care of the grounds. She took tentative steps forward, glancing all around her but not seeing anyone.

As she was nearing the pond, a swift breeze rushed by, whipping her hair in front of her face. She reached up to brush the thick strands away and froze, for she swore she heard, “Come here Mrs. Tiddlyswan,” float through the breeze.

Adel’s eyes darted back and forth as her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Surely she had misheard, she reasoned as she debated whether she should turn and flee. Just as she was beginning to turn, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Gasping, one hand flew to her heart in alarm as she watched the Baron Moncreif stalk slowly out of the trees.

She watched as his eyes scrunched together in angry slits and wondered what he was doing there, on her family’s property. She wanted to turn and flee, but fear kept her firmly rooted in her spot. As he got closer, she somehow managed to find her voice. “Wh…what are you doing here?” she stuttered.

The baron stopped in his tracks, thankfully still several yards away. He gave a dry laugh as he reached inside his coat and withdrew a pistol. Adel gasped loudly as a fear unlike any she had ever known before slithered through her body, immobilizing her completely. Had he somehow found out she had given Rose money and come to punish her? It was the only thing that made any sort of sense to her, though she thought he was severely overreacting.

“I must apologize, my lord,” her voice was shaking uncontrollably. “I didn’t mean to upset you so by giving your wife money, though I do not regret it since it was apparent that she so desperately needed it.”

“You gave my wife money?” he asked, completely confused.

Adel swallowed, apparently that was not the reason for his appearance. She nodded hesitantly, unsure if her admission would make her situation better or worse. He continued, “It would seem that you are my wife’s champion. I’m beginning to wonder if it wasn’t her that gave you the information you fed to the scandal sheets. Perhaps I should have punished her more fully than I did.”

Adel felt anger war with the fear that was consuming her. “Rose doesn’t deserve your punishment. What did you do to her?”

Lord Moncreif took a step forward, lifting his flintlock pistol and pointing it directly at her. Adel’s mouth went dry. “Not nearly enough, I can assure you, but I won’t make the same mistake with you.”

***

Rose, Katherine, Aunt Tabitha, and Griffin were silent as the carriage rolled along. The last two days of travel had dragged on in endless monotony. If Griffin could have somehow found a faster way to arrive at Terrace Manor, he would have done it. They had had to stop at the Brown Beetle for the night to allow the horses to rest, though Griffin was sure none of them got much sleep. The only thought that even somewhat consoled him was that Lord Moncreif only had a few hours on them. He had been hopefully optimistic that they would run into him at the Inn, but he had not been staying at the Brown Beetle. With any luck, they may even beat him to the manor.

After hours of nary a movement in the carriage, Katherine perked up, her back straightening as she looked out the window and exclaimed, “We are on Desmond land now. We are almost there.” Pointing her finger out the window she said, “Once we turn onto the drive, it is only about a mile to the main house.”

Griffin exhaled in relief as he slid to the edge of the bench to look out the window on his side. The property unfolded before them in vast acres of rolling hills as they turned onto the drive. Oak trees were plentiful throughout, giving the carriage much needed shade from the warm sun.

“We are almost there now. I can see the manor coming into view.” Everyone scurried to see out the window as Katherine spoke. “And down there by the pond is the family cemetery.”

Griffin glanced down the slope to where she was pointing. He did a double take as his eyes caught the fluttering of white fabric by the pond. Squinting he leaned forward, “Is that Adel?” he asked, though he knew the answer by the vibrant auburn hair that was swirling in the breeze.

“Is that my husband?” Rose croaked beside him, her eyes looking past where Adel was standing. Sure enough, stalking out of the thick copse of oak trees, next to the pond, was Lord Moncreif.

Griffin reached up and frantically tapped on the roof of the carriage, signaling the driver to stop. They hadn’t even come to a halt before Griffin slammed the door open and jumped from the moving carriage. He stumbled but didn’t fall, straightening himself before running down the sloping hill and towards the pond. As he neared the cemetery, he could see that Lord Moncreif was holding a flintlock pistol firmly in his hand. His heartbeat accelerated as he began to run faster.

Without thinking twice, he jumped the short metal fence, not wanting to waste time opening the gate. As he neared, he called out, “Adel,” and watched as she turned startled eyes upon him.

He had tried to imagine what he would say to Adel when he saw her. He had imagined taking her shoulders into his hands and shaking her until she realized how foolish she had been. He had thought of the scathing words of chastisement and rebuke he would deliver, but in the moment all of that fled and the only thing he could think of was saving her.

“Griffin, what are you doing here?” she asked, her frightened voice tinged slightly with relief.

“Yes, brother, what are you doing here?” Lord Moncreif’s voice was strained.

Griffin glanced at his brother-in-law. “I came to protect you from this monster.” He spoke to Adel but kept his eyes trained to Lord Moncreif. He suddenly felt foolish for coming unprepared. Thinking back to the pistol that lay in a box beneath his carriage seat, he wished desperately that he’d had the foresight to grab it.

“I’m not the monster,” he hissed. “She is. Publishing the personal details of someone’s life for the sake of amusement—shame on you.”
Adel turned frightened eyes on Griffin. “Sweetheart, you went too far in writing about his debts,” he tried to explain swiftly. Her eyebrows rose in confusion, but he had no time to analyze the look she was giving him.

“Yes,
sweetheart
,” Lord Moncreif hissed. “For once I agree with my brother-in-law. You indeed went too far, and I vow I will make you regret it. How fitting that I should kill you in the spot that will surely be your final resting place. Perhaps I am saving the servants some work by killing you here, for it will save them the hassle of transporting your lifeless body.”

Lord Moncreif cocked the pistol as he took one step closer. Griffin didn’t hesitate. He did the only thing he could think to do to protect Adel. Reaching out he pushed her firmly into the pond at the very instant he heard the pistol fire. He felt the sharp burning of the ball rip into his upper arm and yelled out in agony as he fell to his knees. The pain was so intense but still his thoughts were with Adel. He forced his eyes open, despite the raging pain that was making his arm throb uncontrollably, and glanced towards the pond. Adel had disappeared completely out of sight, thank goodness.

He grabbed his arm, where the ball was still implanted, and felt the warm, sticky blood ooze through his fingers. “You will regret this. I swear on my life,” he shouted at Lord Moncreif. “You have my word that I will report your actions to the authorities.”

“Not if you are dead,” Lord Moncreif pointed out as he threw the used pistol aside, and, much to Griffin’s dismay, pulled another loaded flintlock from the pocket of his greatcoat.

Griffin cringed. Of course he came prepared with more than one shot. He was certain Lord Moncreif meant to kill him. Then surely Adel would be next. She couldn’t possibly stay under the water indefinitely. The pain in his arm was sucking all of his strength from him. He rose slowly, vowing that he wouldn’t die without a fight. As he stepped towards Lord Moncreif, he groaned. The simple effort of walking jarred his arm causing him even more pain. His eyes closed as he heard the gunshot ring out, knowing in seconds he would be dead.

“I love you, Adel,” were the last words he breathed as he waited for the ball to make contact with his person. Though he knew she would never hear the words from his lips, it gave him a measure of comfort to know that, at least once in his lifetime, he had uttered them aloud.

Several seconds passed by and slowly Griffin opened his eyes. Shouldn’t he be dead by now? Had the ball missed its mark? He knew the probability was likely since flintlock pistols were not always accurate. He just prayed that the fiend did not have a third pistol with him, for he was unsure if his relative luck would hold out.

He glanced to where Lord Moncreif had been standing and noticed his body was laying lifeless and crumpled on the ground, blood oozing from his right temple, the two pistols laying haphazardly on the ground next to the corpse. The man had killed himself!

A relief like he had never known coursed through his body. He glanced back to the pond hoping to see Adel crawling onto the bank, but there was no sign of her anywhere. Fear slithered through him, replacing his earlier relief. How had she not resurfaced yet? She had been under water far too long. In a fit of panic, Griffin jumped into the water.

The tepid pond water burned his wounded arm, but he ignored the pain, thinking only of Adel. Forcing his eyes open in the murky water, he looked around desperately for any sign of her. Using his good arm, he swam deeper in the pond and found her, her white dress floating around her like gauze, as she struggled frantically, her arms flailing wildly. It was likely she couldn’t swim, but in his desire to save her, he hadn’t taken that into consideration.

He swam to her as fast as he could with only one usable arm. He forced his bad arm around her waist so he could use his good arm to swim. He began stroking his arm violently to propel them upward, but was jerked back suddenly. Her dress must be stuck on something.

Letting go of her waist he swam deeper into the pond. Sure enough, the skirt of her dress was snagged on the branch of a sunken log. Using his good arm he ripped the dress free before grabbing her waist and swimming towards the surface. About half way up he felt her go limp in his arms, and he began to paddle harder, hoping it wasn’t too late.