My Guardian Knight (7 page)

“How can you say that?  He’ll have no mother.”  “But at least he’ll have someone to love him.  And he

won’t have to see me carted away to jail.”

“How bad is it?  How long are you looking at?”  She smiled fearfully.  “I can say with strong

conviction that I am sure I will hang.”

Energy returned to his legs with such force that his chair slid across the room as he stood.  “I’ll not let that happen!”

“I appreciate all you’ve done for me, Sebastian, but you can do nothing about this.  If you take Matthew, at least I can meet my punishment knowing that my son is well taken care of.”

              “I can help you.”

              “No, you can’t.”

“Are you guilty of this crime you supposedly committed?”

              “Yes!”

He leaned down until his face was barely an inch from hers, and she thought she’d never seen eyes so hard.  “Let me tell you something, Amanda Darcy.  Over the past two weeks I have gotten to know you well, and I refuse to believe that you would do anything that would cause you to hang.  Now, whether you like it or not, you
will
tell me what happened.  Everything.  And, mark my words,
I will help you
!”

She stared up at him, wondering if she were physically capable of uttering the words that would turn him against her.  She had never told another soul what had happened, and had never planned to.  She jumped when he barked “Now!” in a tone that would brook no argument.

Her hands shook as she began to speak.  “I grew up in an orphanage.  It wasn’t so bad there, the ladies were nice to me, but I had no feeling of belonging.  I was the town outcast and laughingstock because, unlike the other girls in the orphanage, everyone knew who my parents were.  The ladies tried to shield me from the worst of the gossip, but even children hear what’s being said on the street, so by the time I was five I knew that my mother was the town’s prettiest, and youngest, prostitute and my father was the town drunk.  My mother had been but fifteen when I was born and couldn’t take care of me.  She could barely take care of herself.  Even so, I used to watch her when she walked down the street, hoping against hope that she would change her mind and take me away with her.  Of course that never happened, and eventually I stopped wishing it would.  

“So I grew up in the orphanage and all I wanted in life was a good husband, many children around me, and a pretty little house.”  She laughed.  “My three wishes.  So when Avery passed through town and gave me some attention, I followed him like a lost puppy.  They tried to tell me he was no good, but I wouldn’t listen.  I wanted someone I could belong to.  I was fifteen when we were married and moved to a small one-room shack a long way from my hometown.  Almost immediately he began treating me badly.  I wasn’t a wife to him, I was a slave.  I was there to cook, clean, and, well, please him in any way he wanted.  And, believe me, there were many different ways he liked to be ‘pleased’.”  She shuddered.    “Matthew was born less than a year after we’d been married and that’s when he started beating me.  Right after Matthew had his first birthday he was playing on the floor while I cooked dinner.  Quite accidentally he knocked Avery’s glass over and brandy spilled all over the place.  I turned to pick up the baby but I was too far away.  Almost in slow motion I saw Avery lift his fist toward my child.”  She looked up at him then.  “I didn’t think, Sebastian, I just did whatever I could to save my child.  He was so small, I knew he wouldn’t survive one of Avery’s beatings.  So I picked up the fireplace poker, the end of which had been
laying
too close to the fireplace, and hit him over the head.  It must have been very hot, because as it slid off his head, it burned a whole through the shirt on his shoulder.  I’ll never forget the smell of charred skin.

“I grabbed Matthew and the bag I knew Avery kept some money in and ran.  After I boarded that first train and looked to see how much money I had I found our marriage certificate, which was quite fraudulent.  That’s when I found out I was never even married to him.  All I knew was that I had to hide until I could find a safe place for my son.  I never dreamed it would take this long.  So, I’m wanted for attempted murder.

“I’m sorry to drag you into all this, and I tried not to speak to you when we met, but you were so kind to us, and we’ve had so little kindness.”

When he didn’t speak, she looked up to see his reaction.  He was glaring down at her.  “Your name is not

really Amanda Darcy, is it?”

“No,” she whispered.  “My name is Amanda Higgins.  Well, it would have been had I actually been married to him.”

              Sebastian began pacing.  “Avery Higgins,” he

growled.  “I should have known.”

              “You know Avery?”

“Unfortunately.  He tried to pay me to find his run away wife.”

Amanda laughed hysterically, afraid she was losing touch with reality.  “And you found me anyway.  Do you know when I first met you I thought you’d been sent by him?”

“Amanda, you have done nothing wrong.  He deserves everything you gave him and more.  He is the most corrupt official I have ever seen.  Avery Higgins is one of the reasons I left my job.  The man is evil.  He is the largest criminal in Boston.  Every US Marshal is searching for him, and yet he’s right under their noses.  He covers his tracks too well.  I found out he was the criminal we'd been searching for, but I had no way to prove it.  I’m so
tired
of seeing innocent people suffer because the criminals are too hard to catch.”  He turned to her.  “I will help you, Amanda, but I need your help, too.”

              “To catch Avery?”

“No, sweetheart, I’m looking forward to doing that myself.  Remember when I told you about Misty?  I found out, just a few months ago, that the little girl my grandma took in was Misty’s child.  Misty’s-- and mine.  I’d known the child all her life, spending a lot of time with her when I visited Grandma.  I loved her and planned to take care of her when Grandma passed on, but it wasn’t until the day she died that I found out Marissa is my daughter.  I stayed with her for a week, and then the orphanage took her away from me.  They claimed that a single father has no idea how to raise a little girl.  Ha!  Like it’s better for her to live in an orphanage where no one cares about her!  Anyway, I’m heading back to my hometown to try to win custody of her.  If you go back with me, we can help each other.”

              “How?”

“We’ll pretend we’re married.  You and Matthew can take my name and you’ll have security.  I promise I won’t let Avery hurt either of you.  I already have a plan forming to take him out of commission.  And I can get my little girl back if I have a wife to help take care of her.  Please, Amanda, we’ll both get the help we need.”

Amanda took a deep breath.  “Just sit still and let Avery find me?  What about the charges against me?”

“When I uncover what he’s done you won’t have to worry about those charges.  They’re bogus anyway.  The only way he’d be able to punish you for them is if he bribes the judge, something he does frequently.  Can you trust me?  If you go with me and take care of Marissa like a little girl should be taken care of, can you trust me to worry about

Avery?  I know how to get him.”

              “I do trust you, Sebastian.”

              His heart swelled.  “You’ll do it, then?”

She smiled at him.  “I’ll do it.  I must admit,” she said shyly, “I was very depressed at the thought of losing your friendship.”

He crossed the room and crushed her to him in a bruising hug.  “Give me one year, Amanda, and then you can have your life back, free and clear.  And I’ll have my daughter.”

              Sebastian awoke the next morning to the sound of

Amanda feverishly throwing her belongings into her small bag.  He jumped up from the chair where he’d slept and grabbed her arms.  “Amanda?  What is it?”

              She tried to shake him off.  “Let go of me, Sebastian,

I have to go.  I have to get out of here!”

He gave her a gentle shake.  “What about last night?  You said you’d help me.  What about Matthew and Marissa?”  “I’m sorry, I just can’t do it.  Don’t you understand?  He’s found me!  Avery knows where I am!”

“So?  You knew he’d find you sooner or later.  Wait a minute, how do you know he’s found you?  Did you see him?”  “No!  I don’t have to see him to know he’s coming.  I had
the feeling
!  This morning when I woke up I had the

feeling that he knows where we are.”

“Amanda, be reasonable.  There is no way you could know--”

“Shut up!” she said, slapping his hard chest.  “Sometimes I know things, and I’m telling you he knows

where I am and he’ll be coming to find me!”

“Okay, just calm down.  Do you remember what we talked about last night?  I can protect you from him.  I know Avery Higgins and I know his weaknesses.  You have to trust me, Amanda.  We can make this work, but we have to do it together.  Otherwise you’ll spend the rest of your life on the run, and that’s no way to live.  And think of Matthew.  If you come with me we can give him the kind of family life you’ve always wanted for him, and for yourself.  Take that step, sweetheart, and I promise when it’s all over you won’t regret it.”

              “What if something happens?”

              “What alternative do you have?  If you don’t come with me you had planned on turning yourself in to the law for something you aren’t guilty of and facing the hangman.  Can anything be worse?”

“Well, when you put it that way--” she said uncertainly.

“Good!  Now let’s get the squirt up and go buy a horse and carriage to take us home.”  He turned away from her, hiding the relief he felt.

By the time they were at the mercantile loading the supplies into their new carriage, Amanda felt much calmer.  “Amanda, I need to run over to the hardware store for a minute.  Why don’t you see if there is anything that you like here.  St. Louis has a much better selection than Alton.  I want you to get enough material for three new outfits a piece for you and the children.  If you can’t find what you like here there’ll be plenty of time to look at home.”  With a wave, he took Matthew by the hand and headed toward the hardware store, leaving Amanda gaping behind him.

Well
, she thought,
no sense standing here staring after my ’husband’!  I have shopping to do!

Her mood considerably lighter, she stepped into the mercantile and headed straight for the material, fingering several colors she would like for Matthew, but they were all too expensive.  She joined the boys at the hardware store.  Sebastian looked up in surprise.  “Did you find everything already?”

“No, it’s all very expensive.  I thought I’d wait until we reached Alton and see if the prices are any better there.”

Sebastian laughed.  “Don’t worry about how much money you spend, I can take care of it.  Now march over there

and get whatever your little heart desires.”

With a smile brighter than he’d ever seen on her, she reached up to kiss his cheek and practically skipped back to the store.  Sebastian glanced down at Matthew.  “Your mother is beyond beautiful when she smiles, you know that?”  

It felt like Christmas to Amanda as she rummaged happily through the bolts of material.  She chose solid colors for Matthew, making sure she bought enough so she could make Sebastian something, as well.  For herself and Marissa, she chose pretty calicos.  On a whim, she added a few yards of ribbon for the child she had yet to meet.  When Sebastian joined her some time later, she was waiting on the porch, her packages at her feet, her face pink with excitement.  

Sebastian smiled at her, enjoying the happy look on her pretty face, and feeling proud that he had helped put it there.  “I see you were able to make a few selections,” he chuckled.  “We can buy the rest of the supplies we need in Alton.”

Amanda was taken aback.  “I bought enough cloth for everyone already.”

“Well, you might find something you like better.”  He winked at her.  “I’m not a pauper, Amanda, so if there is anything you need, or even anything you
want
, then get it. 

You deserve to have a few things for yourself.”

Blinking back tears, she held out her hand for him to help her into the carriage, and her tears were forgotten as they started their journey.  For the first time in her life, she was excited about something.  Sebastian was a good man and, if only for a year, she would have a family.  She watched St. Louis disappear as the lovely prairies engulfed them.  Matthew watched with wide eyes, too awed by the scene to utter a word.  Amanda thought there were certain advantages to riding in a carriage versus a train.  For one, there was no noise and awful smells.  All she could hear was the clip-clop of the horses and birds singing their praise of the beautiful sunny day.  Butterflies flitted randomly through the wildflowers that grew everywhere in profusion.  She could smell the flowers, the earth, and the freshness of a clear morning after a cleansing rain.  She sighed, thinking she had never seen a finer day.

A warm breeze blew her hair softly about her face, and she was surprised when a majestic view of the Mississippi River suddenly came up before them.  The large, muddy river was like nothing she had ever seen before, and she stared in shock and admiration.  The waters swirled gently beneath the wind and giant hill-like mounds, which she would later find out were called bluffs, rose almost endlessly toward the sky, sporting a myriad of lovely blooming trees and wildflowers.  She could see the small town across the river, and turned a worried frown to Sebastian.

“However will we cross a river such as that?” she asked, her face pale.

              He smiled and patted her hand.  “Don’t worry,

sweetheart, there’s a ferry down yonder.”

She relaxed visibly and the next hour passed quickly as she took in all the sights and sounds of the small river town of Alton, Illinois.  Alton sat on a hill-- or many hills, she could not tell for sure-- but what she saw was very pretty.  Sebastian halted the carriage downtown, and they stepped out onto lovely brick streets.  As he ushered her to the mercantile for more supplies, Amanda couldn’t help but look at all the neat little buildings sitting in a row along either side of the street.  Some were made of brick, some of stone, and others of clapboard, but they all held a kind of pleasant air about them. 

She smiled, liking the little town.

The bell on the door of the mercantile tinkled merrily as they strode in.  A pretty lady behind the counter smiled widely.  “Well, Sebastian Knight, it’s been a month of Sundays since you last walked through those doors.”

He took her hand in his.  “How are you, Natalie?” he asked the older woman.

“I’m very well, thank you,” she answered vaguely, eyeing Amanda and Matthew.

              “Natalie Amos, I’d like you to meet my wife Amanda

and our son, Matthew.”

              The poor woman looked taken aback.  “Why

Sebastian, you aren’t married!”

He grinned, slipping his arm around Amanda’s waist.  “There are many things you never knew about me, Natalie,” he said evasively.

She bustled around the counter and took Amanda’s hand in hers.  “Where are my manners?!  I’m so happy to meet you, Mrs. Knight!  Welcome to our little town.  And Matthew, I bet you would like to have a bit of rock candy, wouldn’t you?”  Matthew hid shyly behind Sebastian’s leg as he smiled and held out his chubby little hand for the candy with a whispered thank you.  “So how long will you be in town, Sebastian?  I believe there are a few rooms to let at the hotel.”

“We won’t be needing any rooms, Natalie.  We’ve come to claim Marissa and then we’re heading home.”

“I see.  Are you going to farm your grandmother’s land again?  You were very good at farming, if I remember correctly.”

“I’m not sure just yet what I plan to do,” he hedged.  “Amanda, why don’t you collect the things you need while I run to the post office.”  He strode quickly away, obviously trying to get away from Natalie’s questions, with Matthew skipping along behind him.

              Amanda was looking at the spices when Natalie came

up behind her.  “It certainly is nice to meet you, Mrs. Knight.”  Amanda smiled at the warm feeling that engulfed her

with her new name.  “You also, Mrs. Amos.”

“You know, I’ve known Sebastian since he was a boy.  His grandma was a very good friend of mine and he practically grew up in my mercantile.  I’m glad he’s finally found someone.  After the war he was very--different--and I’m happy to see the light has returned to his eyes.  He’s in love with you.”

Amanda glanced up sharply from the cinnamon she held in her hand.  It was hard not to show how surprised she was at that statement.  “He’s a good man.  I’m lucky to have him.”

“So how do you feel about taking in his little girl?”  Amanda’s eyes shone with an excitement she could not hide.  “I can’t wait to meet her!  I’ve always wanted many children.”

“Your boy seems to get along fine with Sebastian.”  “They are very close.  Matthew’s own father died shortly after he was born, so Sebastian is the only father he’s ever known,” she said, repeating the story they had decided to tell everyone.

Moving to the bolts of cloth in an attempt to waylay further questions, Amanda’s eyes lit on pretty pink floral calico.  “Oh my,” she whispered as she reached out to touch it, a vision of a sweet little dress flitting through her imagination. 

“I’ll take five yards of this, please.”

An hour later she sat on the porch of the mercantile with Natalie sipping tea, watching her ‘husband’ and her son cross the street hand in hand, Matthew’s chatter faintly reaching their ears.  “They look so much alike,” Natalie commented, and Amanda had to agree that they did, funny though it was.  

Sebastian took her hand, nodded to Natalie, and hauled her packages over his shoulder.  As they pulled away from the mercantile, he turned to her.  “Are you ready to go get Marissa?”  She nodded.  “Amanda, are you sure about this?”

Amanda smiled at him.  “I can’t find enough words to tell you how excited I am to meet your daughter, Sebastian.  I love children.”

They pulled up to a huge house that stood at the top of a hill overlooking the river.  Amanda was enjoying the view until she felt Sebastian tense beside her.  Her eyes moved in the direction his had taken and she immediately saw some grayish buildings completely surrounded by a stone wall.  The prison.  She touched his arm, and could feel the tension slowly drain out of him.  When he looked at her, he was once again in control of his feelings.  

He led her up the walk to the door and knocked.  A tall, thin woman answered the door.  “Well, if it isn’t Sebastian Knight.  I told you before that I will not relinquish a little girl to live with an unmarried man and I have not changed my mind.”

Amanda stepped out from behind him where she had been admiring a small flower garden.  “Excuse me, ma’am, but my husband and I have come to take our daughter home with us, if you please.”

Shock registered on her bony face.  “I would have to see the marriage license to know if you are telling the truth.”  Amanda calmly took the doctored marriage certificate from her reticule and placed it in the woman’s hands, then snatched it back.  “Our daughter, please,” she stated firmly.

The woman opened the door and let them into a foyer, where she told them to wait.  The house was warm and clean and pictures of healthy children littered the wall.  “She’s good with children,” he chuckled, “just very disapproving of me.  Everyone knows now that Marissa is my daughter, but no one knows who her mother is, and they’ve gotten the wrong

idea about me, I guess.”

              “I see,” she said, a twinkle in her eyes.  

They looked up at a sound by the staircase.  The prettiest little girl Amanda had ever seen stood on the last step, her little mouth shaped in an O.  She had long, curling black hair and her blue eyes were just like her father‘s.  She was tiny for a four-year-old, Amanda thought, but it only added to her beauty.  Sebastian knelt down and she flew into his arms, giggling happily.  “I knew you’d come back!  I knew you would!”

Sebastian stood up with her in his arms.  “I have someone for you to meet.  This is my wife Amanda and she’ll be coming home with us.”  He looked around.  “Where’s Matthew?”  He spotted the child hiding behind his mother’s skirts, and he scooped him up in his other arm.  “And this is Matthew, your new brother.”

The little girl’s eyes widened and the children smiled shyly at each other.  Without a word, he took Marissa’s small bag of belongings from the sour woman and strode out the door, a child in each arm and his wife beside him.

Sebastian settled the kids in the wagon, jumped up beside Amanda, and they started off with a jerk.  On the drive home the adults were quietly contemplating their own thoughts while the children merely studied each other across the wagon.  They were once again on the prairie, spotted here and there with small houses.  There were fields of corn and wheat blowing gaily in the wind around them.  Amanda took a deep breath of the fresh country air and felt some of her tension dissipate.  Out here she could almost believe that Avery would never find them.  She could close her eyes and pretend that they were a normal family heading home.  A warm feeling spread through her and she looked at Sebastian, sitting so straight and proud, clucking now and again to the horses.  He caught her look and smiled at her and her heart did a flip, catching her by surprise.  She absolutely could
not
fall in love with this man, no matter what!  That would be a mistake she could not afford to make.