Savage Spring (26 page)

“What will you do with the girl?” Claudia asked, her eyes gleaming brightly. “Will you have her locked away for her crimes?”

Barbara smiled slightly. “No, Mrs. Landon, I think we will take her back to the farm where she belongs. I want to thank you for getting in touch with us so promptly. When
the authorities came to us and told us Alexandria had been found, you can’t imagine how it gladdened our hearts—isn’t that so, Rodney?”

Claudia looked down her nose at Barbara Bradford. She could well imagine what they had in mind for poor Alexandria. She imagined that the previously planned wedding would now take place. Glancing at Rodney—who would have been hideous to her even without the burn scars on his face—Claudia shivered. Better Alexandria than herself, she thought.

As Rodney picked Alexandria up in his arms, she moaned softly but didn’t regain consciousness. He stared down at her beautiful face and smiled, thinking that this time she wouldn’t escape him. He placed her in the hired coach and rubbed his hand over his scarred cheek. Alexandria would pay for what she had done to him, he thought bitterly.

After watching the carriage pull out of sight, Claudia went upstairs to Howard’s room. When she entered, she found him staring at the portrait of Joanna.

“We have quite a lot of excitement here tonight. Too bad you missed it, Howard.”

He didn’t even look at her, and, as always, he managed to shut her voice out.

“Yes, you should have seen Alexandria; she just swooned away,” Claudia taunted.

That got Howard’s attention. “You better…not have…harmed the girl,” he said, turning purple in the face and gasping for breath.

“Me? No, not me! She was carried away by her stepmother and stepbrother. Poor Alexandria, I think she will soon be the wife of her hideous-looking stepbrother,” she continued, trying to bait her husband.

Claudia watched as Howard tried to rise. He started coughing and gasping for breath. She had only meant to torment him; the last thing in the world she wanted to do was cause him to have another attack.

“Howard, hold on, don’t move—I’ll send for the doctor
immediately!” she said, running out of the room and calling for Mrs. Dodson. By the time she returned to the room, Howard was white as a ghost, and Claudia knew he was dead! His eyes seemed to be bulging out of the sockets, and it was as if, in death, he were still staring at the portrait of Joanna.

“Howard, no! You can’t die on me now! Not now!” Claudia screamed at the top of her voice. “She grabbed Howard’s shoulders and began shaking him violently, while his head lolled from side to side. “Damn you, Howard, I didn’t mean this to happen. I’m lost—I’m lost!”

When the doctor and Mrs. Dodson returned, Claudia was wringing her hands and raving like a madwoman.

“I didn’t know that sending the girl away would kill you, Howard! Come back—come back! All that money…this house…everything gone…gone!”

The doctor gave Claudia a strong dose of laudanum, which seemed to calm her after awhile. He then helped her to bed, thinking she had lost her mind.

Claudia’s dreams that night turned into nightmares, and she could see Howard’s bulging eyes staring at her accusingly. At times in her dreams she would escape from Howard, only to have a faceless Tag chasing after her. She moaned and twisted in her sleep, seeking release from her nightmares.

Alexandria regained consciousness slowly. She realized, from the swaying motion that rocked her back and forth, that she was riding in a coach. She held her hand over her mouth, thinking she was going to be sick, as her stomach seemed to churn with each movement of the coach.

Barbara jerked Alexandria’s head up. “Well, well, we have
had a bit of trouble finding you. We shall just see that you don’t get away again.”

Rodney rubbed his scarred face with the back of his hand. “You’ve got a lot to answer for, Alexandria. As my wife, you will know what it feels like to be scarred. I think I’ll just take a hot iron to your pretty face.”

“Don’t talk such nonsense, Rodney. Didn’t I always try to teach you to be kind to those that do you harm?” his mother scolded.

“I don’t recall your ever saying that to me, Mother. If you’ll forgive me, I don’t feel too kindly toward Alexandria at the moment.”

Alexandria leaned her head back against the coach and willed herself not to be sick. The nightmare was starting all over again. Was she never to know any peace and contentment in her life? She thought of Tag, and her heart sent him a silent message to find her. She prayed he would learn what had happened and come to rescue her. He was her only hope. She knew that if he didn’t come soon, she would never see him again.

“We have a little party waiting for you back at my aunt’s house. She will have the parson waiting for you and me, and we’ll be joined as man and wife tonight. There won’t ever be any question of your leaving me again, Alexandria,” Rodney said coldly.

“I will never marry you! You are no better than an animal,” she spat out.

His fist swung out, catching her squarely on the jaw. Alexandria grabbed her head and slumped forward in pain.

“Now look what you have done, Rodney! Why can’t you control that temper of yours until you have at least wed the girl? We don’t want the parson seeing her all bruised up, now do we?”

Alexandria closed her mind to the pain. She could endure anything but Rodney’s putting his hands on her. Please, Tag, she prayed silently, come and save me!

Tag and Farley were just finishing a late dinner, when Mrs. Green came hurrying into the room, looking distressed about something.

“There’s a man at the front door who says he wants to see you right away, Mr. James. He says it’s urgent. I tried to tell him you were dining, but he was most insistent that he speak with you.”

“Did he say what his name was?” Tag wanted to know.

“No, but he’s dressed as a seaman, and I think he might be the man who’s been hanging about lately,” Mrs. Green stated flatly.

Tag tossed his napkin on the table and walked hurriedly toward the front door, flanked by Farley. Tag threw open the door and came face to face with the man.

“I’m Falcon Knight. I’m told you wanted to see me,” he said, looking the man over closely.

“If you have a care about Alexandria Bradford, you had better come with me in a hurry. I saw her being carried off tonight by her stepmother and stepbrother.”

“How do you know this?” Tag asked, eyeing the man suspiciously.

“I know because Alexandria told me that her stepbrother was scarred, and the man I saw lifting her into the carriage had a scar on his face.”

“Don’t trust him,” Farley said, poking his head around the door. “I seed this man afore. He’s the man I had the tiff with…the one who’s been spying on you.”

“Lord, I don’t have time to argue with you,” the stranger said. “Do you know where they would have taken the girl, or not? I would have followed them myself, but I was on foot and lost them. Tell me where they live, and I’ll go get her myself if you aren’t going to help me.”

“Farley, go saddle three horses and bring them around to the front,” Tag said, deciding to trust the stranger. He rushed into the study, grabbed up his gun, and poked it into his belt. By the time he reached the front door, he found that
Farley had already saddled the horses and was leading them to the front of the house.

“I don’t know who you are, stranger, but if you are telling the truth, I’ll have a lot to thank you for before the night is over,” Tag said, swinging himself onto his horse.

After Farley and the stranger were mounted, Tag led the way toward Front Street. He didn’t know who the man was, or how he knew about Alexandria, but he felt he had no choice but to trust the man. If there was the slightest chance that he was telling the truth, Alexandria might be in grave danger.

Farley rode alongside the stranger and looked at him suspiciously. “Ifen you aren’t telling the right of it, I’ll pump some lead into you.”

The stranger didn’t answer. He merely kicked his mount in the flanks and rode up beside Tag.

Russell James was disappointed. He had half hoped his son would recognize him. But how could Tag be expected to remember him? he asked himself. He had only been a boy the last time they had seen each other—and after all, Tag thought he was dead.

Alexandria stumbled and would have fallen if it hadn’t been for the fact that she was being held up by Rodney. By now, she realized that the drink Rodney had given her earlier must have been drugged, because all she wanted to do was lie down somewhere and sleep.

“I always did say you didn’t have good sense, Rodney. You gave her too much of the drug,” she heard her stepmother say.

Alexandria was aware that there were several people in the room. She vaguely recognized Johnny, the boy who had helped her escape from the basement. She wondered why he was looking so sad. There was a man dressed in a black suit standing before her and Rodney, but she was sure she hadn’t ever seen him before. He was asking her a question. What did he want her to say?

All of a sudden there was a loud crash at the front door,
and everyone turned their attention to the three intruders who burst into the room.

Alexandria thought she must be dreaming, because she was sure Tag was standing before her.

“Stand away from Alexandria,” Tag ordered, pointing his gun at Rodney.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Barbara demanded to know, wondering who the three men were.

“You have something that belongs to me, Mrs. Bradford,” Tag said through clenched teeth. “I’m here to collect it.”

“If you’ve come to rob us, we have nothing of value here,” Rodney spoke up.

“Ah, but there you are wrong, Rodney. You see, Alexandria belongs to me, and I place a great deal of value on her,” Tag said lazily.

“Who are you, and why do you come in here busting up my son’s wedding?” Barbara said, glancing at the young man who was aiming a gun at her son.

“Farley, get Alexandria and bring her over here,” Tag ordered. “If I find that you have harmed her in any way, you will pay dearly.” Tag spoke directly to Rodney.

“You have no right to take Alexandria away from her family,” Rodney spoke up.

“Oh, no? We’ll just see about that. Preacher, you have come here tonight to perform a wedding, and you damned sure won’t be disappointed,” Tag said. He removed a gold piece from his coat pocket and tossed it to the man he assumed was the preacher.

“If any one of them moves or looks like they want to interfere,” Tag told Farley, “shoot them!”

“Now, that would be a real pleasure,” Farley said, aiming his gun at Rodney after handing Alexandria over to Tag.

Russell James rested his gun across his palms and gave Barbara a look that made her shiver. She didn’t know who these men were, but she knew she dared not interfere.

Tag raised Alexandria’s head and realized immediately
that she had been drugged. “Are you willing to have me for your husband, Alexandria?” he asked in a soft voice, noticing she couldn’t seem to focus her eyes clearly.

“I…want to sleep,” she whispered.

“Later, my love. Right now, we are going to be married, so there will never be any question in any of these folks’ mind that you belong to me.”

The parson wished himself anywhere but where he was at the moment. He had come here tonight to perform what he thought would be a simple wedding ceremony, and it had turned out to be anything but simple.

As he recited the words, Tag shook Alexandria, and her eyes fluttered open. “Say I do, Alexandria,” he urged.

All Alexandria wanted to do was lie down, but someone kept making her stand. If she did as they asked, perhaps they would leave her alone, she thought.

“Say I do,” Tag coached again.

“I…do…what?” she asked.

“That’s close enough, parson,” Farley spoke up. “You heard her say she does. Get on with it.”

The preacher eyed Farley carefully. He wasn’t about to argue with the crazy old man who kept waving his gun in everybody’s face. “I now pronounce you man and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder,” he said hurriedly.

“The marriage isn’t legal,” Rodney spoke up. “Alexandria isn’t your wife.”

“Is he right, parson? Do I need a document to prove Alexandria is my legal wife?” Tag asked.

The preacher wasn’t about to deny that the ceremony he had just performed was legal. He asked their names and Tag gave him his real name and Alexandria’s. The preacher printed them on the wedding document and handed it to Tag. “It’s legal. Ain’t no court in these United States going to dispute your claim, Mr. James.”

“They better not,” Farley said, waving his gun in the
man’s face. “Ifen I was to find out that this here wedding ain’t legal and binding, it won’t bother me one little bit to shoot me a preacher.”

Tag lifted Alexandria up into his arms and carried her toward the door. Then he turned back and gave Rodney a penetrating gaze. “I would advise you and your mother never to set foot on my wife’s farm again. If you do, I will leave orders that you are to be shot!”

“You can’t do this,” Barbara spoke up. “I’ll have the law on you.”

“With what charge, Mrs. Bradford?” Tag asked.

“I…”

“Exactly, Mrs. Bradford. You are the ones who will be arrested when and if I ever decide to talk to the law. I’m sure there are laws against trying to force a young girl to marry against her will.”

“If there are laws, perhaps you will be the one who will be arrested. Alexandria wasn’t in her right mind when you married her tonight,” Barbara stated.

“I think when she is herself, she would tell you that she likes being my wife. No lawmaker in his right mind would deny a woman the right to marry the man of her choice. I think Alexandria prefers me to your son any day.”

Barbara looked at the handsome young man and knew that he spoke the truth. “Rodney and I have some things that belong to us at Meadowlake. You aren’t going to keep us from getting them, are you?”

“Not at all. Farley will be going to the farm bright and early in the morning to take my housekeeper so she can set the place in order. He will see that your belongings are sent on to you.”

Barbara and Rodney had no more to say as the three men left. The parson made a speedy retreat shortly thereafter, and soon the house on Front Street became quiet.

“If they hadn’t had guns, I would have stood up to them,” Rodney said sourly.

“Oh, shut up, Rodney,” his mother said. “I don’t trust that
man not to sic the authorities onto us. I think it might be best if we go and stay with my Aunt Sarah in Marysville. It doesn’t seem too wise to press Mr. James. I could tell by his speech that he’s a well-fixed gentleman and not without influence.”

Barbara’s sister Annabelle had been cowering in a corner and now spoke up for the first time. “I been studying on who that man is. I had the feeling I’d met him before. He was the same gentleman who I told you about who called himself Falcon Knight. You know, the one I told you who came here asking to buy Meadowlake. Tonight he told the preacher his name was Taggart James.”

“Well, that settles the mystery, doesn’t it? He married Alexandria so he could get his hands on Meadowlake. We came close to getting our hands on Meadowlake ourselves,” Barbara stated regretfully.

“I am never going to find a wife as pretty and well-off as Alexandria,” Rodney said, sitting down and clasping his head in his hands.

Barbara looked at her son in disgust. Since the accident, he had become a whining, complaining annoyance. She truly thought that he was becoming sick in the mind. She knew the best thing for her to do was put as much distance as she could between herself and Philadelphia. There was no telling if Mr. James might not decide to have her and her son locked up.

When Tag reached the house, he dismounted and carried Alexandria up to his bedroom. Laying his new bride down on the bed, he undressed her and pulled the covers up over her. She hadn’t moved since he had carried her to his horse. Leaning over her, he placed his hand against her chest to reassure himself that her heart was beating steadily.

He shuddered, thinking what might have happened to her had he not arrived in time to save her from becoming Rodney’s wife.

Tag touched her face softly, and he felt his heart swell with love for her. He now knew without a doubt that she was the one true love of his life. What he had shared with
Morning Song had been beautiful, but that was in the past, and it didn’t compare with how he felt about Alexandria. He didn’t know how she felt about him, and he wasn’t sure how she would react when she awoke in the morning and found herself to be his wife. At least she would know she was safe from her stepmother and stepbrother.

Tag lightly touched his lips to hers, thanking God that she was safely back with him. He didn’t know what he would have done if he had lost her. Not only was she beautiful beyond compare, but she was courageous and loyal as well—the two virtues he admired most in a woman. Tag thought he might have been drawn to her at first because she reminded him of Joanna, but that wasn’t why he had fallen in love with her. He loved her because she had beauty in her heart.

What if she didn’t love him? he wondered. He remembered the last time he had gone to her she had asked him to leave her alone.

Tag reached into his pocket and withdrew Alexandria’s mother’s cameo necklace and clasped it about her neck. He hadn’t been able to give her a ring tonight, but perhaps the necklace would signify his love for her. Later, if she would allow it, he would give her a ring.