PART IIII
I lie flat against a bed of straw and stare into the absolute darkness with my hands still tied together. My arms will not stop stinging where my skin has been scoured away.
Benjamin has locked me in a damp, windowless room that stinks of rotting meat. I have not bothered to explore it.
I am too afraid. My body shudders as I lie here. I wish with all my heart I had been able to control myself. I do not want to hang.
In a matter of hours, I will die. It is murder.
My parents will probably not be too surprised, even if they were certain that in the face of becoming queen I would finally be able to govern my emotions.
Tears begin rolling over the sides of my face and into my hair as I think of how I have let my family down. How I will never be able to love and be married. To have children. To live another day, even.
I know death must come eventually, but it is unimaginably infuriating that it must come at such injustice. I hate the royal family, save Harold. They should be the ones who will be hanging.
The rush I feel at the thought of their faces relieves me of some degree of horror. I close my eyes for a moment and try to lose myself in this release. The state of mind that has gotten me here should be the one to rule my body as it takes its last breaths.
A key clicks in the door, followed by golden candlelight entering the room. My body jerks upright and I begin scooting back away from the door. It cannot be morning already. I’m not ready to die!
The excessive size of the room is revealed, along with the source of the awful stench my nose has yet to become accustomed. A broken scream emits from my throat when I see the three rotting corpses hanging by their wrists from one wall. I cannot help but plant my face in the straw. It’s simply too terrible to look at.
Someone grabs my hand. A new insanity begins. “NO!” I scream and thrash around. “Have mercy on me.”
Suddenly my hands are free. I use them to scramble toward the door, but stop when I realize there are nearly a dozen people standing just inside it. I am frozen for a moment.
Then a hand is laid upon my shoulder and I jerk it away, turning around to attack whomever it belongs to.
“Arabella, it’s me,” the man says.
“Harold?” The insanity is instantly washed away. All of it. I collapse against him in desperate tears, his arms surrounding me.
“What have they done to you?” His fingers trace the scrapes along one of my arms.
“There isn’t time, Harold,” a familiar voice says. Cherish has come as well. “We must go immediately.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“They sent you to lead me to my death?” I lift my head to see her beside us, my overwhelming panic returning.
“Of course not,” Harold says. “I’m here to rescue you. There isn’t time to explain. You have to come with us.”
I nod and let him take my hand to lead me out of the ghastly room. My heart pounds as we move noiselessly through smelly halls and fractured stairwells, followed by men and women who I am sure are all servants. Finally, we take a very small hallway hidden behind a tapestry to a door we must lean over to exit through.
The chilly night air meets us, along with two carriages that are much plainer than the one that brought me to the castle. The driver of the one in front nods to me as Harold helps me climb inside. Cherish and four others fit in with us easily and begin pulling the drapes closed over the windows and securing them.
Harold takes the candle from Cherish and puts a finger over his lips to indicate that I must not say a word just before he blows it out. Again, I am plunged into darkness. I bite my lips and wring my aching hands nervously as the carriage begins to move. I will forever be afraid of complete darkness after the sight of the dead men I was forced to share that room with.
Harold puts his arm around me. I lean against him, trying to block out the fear of getting caught. It is impossible, knowing that at any moment someone could find me and would probably kill me on the spot. I am a wanted woman now, an outlaw forever. I would not wish this feeling on anyone.
“Aye,” someone outside shouts. “State your business.”
Our carriage becomes still. “Deliveries to be made by morning,” our driver calls back. “It is urgent.”
“Very well.”
The carriage begins moving again. I release the breath I have not dared to let out during our brief halt.
We ride in darkness and silence for a long time before someone breaks it. “Thank you, Arabella,” Harold says, then kisses my forehead.
“But—” For a moment I am speechless. “You saved my life. Why are you thanking me?”
“I have wanted to leave the castle behind for as long as I can remember, but haven’t had the courage until you arrived. And for everything you said at dinner.”
“Leave the castle behind? You mean you will not be returning to it?”
“Absolutely not. This love is one that will never find either of us again. Only a fool would walk away from such a precious thing.”
Harold leans over me to pull one of the drapes aside. Cherish opens another and the moonlight let in reveals his handsome face.
“I have food and gold sufficient to get us far enough away that no one will ever find us, and to buy a fine house and piece of land. I will build a magnificent life for us to share—if you have not changed your mind about marrying me.”
Happiness swells within me at the thought of this wish coming true. “I assure you, I will never change your mind.”
Harold smiles and reaches around me with both arms to hold me in his sweet embrace. I couldn’t be happier than I am at this moment.
“It does my heart good to finally see you receive all that you so rightfully deserve,” Cherish says sleepily.
Harold sits back to look over at her. “Thank you again for coming with me,” he says. “Thank you all—” He stops when we see that the two men and two women sitting across from us have all fallen asleep already.
“You needn’t thank me, darling.” Cherish closes her eyes as she rests her head against the window. “Watching over you has been the greatest joy of my life. It’s something I would never dreaming of giving up. I am certain the others feel the same way.”
“Quite right, Miss Cherish,” one of the men across from us says groggily without opening an eye.
So the people traveling with us are servants who have chosen to abandon the palace to continue their servitude to Harold. This is yet another affirmation of what a wonderful man he truly is.
“Still, I do appreciate it,” Harold says.
He turns to face me. “The messenger sent to bring news of your demise to your family is another who has vowed loyalty to me. Instead of delivering this message, he has taken a third carriage to bring your family to meet us in a designated place before we set out to find our new home. Our parties should be joined by morning.”
How very thoughtful. “Thank you for doing that for me. But are you not worried at all that your parents will have the land searched until you are recovered?”
“I told you, we will travel until we are beyond their reach, out of the country perhaps. And I do not worry about this. I promise you that my parents will be grateful to get rid of me. They will probably create a story about me falling ill and dying if anyone asks where I am. They will be upset that you are not hanged, though. Even though I doubt they will try very hard to have you found, I will make absolutely certain you are out of their grasp.”
Harold puts a hand on my cheek to rest my head against his shoulder, leaning over to kiss the top of my head. “You should rest now. You’re safe. My love will protect you always.”
I smile as I let my eyes close and my body relax. This is all so incredible, running away with this amazing man who will still be providing an escape from severe poverty for my family and me. Who I love with all my heart. Who will fill my days with such joy, I can hardly imagine it.
My thoughts wander to his foot. I long to see and touch it again, but not in the presence of the others. There will be years upon years to obsess over and admire this wondrous creation of nature, though. Years to love and learn together.
The feelings given me by a touch of his hand are enough to wipe everything else away, and I realize I may have finally even found someone who can tame my inner demons.
As I snuggle closer to Harold and he rests his head against mine, I can’t help but think of how everything we’ve been through was worth it…for this.
THE END