Page 71 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
“He tried to weasel his way out of it, of course, when I confronted him,” continued James, his face stricken. “To my disgust, he even tried to use Isabel as an excuse as to why he should stay on here as if nothing had happened!”
“What are you going to do?” she whispered, her face whitening. “You did not tell Isabel. She did not mention a word of it, to me…”
He shook his head ruefully. “No, I could not tell her. Not yet, anyway. I shall still think about whether I will or not. It is a big enough shock to her to be told about how he treated you.” He paused, gazing at her steadily. “I told him to leave Birkenhead, Adaline, and never return. I told him if he did not, then I would prosecute him, so that he ends up in gaol or transported to the colonies. I hope that I have done the right thing.”
Adaline felt herself shaking uncontrollably. The man was pure evil, and he would still be walking free. It was possible that he might do the same thing to someone else. Or even that he might lay in wait, like a spider in its web, anticipating the moment when he could strike out at them again.
She took a deep breath. A part of her wanted him to fully pay for what he had done. Attempted murder was a grievous, heinous crime. He had tried to kill her husband. Why should he be able to walk away from that, and still live a normal life?
But then she looked into James’ stricken face. This was not easy for him. He had just learnt that the man he considered his dearest friend in the world had tried to kill him. Most men would not even think twice about calling in the constabulary and prosecuting him to the fullest extent of the law. But it was not so easy for her husband.
“It is because of other people,” he said quietly, gazing at her beseechingly. “It would destroy the Montgomery family. I am close to all of them, and they are good people. I cannot do it to them. They are innocent in all of this.” He paused. “And it is in memory of my father, as well. For the great man that he was, in trying to help them. The least that I can do is try to do the same thing, for his sake.”
Her heart lurched. Itwasa complex situation. And James was showing what a great man he was, in letting Reuben off like this. He did not want to hurt other people. He wasn’t focused on revenge; he did not want to make Reuben pay for what he had done in the conventional way. All he wanted was for the man to exit their lives, as quickly and painlessly as possible.
“It was hard enough telling Isabel about what he did to you,” he continued slowly. “To see her so upset was deeply distressing.” He paused, gazing out at the sea, with troubled eyes. “But I had to do it. I have still not decided whether I shall tell her about what happened on the cliff, but if I do not, Reuben’s conduct towards you is enough to justify to the Montgomery family why we never wish to see him again. They will understand and will not pressure me to reconcile with him.”
Adaline took a deep breath. “I think that you have done the right thing,” she said slowly. “A part of me wants him to pay for what he did to you, but I see how it would destroy other people. Good people, who do not deserve it. It is enough that we cut him out of our lives completely.”
He visibly sagged, as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “Thank you, Adaline, for understanding. I did not want to do the wrong thing by you, either. Your support in this means the world to me…”
He reached out again, grasping her hand, holding it to his cheek.
Her heart lurched again. He had carried the weight of this knowledge since his memory had returned. The knowledge of what his best friend had done to him. He had not wanted to burden her with it, but quietly dealt with it in the way that he thought best.
It was done. It was finally over. The evil that had infiltrated their lives was leaving, now, and they could finally begin again.
“My love,” she said quietly. “You can relax now, at long last. The burden is off your shoulders, and he will never have the opportunity to harm us again.” She paused. “I think that you should not tell Isabel, or any of the Montgomery family, what happened on that cliff.”
He gazed at her steadily. “You do not think I should?”
She shook her head firmly. “It would destroy them as much as if you prosecuted him and he was in gaol, paying for his crime against you.” She gazed off, into the distance. “To live with the knowledge that their son and brother is a killer would be terrible, indeed. I do not think they would ever recover from it.”
His eyes filled with tears. “I hoped you would say that. Iwantedyou to say that. But I was not going to make the decision without you.”
“It is enough,” she said slowly. “They will still know that he is not the superlative character that he pretends to be, and that is sufficient for me. I do not desire vengeance, either.”
He sighed deeply. “He will not bother us again, Adaline. I promise you that. He is a clever man, and he knows that I will make good on my threat to call in the law if he tries anything again. You do not have to be fearful…”
She smiled tremulously. “I am not fearful, my darling. I know that he will go and leave us be.” She paused. “I also know that you will do everything in your power to protect us, and the life that we have together. That you are committed to this marriage, and to us. I trust you, James.”
He took a deep, ragged breath. “I do not deserve you,” he said, in a rough voice. “After all that you have endured, at my hands, and his, it is astounding to me that you are still here, by my side, loving me as well as you always have.” He paused, staring at her fiercely. “You are truly the most wonderful of women, Adaline. A woman that I am so proud to call my wife.”
The tears kept flowing down her face, unchecked. Her heart swelled with so much love for him that she truly thought that it might burst.
She took a deep breath, gazing at him. “And I am so very proud to call you my husband. I am so very proud of the man that you are, James Townshend. I always knew that man was there, deep down. It just took a few unexpected twists and turns for him to finally reveal himself.”
Chapter 27
Adaline walked to the point at the edge of the garden, watching the sun as it set over the sea.
It was one of her favourite spots. She had often come here, in the two years since she had been at Birkenhead Lodge, to watch it. It had comforted her, when she had been so lonely in her marriage, to see nature at its most glorious. Somehow, it had made her feel like her problems were bearable. That life still continued on, that the world was just the same.
She took a deep breath as the breeze whispered around her face, watching as the sky turned into a melting mass of orange and pink. It was reflected on the surface of the water, glistening like skeins of silk. It was so beautiful that it almost took her breath away. She felt the last of the tension of the day drain out of her.
Reuben Montgomery had left the house, hours ago. She had watched from her chamber window as he had climbed into the carriage, his two large trunks hauled onto the back of it. She had deliberately stayed upstairs after she had finished talking with James, until he was gone. She did not want to run into him, to look at his hateful face, and she could not bear the thought of him trying to talk to her, to appeal to her.
For one moment, before he had climbed into the carriage, her breath had caught in her throat. He seemed to be hesitating. Would he refuse to go? But the next minute the carriage driver spoke to him, and without a backward glance at the house, he got into the carriage. The driver had cracked the whip, and the carriage had drawn away, down the circular driveway and through the gates.
