Page 64 of A Governess' Forbidden Flame
It was finally over…or so it seemed. Amelia quickly turned around, only to see that Sebastian had refused to be left behind. In an act of resilience, he clutched a gardening pitchfork, a makeshift weapon in his hands. He was turned to Vivienne, who now stood alone in the fragrant blooms, menacingly aiming the pitchfork at her. The look on her face was one of anger and anguish, as she knew that they had lost. Their fate was sealed.
“Miss Wycliffe!” Anna exclaimed, rushing over to Amelia, only to embrace her even more fervently. Amelia’s heart almost stoppedwhen she noticed blood on Anna’s hands, but she immediately remembered that it was Sebastian who was hurt, not her.
“I thought I would lose you both!” Anna cried, her entire body wracked by her sobbing.
“You won’t lose either of us.” Amelia smiled, her heart swelling with love and hope for this sweet young child. “Didn’t I promise you that?”
She wondered how much of childhood Anna truly had left. She had seen so much. She had gone through so much. Was it possible to remain happy and carefree after an ordeal such as this one, when a pistol was pointed at her, and she was moments away from death?
Amelia shuddered at the thought. She didn’t even want to think about it. Instead, she tried to focus on the positive side. It was all finally over. There was no curse over this home, as everyone had come to believe, but rather, it was merely the actions of a wronged woman who believed that it was her right to exact vengeance on those who had, in her mind, wronged her. Innocent people had died.
Lives were lost. Many more were destroyed. And yet, they were still there, the three of us, standing strong, hand in hand.
Amelia didn’t know much, but she knew one thing. Anna deserved to lead the rest of her life in happiness and joy,and she would devote her every waking moment to see that this happened. Nothing would ever be more important than Anna’s happiness. She squeezed Anna’s hand, and together, they walked over to Sebastian, who was holding the pistol instead of the pitchfork. He was leaning to one side, obviously disoriented from the wound and having lost so much blood.
Amelia rushed to help him by offering him her body to lean on. He hesitated, but the pain took over, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, allowing her to steady his balance. A sudden tenderness washed over her. She couldn’t lose him. She couldn’t lose either of them, not now that she had finally admitted how she felt about him. Being on the brink of death had finally forced them to reveal their true feelings, and she knew that without him, there would be no life for her, no joy. It would be merely surviving.
“That was utterly insane of you,” Sebastian suddenly said, making himself heard through the pain. “To offer yourself up for Anna like that…I…I can’t thank you enough, Amelia.”
Amelia smiled, caressing Anna’s cheek with her hand. “I would do it as many times as necessary. Her safety is all that matters.”
“You truly love her, don’t you?” he asked, sounding incredulous, although she could not tell why.
“More than you could ever imagine,” she assured him with a loving smile. “Now, how about we send for the Justice of Peaceso we can get rid of these people and see what lies beyond that mysterious door?”
She knew what the answer would be. She could see it in his eyes, those eyes that sparkled with so much love for both her and little Anna.
Chapter 33
Sebastian was in an enormous amount of pain, but that paled to the relief he felt upon knowing that both Anna and Amelia were all right and unharmed. He refused Nicholas’ insistence on staying behind, while they locked Frederick and his wife in one of the almost forgotten cells in the cellar.
“I will do the honors,” Sebastian used the key with much effort, focusing on the task at hand instead of the pain in his shoulder. The moment the lock clicked, he looked in Frederick’s direction.
“I hope it was worth it,” he told him.
“I hope you lose your arm,” Frederick mumbled angrily.
“I will be able to live without my arm still like an earl, but you will never live to see another day as a free man. I promise you that,” Sebastian said in words that assured him of his belief in justice.
Frederick didn’t say anything to that. Instead, Vivienne started to shout at him, while both Nicholas and Sebastian left the cellar, deciding to wait for the Justice of Peace to arrive and deal with them accordingly.
As it turned out, they did not need to wait too long. The Justice of Peace, a figure of authority, arrived promptly, his stern countenance reflecting the gravity of the situation. He was informed of everything that had happened, nodding every once in a while to what had been shared with him.
When the entire story had finally been brought to an end, he closed his little booklet, which he used to take notes so he would not forget the most important aspects of the accusation, and spoke in a grave manner.
“I think I have everything I need here,” he told them. “I will take the criminals with me to London and send word of what will happen next. But rest assured, after what they have done, they will be locked up for a very long time,” the man assured Sebastian.
He had to admit that, in a way, he was sorry for Frederick. Fate had dealt him a bad hand, all of which started with an insane mother who felt that everything had been taken away from her. Worse yet, she felt that she had the right to harm, even murder others whom she believed stood in her path.
But Sebastian was more sorry for his brother. His death by poisoning was no accident. Now, they knew who did it and why. The curse had finally been lifted, and Sebastian was able to breathe properly again. The nightmare was over. He could wake up into a wonderful dream if only Amelia would decide to staywith them. After everything that had happened, he could not blame her for wanting to leave. Only…he wished she would not.
All four of them were standing side by side, Sebastian, Amelia, Anna, and Nicholas, as the Justice of Peace was forcing the criminals into his carriage, bound and unable to attack anyone. Sebastian watched as trouble was led away from his life, in a carriage that was slowly disappearing into the distance. At that moment, even the pain in his shoulder had almost come to a halt, rendering him blissfully numb.
However, just as they turned to go back inside the house, the sound of oncoming hooves was heard. Anna was the first to speak.
“Are they bringing them back?” she asked with a fearful note in her voice.
“No, no,” he assured her, gazing at the oncoming carriage, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. He could not quite make the color or the size, as they were mostly all alike. For a moment, he thought that Anna was right. Was the Justice of Peace truly bringing them back? Had something happened? His heart clenched at the notion, and the pain returned with a vengeance, seizing his entire mind and body.
