CAPTAIN WENTWORTH EMBROILED IN SCANDAL AGAIN!
Anne's heart thumped as she saw the gossip column's headline. She had cut all ties with London, transferring most of her wealth to her aunt with the help of her lawyer. She only needed a modest income to survive as a widow anyway, and her investment in the local mines was more than enough to support her and Edward. No one knew where she was. Her lawyer had been instructed to never tell anyone. As far as London was concerned, she had vanished into thin air.
In the small mining town of St Trin, the only indulgence she allowed herself was reading the newspaper from London. It was always two days old but it sufficed to keep her in the know. For years, she had heard no tell of Oliver, but here it was, his name on the front page, beneath a ghastly caricature of him grabbing and kissing what looked like a ghastlier caricature of her, while an angry woman with a bulbous nose glared at the two of them.
Dear Reader
One wonders at Captain Wentworth's ability to entangle himself in all sorts of trouble. Why, it seems like just yesterday that all of London was gossiping about his hand in the disappearance of one Miss Anne Musgrave. Scandal rocked the two families when Sir Phillip Musgrave challenged him to a duel, only for Captain Wentworth to not turn up. And then Captain Wentworth challenged Sir Phillip to a duel the next day, roaring that he would find out where the young baronet was hiding Miss Musgrave or kill him. Sir Phillip barely escaped alive, and the ordeal left both parties enraged and none the wiser of Miss Musgrave's whereabouts. So perhaps we ought to have taken Miss Dalton's word that Miss Musgrave eloped with her footman.
Speaking of Miss Dalton, scandal visited the house party of Lord and Lady Elliot when she was caught in the bedroom of Captain Wentworth in a state of
deshabille
. Witnesses say Mrs Dalton fainted on the spot and Mr Dalton ordered Wentworth to marry his daughter.
Wentworth, however, swore soundly that she was trying to trap him and refused.
"My heart already belongs to another," he was quoted as saying, "and I would not sully it by attempting to lay with this disingenuous young lady."
What do you think, Dear Reader? Is there more to the story of Anne Musgrave and Oliver Wentworth than met the eye? One thing is for sure though. I would not wish to be in the shoes of the poor footman she married, lest the angry Captain gets his hands on him...
Anne sighed. "Oh Oliver, when will you let me go?"
"My lady," Mrs Johnson, her housekeeper called out. "There is a manservant seeking to hand deliver a letter to you."
Frowning, Anne went to take the letter. This was odd. Her lawyer was not due to write to her for another fortnight, and he was not the kind to splurge on sending a manservant when regular mail would have sufficed. For a heart stopping moment, she wondered if her family was sick or in trouble. She hurried out to meet the man. He looked exhausted, but his horse seemed in worse condition.
"Good God, man!" Anne exclaimed. "Have you ridden through the night?"
"Urgent post, Ma'am," the servant said. "Mr Lawrence said time was of the essence."
Confused, she tore open the letter.
Dear Miss Musgrave
I write to you in great haste. Our mutual acquaintance has been taking great pains to discover your man of business for the past few years, as you know already, and today, he finally found out about me. He stormed into my home and threatened my wife and child if I did not disclose your location to him. I gave him the address of a Post Office in a town in the opposite direction, claiming he would find you there, but I fear for your safety.
You must take little Edward and flee. As for me, I will also send my wife and child....
Anne stopped reading, her blood running cold. He had found her lawyer. He would find her, too.
"Mrs Johnson!" she said, forcing her voice to stay calm, "please see to it that this man is well compensated and has the chance to rest at the inn for a while."
As Mrs Johnson nodded, Anne turned on her heel and dashed indoors. "Edward! Edward, where are you?"
Her son came out, his golden hair falling into blue eyes wide in confusion. "I was only playing, Mama."
"Oh Edward, thank heavens!" She was on the verge of tears as she hugged her child. "Listen to me, dearest. You and I are going on an adventure!"
His brow furrowed, making him look maddeningly like his father. "An adventure? Like in the stories you read me?"
"Yes! Exactly like that. Except we have to hurry. Go wash yourself and pick your favourite toy. We will leave in an hour."
Beaming, he ran up the stairs, leaving her to go over the logistics of her impending travel. They would pack light and travel fast. Mr Lawrence had given her enough time to escape before Oliver could find her.
"Ma'am?" Mrs Johnson's voice jerked her back to reality. "Ma'am, you have a visitor. All fancy-like too. Says he's your cousin."
Phillip?
"Show him in, Mrs Johnson, please," she said, mind whirling again. "And bring us a pot of tea."
Mrs Johnson bustled away and Anne made it to the drawing room, waiting to see the family she had abandoned all those years ago. But it was not Phillip that entered the room. It was -
"
You!
" she hissed, furious.
"Ahh, dearest cousin. It has been too long." Before she could resist, he had grasped her firmly and kissed her cheek. "What's the matter,
Mrs Bennett
? Are you surprised to see me?"
"How did you get here so fast?"
The smile he wore was painful to see, given how much he was seething. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were blazing. A nerve jumped on his forehead. "That's the thing, Anne. Instead of taking your foolishly honourable lawyer at his word, I decided to follow his manservant. And he led me straight to you! Is that not wonderful?"
Tears started to stream down her face. "Why will you not leave me alone? What grave sin have I committed which makes you burn for revenge the way you do?"
He was drinking her in. The last four years had changed her once more. Anne was in her second bloom, glowing despite the clear terror on her face. She had also regained some of the weight she had lost, her body now filled out in the right places again. Tearing his gaze away from her form, he forced her to meet his eyes. "You dared to run away from me, Anne. Not once, but twice. How many times must we go over this? You do not belong to yourself. You are only mine, to do with as I please."
"Please, Oliver, just let me go! You have Miss Dalton eating out of the palm of your hand. Marry her, beget heirs, forget about me. Just let me live the rest of my days in peace!"
"You talk as if you were close to your deathbed, foolish woman," he griped. "Miss Dalton - that stupid chit - means nothing at all to me. I would have one of you over a hundred of her."
Her heart, treacherous as it was, thumped wildly. "W-what are you saying?"
"Nothing, except I
will
have you. There is no escaping me, Anne. Come, let me look at you. You are glowing. Widowhood suits you, fake though it may be."