Finding Him

13l Journeying Together

He would have made a good husband, she found herself thinking as their hands remained locked. He might be unable to see her, but he had a wonderful ability to sense her and she knew she might never find a man like him again.

They traveled for several more hours in silence, the footman neglecting to stop for food. She wondered at his behavior but didn't point it out to Daniel. Perhaps he was in a hurry to drop her off at Sheffield.

It was evening when the carriage finally came to a halt, Hadassah's heart pounding in her chest as the door was pulled open.

She was in Sheffield, she thought, tears springing to her eyes once more. She took a deep breath, determined to keep her tears from spilling down her cheeks as Daniel climbed down the carriage and she was helped down as well.

Her eyelids widened as her feet made contact with the cobbled ground. Confused, she scanned the unfamiliar building before her, before turning around to scan the area in confusion.

"Daniel?" She tore her eyes off of the white building and back to Daniel. "Where are we?" Her lips trembled in confusion.

"London."

She opened her mouth to speak but he had turned from her and was speaking to the footman.

London?! How did they manage to end up in London?!

"We should go inside, Hadassah." He placed his hand on the small of her back as the footman took his free hand and helped him up the front stairs and through the front door.

She immediately knew as they stepped in through the doors, that it was a boarding house. She was still in shock when she heard Daniel refer to her as his wife. The old lady with curly gray hair and a rounded form smiled at Hadassah before turning around and motioning for them to follow her up the stairs.

They were led to a simple bedroom, one that contained a single bed, dressing table and a fireplace. It had one window that was covered with a brown curtain. The footman left them then.

Daniel motioned for her to go in and she numbly complied, flabbagasted. Perching on the edge of the bed, she watched until he had finished speaking with the older woman. He seemed to beat the air for several seconds before finding the door and closing it behind him. Then, he turned around.

Jumping to her feet, she hurriedly crossed the room and took his arm. He didn't protest as she led him through the room and helped him to settle on the bed.

"Thank you. I can only imagine your fatigue, Hadassah, I have asked that a bath be brought in. You do not mind if I am in the room while you go about your bath, do you? I am unable to see, you needn't feel embarrassed."

Hadassah's throat felt dry. For a long while, she couldn't respond, confused at their stop in London. London was in no way on the path to Sheffield.

"We are not going to Sheffield." He said, seeming to read her mind.

"What?" It was a low whisper as a large lump had began clogging her throat in that second.

"We are expected to be in Rye, Sussex, tomorrow. My mother has prepared a manor. It was all we could come up with given the short time, Hadassah, do not appear so frightened. Forgive me for not requesting your opinion but I couldn't discuss this fact with you in the estate, nor in the carriage. If you wish to return to Sheffield, then I'll ensure you are taken there tomorrow, it is not too late."

It took longer than Hadassah had imagined to digest Daniel's words. She stood for several minutes before him, legs frozen to the spot, unable to speak as her heart rate tripled in speed.

The soft knock on the door jolted her back to the present. Turning from Daniel as if by doing so, she would regain her ability to think properly, she opened the door and allowed the maids make their way into the room. She waited until the maids had finished preparing her bath, leaving the wash basin by the fireplace before making their way out.

Her breathing seemed to get better as she watched the maid exit the room. As soon as the door was closed behind them, she exhaled loudly and turned around.

Daniel still maintained his position on the bed, eyes fixed on her direction.

"I will take you to Sheffield in the morning, Lady Hadley." His reference to her in formal terms made her frown in disappointment. She realized then that she enjoyed hearing him say her name.

No, she didn't want to return to Sheffield. But she couldn't go with him to Rye either. Not only would it tarnish her reputation, it would tarnish his entire family's reputation. Her uncle will go ahead with the lawsuit and he will eventually find her. He will force her to travel back to Sheffield with him and her ruined reputation will render her unmarriageable. Daniel's offer was a kind one but it posed a greater danger to her.

"If we journey to Rye together, shall we then live together? It will stain my name."

"Not if we are married."

Again, his words stunned her into silence.

"We will get married the moment we arrive Rye. My mother will have a Reverend waiting. We'll live there until it is safe to return to Sheffield a few months from now, when you turn eighteen." A frown settled on his face after several seconds of her standing by the door in silence. "Forgive me, I have failed to think this through. I have especially failed to ask your opinion."

She shook her head, tears now spilling down her cheeks as she considered the man before her. He was willing to put everything at risk for her, even his entire family's reputation. Did he think she was worth that much? Her father owned a few lands but he didn't have half as much as the Talbots. Their marriage would be good, but not great. It certainly wasn't worth the risk.

Yet, she couldn't feel anything but gratitude towards him. Nobody had ever put so much on the line for her, except Leah.

"You have," She whispered solemnly. "You have, Daniel, you have thought everything through and for that, I am forever grateful. I am especially grateful we will finally be married in only a few hours from now."

His smile caused another cold shiver to race down her spine. "Me too, Hadassah."

Copyright © 2018 Lily Orevba All rights reserved.