“Aye, I am well aware of that.”
“Was there anything you saw that told you she survives this?” asked Simeon.
“Oh, aye, there was. This was Bened’s story I saw, you know,” Lilybet said, and both men nodded. “It ended with him very happy.”
“And?” pressed Simeon when she said nothing else.
“Why does there need to be any more? It ended with him happy. He would not be if harm had come to Primrose, now would he.”
Bened rode along, making no effort to get anywhere fast. He knew he should have just ridden away at a faster pace but he was faltering. He did not want to go. He thought about Willow Hill and grimaced. He could not match that elegance, and doubted he would be able to match what Primrose had as a dowry. With each length the horse went, the less he cared.
He was making up Primrose’s mind for her. He had not even given her the courtesy of asking her what she wanted. The reason for that, he admitted, was pure cowardice. He suspected that was the cause of the looks the others had given him when he had said his hasty farewells. They were disappointed in him because he did not have the backbone to face Primrose, say what he wanted, and wait for her to decide on him.
Realizing he had come to a halt in the middle of the road, he sighed and shook his head. This was wrong. Primrose was a well-bred lady, an innocent who had allowed him to become her lover. He owed her more than slipping out of her life like a thief in the night. The more he thought of how she had been with him, the less he felt inclined to run away.
He frowned and slowly turned his horse around, staring off in the direction of Willow Hill. There was no arguing that she had better than he could offer her yet she had given him a lot. She had given him her innocence, her warmth and laughter, her trust, and even her acceptance of him and his family. There was a chance that she would give him even more, that she would have not one single objection to becoming his wife and bearing his children in a too-large stone block of a house in the wilds of Wales. All he had to do was gain the courage to take that chance.
Chapter Nineteen
Primrose woke to a pain that engulfed her head. It took her several minutes to wade through it to find the source and she started to reach up to touch the back of her head only to discover her wrists were tied to a chair. She took several deep breaths, letting them out slowly, to push back the fear that surged through her at the discovery.
Then memory of what had happened returned and she cursed. A brief struggle against her bonds was all she needed to know she would not be breaking free of them easily. Her only hope of escaping what Augusta had planned for her was that Simeon would return in time and come looking for her.
She looked around the room and frowned. It looked very like the schoolroom at the parish but that made no sense. Why would Augusta risk so much by imprisoning her so close to Willow Hill and in a building that was rarely empty?
Realization struck her like a blow to the stomach and Primrose gasped. She was here because Augusta planned to go through with the marriage plans she had made, the ones that would clear away all of Rufford’s debts, and the same ones Primrose had run away from. For a moment she saw a glimmer of hope because the pastor was a good man and would never agree to perform a forced marriage. Then good sense returned and she cursed. Augusta would issue threats to him or his family to make him comply and it would work. The pastor had never been known for his bravery.
The door opened and a very smug Augusta walked in. “Awake at last. Thought I might have to throw some water in your face. I was actually looking forward to that.”
“Augusta, you cannot possibly believe you can get away with this,” Primrose said, even though she suspected there would be no reasoning with the woman.
“Of course I can. The pastor loves his wife and child, you know. Deeply. It is quite touching.”
“Just as Geoffrey loves his but you will fail there as well.”
“Oh, has dear Simeon run to their rescue? Just as I knew he would?”
“He is no longer the sweet little boy you used to beat.”
“Who he has become does not matter when one man runs blindly toward three armed men.”
She did not know about the allies Simeon had with him, Primrose realized, and her fear for Simeon faded a little. He had Bened, Morris, Bevan, and several servants as well as Lilybet. Simeon was also too smart to run blindly into the house when he knew Augusta was behind Geoffrey’s troubles. They had seen how fond the woman was of having her hirelings ready to do her killing for her.
“You do know you are quite mad, do you not, Auntie dear?”