“If Sophie loves you and wants to marry you, then you have my blessing. But you still have to convince your father and Valten to release Sophie from the betrothal, and your betrothed’s father to release you as well.”
Gabe let out the breath he’d been holding and had an almost irresistible urge to clap the man on the back. But he thought better of it and managed to contain his joy. “Thank you, sir. You shall not regret it, I promise you. I’ll make Sophie the happiest woman on earth.”
“Yes. You will. Or you’ll have to answer to me.” Baldewin glared, then allowed himself a slight smile. “Now help me up. It’s time I ate.”
Chapter 25
As Sophie and the seven men sat down to breakfast, she thought about the way Gabe used to finagle in order to be able to sit beside her. She missed his smile and the look in his eyes whenever she glanced his way. Hurry back to me, Gabe.
What if he never comes back?
The worrisome thought haunted her. Being able to marry him still seemed too good to be true.
But she mustn’t think this way. Gabe had asked her for one thing, and that was her trust. I need you to trust me, he’d said. And she’d promised to do that. Didn’t that trust include believing that he would come back for her?
Once she finished eating her breakfast of eggs and fruit pasty, the Seven helped her clear away their dishes, carrying it all to the sink before the men headed outside. Today they would bury the duchess.
A numbness seeped into Sophie’s bones as she stared at her stepmother, laid out on the dirt beside the root cellar, where they had kept her overnight.
Perhaps Sophie should have been relieved that her stepmother would never hurt her again. But mostly she just felt … numb. Speechless. Cold and dull. She touched the bandage on her chest.
The duchess had directed so much evil at Sophie, and now she was dead.
Sophie shivered and wrapped her hands around her arms, wishing Gabe would come back. She longed for his warmth, for his confident brown eyes that always made her feel safe and loved and wanted.
But Sophie now realized God was capable of keeping her safe. He’d protected her with her own wooden cross. And God loved her, she knew, from what the Bible and the priest and Gabe said. And because she knew God wanted to heal Gabe of his past hurts, she knew he wanted to heal her too. She just had to let him.
She turned and went back into the kitchen to start the midday meal.
She refused to look out the window while she threw herself into her task, baking extra bread and pies and starting a stew for the evening meal. When she finished, she went outside to call the men.
Apparently the Seven had removed the body — Sophie didn’t care where as long as she didn’t have to see it — and none of them were in sight. But two figures on horseback emerged from the trees near the river. Sophie recognized them at once.
“Petra! Roslind!” Sophie ran to meet them, almost tripping over her dress in her headlong rush.
“Sophie!” Roslind cried as she dismounted. “You’re safe. We snuck away as soon as we realized the duchess was truly gone.”
Petra, who’d begun dismounting as soon as Sophie had come outside, reached Sophie first and threw her arms around her, laughing and crying at the same time.
Roslind continued. “We prayed for you, and Petra said you would be well, that God would take care of you. Is Gabe here? Did Walther find you? We are quite famished. Do you have any food?”
Sophie laughed at Roslind’s childlike speech. She hugged both women together, then each of them separately.
“It’s so wonderful to see you! However did you make it here by yourselves? No, don’t tell me yet. Let me get you inside and feed you!”
Sophie was already anticipating having her “sister” and her “mother” to confide in. She could hardly wait to get them alone to tell them all that had happened between her and Gabe, and let them know they never had to worry about the duchess’s cruelty again.
Petra and Roslind helped Sophie carry the food to the table. Before they were finished, Dominyk entered the room, his gaze immediately settling on Petra, and big tears welled up in his eyes.
Petra stopped what she was doing, a pitcher of milk in her hand, as a smile spread across her face. With a quiet giggle, she set down the pitcher and she and Dominyk met in the middle of the room. Petra leaned over to accomodate Dominyk’s smaller stature and embraced him.
When they pulled apart, they were both wiping their eyes.
Numerous questions rushed through Sophie’s head, but it seemed irreverent to break into their private moment.
Dolf, Bartel, Siggy, Vincz, Gotfrid, and Heinric burst into the room, crowding behind Dominyk as they stopped and stared, open-mouthed, at the spectacle of two additional strange women in their house, one of whom was hugging their indomitable leader.
Dominyk blew his nose, rather noisily, into a handkerchief and then turned to his men. “What?” he asked. “Haven’t you ever seen a man hug his sister?”