Chapter 43
It was nearing dawn when Shepard and two constables finally quit Briarton Park with Mr. North in tow. Fog curtained the courtyard, and as Cassandra inched closer to James, she could feel his warmth.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him.
It was over.
Mr. North—Mr. Longham’s murderer—was being taken into custody by the authorities, and James Warrington—the man who now held her future—stood strong next to her.
“So Robert Clark’s deathbed confession was at the root of all of this.” James shook his head. “Unbelievable.”
Cassandra tightened her shawl as she considered Mr. North’s admission of guilt to the magistrate. His secrets had been found out, and he could not escape them or, in the end, even deny them. Among his belongings on his person at the time of arrest was some of the paperwork from Mr. Longham’s satchel. The irrefutable evidence compelled Mr. North to confess.
“It’s criminal how he abused his office in such a manner,” she said. “Mr. North must have known about it before he even came to Anston. So many people trusted him. I trusted him.”
“Yes, he was aware of the inheritance. He had to have been. Shepard and I found letters from his aunt—Alice Stricklin—verifying it. Vicar or not, he is still a man, susceptible to all the same manner of temptations everyone else faces.”
“Yes, but he was not strong enough to resist them,” she said softly before her thoughts turned to the gentleman who had been so helpful to her. “Poor Mr. Longham.”
“It’s a tragedy, but at least justice will be served. Shepard will see to that. North will pay for what he has done to Longham, to you, and to others.” James reached his hand to her. “Come. Let’s go inside.”
She looked at the man who held her heart, and warmth flooded her. His cheek was already bruising from the blows he took from North, and the wind whipped his sandy hair about his face, but to her, he’d never looked more handsome. More captivating. More like home. She tucked her fingers in his outstretched hand, and together they crossed to the door.
Once inside, they turned into the study, where Rachel, whose brave actions had helped save them both, was seated.
“Is he gone?” Rachel jumped to her feet, energized.
Cassandra embraced the young woman. “Yes, he’s gone. Thanks, in part, to you and your quick thinking.”
“Why were you in the corridor at that hour?” asked James, hands akimbo. “And how did you know where to find the pistol?”
Rachel shrugged. “Like I told you, Mrs. Towler had awoken, and that’s why I came down to find you. But then I heard your voices, and after listening for a few minutes, I figured you needed help. Mrs. Helock always keeps a pistol in the kitchen for defense. I just got it and pointed it. I have no idea how to use it.”
James laughed. “Well, thankfully you were there. It was just the distraction we needed.”
Cassandra removed her shawl and placed it on a chair, then turned back to Rachel. “You said Mrs. Towler is awake. How is she?”
“Yes. And she seems fine, just tired. Mrs. Helock is with her now.”
“Good. We should all get some rest after such an ordeal,” James said to his sister. “You’d best go to bed now. You must be exhausted.”
“I am.” Rachel embraced Cassandra and kissed her brother on the cheek, then she sobered. “You know, I really am sorry for the trouble I caused with Richard. I love you both, even if my actions make you question it.”
James reached an arm out to hug her and kissed the top of her curly head. “Love you too.”
Rachel departed from the study, leaving James and Cassandra alone in the early morning stillness. She glanced around the room at the scene where one of the most dramatic events ever to occur in her life had taken place. Plaster still covered the area from the gunshot that hit the ceiling. Candlelight illuminated an overturned chair and the stacks of paper that had been scattered during the fight. She absently rubbed her wrists where Mr. North had grabbed her.
“Does it hurt?” James asked, moving closer.
“No, not really. It’s just so strange.”
He took her hand and raised it, then pressed a soft kiss to her wrist. “I’ve never been so scared as when I came in and saw him with that pistol aimed at you.”
She leaned into his embrace and rested her cheek against his shoulder, relaxing into the comfort she found there. “And what would I have done if you’d not arrived?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve already lost love once to death. I could not have handled it happening again.”
At his mention of love, she lifted her head to meet his tender gaze.
He brushed her hair from her face and let his finger linger against her cheek. “I fear tonight has changed everything. Forever.”
Her head felt light at the words. Her heart, full.
“I hope you’re not too disappointed with the way everything has turned out. You came here searching for family. It was not what you expected, but I hope you still think you’ve found your family. With us. With me.”
Cassandra set her hands on his chest and toyed with the fabric-covered button of his coat. “I did come here in search of family. And I found it, didn’t I? I know my mother, my father, and even that I have half brothers. But what I now realize is that I was really looking for love and acceptance. And I found it with you. And the girls. And I hope you have found it with me.”
Then he pressed his lips to her ear. “Marry me, Cassandra. Please say you will. I cannot live another day without knowing you will be part of my forever.”
A tear slid down her cheek. She inched back, studying his face, the depths of his gray eyes. An earnestness and desperation that matched her own simmered there. Every emotion had registered in her over the past night, but now, as his hand caressed her cheek, she knew her heart was forever his. “Yes, James. Oh yes!”
He kissed her, and his ardent strength intoxicated her. “Can you see yourself spending your life here? With me?”
She smoothed an unruly lock of hair away from his brow. “I can see my life wherever you are.”
He laughed and shook his head. “You know what everyone will say, of course. That I am marrying you for the land. Now that all of this business is settled, you will be a very important lady around here.”
She returned his playful smile. “And why do you want to marry me?”
He studied her face, the fullness of her lips, the curve of her cheek, and then he sobered. “I suppose I would have to say that it’s because of this charming slope of your nose, or the delightful dimple beside your mouth, or because you carry a dagger in your boot. Or because you make me feel whole after feeling empty for what seems an eternity. And why would you, an heiress, want to marry someone like me?”
Her thoughts rushed within her, and she smoothed his rumpled cravat before lifting her face to his. “That very first day when I arrived at Briarton, you were everything I thought a country gentleman would be like. Handsome, aloof, so certain. I remember wondering how it would be to have a man like that care for me. But then the more I got to know you, I found you weren’t aloof after all. You trusted me in spite of all that was against me. And you protected me, even when I might not have wanted it. You, Mr. Warrington, are the dream I never thought I could have.”