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Hazel Statham
Amazon
Category:
Romance
Publisher: Montlake Romance
ISBN-10: 1612186831
Type: Fiction
Pages: 191
Copyright: 2012
ISBN-13: 9781612186832
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
How many times can a heart be broken? How many times can love be denied?
Sarah and Alexander were destined for each other but after just four short weeks of marriage, their lives were torn asunder.
Alexander, Earl of Thorne thought he had found his ideal mate but, when Sarah absconded shortly after their marriage, his world came crashing down. Now, five years later, he discovers her in a remote Yorkshire village.
Sarah had thought she was safe, but when, severely injured in a freak accident, her husband is thrust once more into her life, she fears her dark secrets and the fact she has a son, will become known.
Despite her own desperate longings, she continually repudiates Alexander’s efforts of reconciliation. However, the fates conspire against her, and when her home is made uninhabitable by floods, she and her young son are forced to accept his aid and return to her former home.
Discovery threatens and, despite her breaking heart, she plans to leave Alexander’s life. What is this secret that makes it so imperative that she should abscond from him yet again? Can two broken hearts cleave and emerge victorious or will life's cruel forces tear them apart forever?
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
London 1810
As the clouds obscured the watery moon, the young Countess of Thorne stepped hurriedly through the gate set in the high wall that surrounded the garden of her husband’s London house. Quickly checking that the coast was clear, she ran the short distance to the end of the alleyway that separated the house from the neighboring property. Waiting at its end was a fashionable young man who repeatedly checked his timepiece as he strode impatiently up and down outside the carriage he had hired for the purpose of their journey. At sight of the countess, he threw wide the door and, as soon as she gained his side, with a hand on her elbow, urged her inside.
Pausing only to give the driver instructions, he hastily followed in her wake, slamming the door shut as the vehicle moved away.
“No one saw you leave?” he said, relieving her of the small valise she carried and casting it onto the seat opposite.
She shook her head in negation and he put an arm around her and drew her to rest against his shoulder.
Still retaining her within the circle of his arm, with a sigh of satisfaction, he sat back against the squabs. “You know it’s for the best, Sarah, don’t you? After all, it’s not as if it’s a love match. It’s well known that he regards you merely as his property, the means of providing an heir for his beloved Radland Abbey.”
She did not answer but surreptitiously wiped away the tears that trembled on her lashes.
“You are certain no one saw you leave?” he repeated. “You told no one of your intent?”
Still she made no answer and suddenly he held her away from him. “You did not leave a note?” he asked incredulously. “Tell me you didn’t leave a note!”
“Just a very brief one,” she admitted in a small voice.
“I don’t believe it!” he cried, pushing her away from him. “Just what is this need that females have to leave notes? Can they not make a clean break?”
“I thought it better that he should know that I am gone and it will do him no good to search for me as I will not—cannot, return!”
“Exactly what did you say?”
“Merely that our marriage was a mistake and I could not remain with him. He must not search for me, as I will not return.”
“It will raise a hell of a furor, you know.”
“It’s better that than the alternative. In time he will be able to divorce me and marry someone more suitable. He’s well rid of me, and I of him.”
“Don’t worry, my dear,” he said, drawing her once more to his side. “I will care for you.”
Chapter One
Yorkshire, June, 1815
Why now? Dear God, why now? After almost five years of schooling his body and mind from wanting her, the mere sight of her slight form across the crowded marketplace had brought back all the old emotions he’d worked so desperately to subdue, and he reeled with the impact.
He’d thought the stance of the young woman familiar, as he had on numerous occasions, only to be disappointed, but when she moved into full view by the bakery stall, he immediately realized that it truly was his wife. Sarah, his senses cried, sweet, faithless Sarah. They had been wed but four weeks when she disappeared from his home and life. To find her now in a remote Yorkshire village defied all sense.
His impulse was to confront her immediately, but as he moved to tether his horse to the rail outside the smithy, the blacksmith came out to take the beast from him.
“Lost his shoe, has he, sir?” the man asked, casting an appreciative eye over the large chestnut. “Fine animal, if I might say so…”
Thrusting the reins into the smithy’s hands, Alexander Markham, Earl of Thorne, snapped, “Nearside fore,” effectively cutting short the blacksmith’s appraisal of his mount, and turning on his heel, left the man to stare after him as he made his way into the throng of people in the marketplace.
Despite his advantage of height, he could see no sign of his wife. She had moved from the stall—but to where? Becoming frustrated with the press of people that milled around him, he strode toward the center where the ground rose to provide a vantage point, but to no avail. Sarah was nowhere in view, and he began to doubt his own perception. Had it just been wishful thinking that caused him to transpose Sarah’s features onto a stranger? Surely not! His mind was not so feeble. He would not doubt his own senses. Nonetheless, the fact remained that she was no longer in view.
Several of the crowd cast curious glances at the tall, dark stranger. He was not a handsome man, his features too strong for conventional beauty, but on several occasions he had been described as striking. His athletic form defined him as a man of action, one who was not prey to the excesses offered to those inclined. In his youth he had tasted all the pleasures that were offered to a young nobleman on the town, but now, at the age of two and thirty, his tastes were more refined, and he confined his energies to his estates and the horses he bred, only visiting the city when duty dictated.
It was on one such occasion, six years ago, that he had first been introduced to Sarah who, after completing her schooling, was living with her grandfather. Her parents lived abroad. Her father, The Honorable Henry Trenton, a second son, held a high office with the East India Company in the province of Bengal, but she, along with her older brother had, at an early age, been sent to England for the benefits of an English upbringing. Her maternal grandfather, Lord Edgerton, had invited Alexander to dine at his town house so that they could discuss the new spring stock, and it was here that he had first met Sarah.
She was still naive and had not yet been introduced into society, but the earl was immediately drawn to her. Despite being but eighteen, she fascinated him and when he returned to Radland Abbey, his thoughts were constantly of her. Reluctant to admit the attraction, he reasoned that he was in need of an heir and therefore it was his duty to consider taking a wife.
No words of love were spoken, but the offer was made and accepted and within a six-month he did, in fact, have a wife. However, the event was not without its tragedy. As her parents journeyed to attend the wedding, their ship sank in a storm, with no survivors.
Desperate to secure his granddaughter’s future, Lord Edgerton insisted that the marriage should take place as soon as possible and the couple had complied by marrying quietly at Radland.
When, four weeks into the marriage, Sarah had absconded, Alexander was forced to admit to an all-consuming love that he never confessed, but he had pushed such weak emotions aside and instead concentrated on her faithlessness. He knew not who her lover might be or how she had communicated with him, but her duplicitous deed tore him apart. He tried to bury his love in anger and for a while it was that which drove him to try to seek her out, but eventually, his true emotions rose to the fore and he could deny them no longer. When, despite searching all avenues, he could find no trace of her, he gave his emotions full rein. Those brief four weeks they shared had been the most glorious of his life, and now his dreams were shattered, he knew not how he could continue with the void her leaving had created, and for a while, desperation reigned.
He had considered returning to London in the hopes that it would prove a diversion, but the one brief fortnight he spent at his town house had brought no ease. On the contrary, the noise and bustle only grated on his senses and the questions about his absent wife forced him to return to Radland. Here he remained, turning all his energies toward the schooling of his beloved horses.
Four weeks ago, news that a stallion of exceptional blood-line was about to come up for sale inspired him to contact the owner who lived in Middlesborough. The result was his journey north to purchase the animal. Desirous of testing the horse’s stamina, he had decided to ride him part of the journey, sending his groom and the coach containing his valet on ahead to await him at an inn on the outskirts of Wakefield. On the journey, the horse more than proved his worth and the earl was well pleased with his purchase.
However, as they crossed open moorland, the stallion had cast a shoe which necessitated he seek out a smithy. Now Alexander found himself in the middle of a village on market day when all the inhabitants and those of the surrounding areas converged on the square to purchase necessities.
His frustration grew as he continued to search the throng for sight of his wife, and suddenly his attention was drawn to a girl in a blue dress emerging from the butcher’s shop. Immediately he left his vantage point and strode in her direction, cursing roundly as his progress was impeded by the multitude of shoppers confined in the small marketplace.
So intent was he on running his quarry to ground that he paid no attention to the large dray delivering ale to the inn in the center of the square. The drayman, after completing his task of delivery, urged his pair of Shires forward unaware that two boys had decided to aid his progress by the use of their catapults. When one of the beast’s ears was rudely nicked by a stone, it gave a squeal and bolted forward, taking his team mate with him. Their great hooves pounded against the cobbles of the square and pedestrians fled in panic from their path. The unfortunate driver, being unable to control his team, shouted warnings as the remaining casks on the dray were dislodged and flew in all directions. It was those casks that were still full to the brim that remained, but when the dray rounded a sharp bend, they too flew from their place. The huge ale casks split open as soon as they hit the ground, and one gave the earl a glancing blow, felling him instantly.
****
Hearing the commotion, Sarah turned back from her homeward journey, and as she entered the main street saw that a small crowd had gathered around an inert figure. Intent on offering aid, she hastened forward and made her way to the front of the bystanders.
There was something all too familiar about the man that lay unconscious at her feet and her heart thudded painfully at sight of the prone figure. As panic gripped her, her first instinct was to flee, but she saw the seriousness of the situation and fell to her knees at his side, silently praying that he would survive the accident.
Paying no heed to the onlookers who still surrounded them, bending low, she urgently whispered his name, but received no response. His dark eyes remained closed and he seemed scarcely to breathe. She dared not think of the consequences of his finding out her hiding place or her fiercely guarded secrets, her only thoughts were that he should live. To this end, looking toward the crowd for aid, she ordered that the doctor be called immediately and that her husband be removed to her cottage.
If any of the bystanders thought it strange that she should take charge of the situation and have a complete unknown taken to her home, no one gave voice to their opinion.
A farmer from one of the nearby holdings stepped forward. “We can put him on a hurdle in my cart, Miss,” he offered. “He’s too big a man to carry comfortably. My son will help me lift him.”
Grateful for the suggestion, Sarah rose to her feet. “Lift him gently,” she said. “We know not what his injuries might be.”
The earl groaned as caring hands lifted him clear of the ground and into the cart and Sarah was aided to sit beside him. If she had not known it impossible for him to be aware of her presence in his unconscious state, she could have sworn he uttered her name, but when she bent toward him, his eyes remained firmly closed, his features shuttered.
She could not imagine what curse of fate had brought him to this part of the country. It had taken her many months to feel secure in her hiding place, but eventually, she had begun to be certain that she was no longer in danger of discovery. Now that certainty mocked her and she realized just how fragile had been her peace of mind.
As the farmer drove the cart at a steady pace, she studied her husband’s face and all the anxieties she’d fought so hard to quell threatened to overcome her. How was she to keep her secrets from him now that they would be forced into each other’s company? She knew she could never return to him. The consequences would be too dire.
****
His body felt numb as consciousness slowly returned. He could hear the rumble of the cart wheels and was aware that they moved, but he felt no sensation in his body. His eyes opened and she was there. For a brief moment, his senses refused to comprehend the fact and confusion reigned.
Sarah’s breathing caught as she felt the shock of his eyes upon her. She knew not what to say or how to respond.
“Why?” was all he said, his voice, full of confusion, scarce above a whisper.
She understood his question but had no words of explanation to offer. Now was not the time for the confrontation that must surely come. Instead, she deflected his question and concentrated on the immediate situation. Leaning close to him she asked, “Do you have pain?”
He moved his head from side to side in silent negation. “I feel nothing.”
“I’m taking you to my home and the doctor has been called,” she said.
He drifted into unconsciousness once more and she wondered what damage had been wreaked on his frame by the heavy cask.
The cart halted before a riverside cottage with thatched roof situated on the northbound road. A well-tended garden with a low stone wall separated it from the roadway but the gate remained open. Hastily dismounting from the cart, she hurried to her front door.
“Rose! Rose!” Sarah called as she entered the small hallway. A round motherly figure instantly appeared from the parlor.
“It’s my husband and he’s injured,” Sarah offered in hasty explanation.
Rose’s eyes widened. “Your husband? Here? What shall we do?”
Sarah remained calm. “We shall tend to his injuries,” she said, holding the door wide so that the farmer and his son could carry the earl into the hallway.
“Please take him into the room on the left,” she said, indicating the narrow staircase they were to climb.
“But that’s your room,” said Rose in disbelief.
“It’s the largest and most comfortable,” replied Sarah. “I will do very well in Zander’s room.
Just as she was about to mount the stairs in the wake of her husband and the men that carried him, the doctor arrived.
“I believe you have need of me, Mrs. Phillips?” he said, removing his hat as he crossed the threshold.
Dr. Ellis was a young man but recently come to the village. In the short while that he had doctored its inhabitants, he had earned their respect and many praised his abilities. However, it was still with a feeling of trepidation that Sarah led the way to the first floor landing. She knew not how her husband would react once he regained consciousness, and she wanted no angry scene enacted before the medic whom she knew but slightly.
The door to the bedchamber stood ajar and as she pushed it wide, the two men who had carried the earl from the cart appeared on the point of departure. “We’ve removed his coat, boots and neck-cloth,” informed the farmer, indicating the still form that lay upon the bed. “Though he’s conscious, he’s said not a word.”
Dismissing them with a nod, the doctor moved to stand beside the canopied bed that dominated the room. “Do you have a name, sir?” he asked, bending over his patient to examine a bruise that was fast forming on his temple.
“Alexander Markham,” replied the earl, with obvious effort, his face drawn.
“Well, Mr. Markham, you appear to have taken quite a blow,” said Dr. Ellis, moving his examination to shoulders and torso. “Tell me, sir, do you have much pain? Can you pin-point your discomfort?”
Giving no answer, the earl’s eyes moved to look over the doctor’s shoulder to where Sarah stood. She was taken aback by the coldness she saw in their dark depths.
As if the glance made the doctor aware that she still remained in the room, he stood erect and turned in her direction. “I think it would be prudent for you to await me below, Mrs. Phillips,” he said. “It will be necessary for me to remove Mr. Markham’s clothing to complete my examination.”
Without a word, Sarah turned away and left the room. Closing the door quietly in her wake, she stood with her back pressed to the dark panel. She had never expected to see her husband again, and to find him so forcefully brought back into her life resurrected emotions she thought to have died many years ago. Fear that her secrets would now be brought to the fore made her tremble, and wishing to distance herself from him, she pushed away from the door and started down the stairs.
Rose, waiting below, took her hand as she achieved the small hallway and led her into the parlor. “You’re white as a sheet,” she said, examining her young mistress’ face. “And it’s no wonder, with him lying up there. What will you do? Surely, you can’t let him stay here?”
“I will send a note to Gerard,” said Sarah, dropping into the hearthside chair. “He will know what to do—he has to know what to do.”
“What of Zander?” asked Rose.
Sarah sprang from the chair. “Where is he?” she asked, moving quickly toward the door. “He cannot see him. He must not see him!”
“There’s no need to fret,” said Rose, catching her arm. “He’s over at Mill Farm. Anna called for him earlier so that he could see the new calves. It’s to be hoped that Dr. Ellis can put his lordship to rights, or at least, he could be moved elsewhere before he comes home.”
****
It was some while before Dr. Ellis returned to the parlor. The severity of his countenance boded ill for his patient’s condition.
“Mr. Markham has received severe injuries to his back,” he informed Sarah as he took the seat on the opposite side of the hearth from where she sat. “It would not be prudent to move him at this time; therefore, I’m afraid the poor man has no option but to throw himself on your charity.”
Clasping her hands over her mouth, Sarah stifled the cry of alarm that immediately rose.
“Have no fear,” assured the doctor. “I don’t believe his injuries to be fatal, but the bruising to his spine has paralyzed his lower limbs. He suffers pain in the upper back but, from where he took the full force of the blow, he feels nothing. There has been some bleeding around the spinal column that I will need to draw off to relieve the pressure. However, as far as I can tell, there appears to be no break. Although I cannot guarantee the results of my ministrations, it has been noted in like situations that sometimes, with time, these injuries resolve themselves, and it is to this we must look. I have administered a sedative to aid with the pain, and for now, Mr. Markham sleeps.”
Rising, the doctor prepared for departure, but seeing the look of anxiety on Sarah’s face, he said, “You need not fear that you’ll be called upon to attend to his personal needs. He informs me that his valet and groom await him at The Bell in Wakefield, and I shall arrange for them to be notified of their master’s injuries. It should take no more than a day for their arrival. Indeed, once they are here, his care need not be a burden to you”
It was not the fact that the earl would require nursing that brought about her apprehension, but that she would be forced into close proximity with the man from whom she’d fled and believed would never see again.
“I will return to the surgery for my instruments,” continued the doctor. “I realize how difficult it must be to have the gentleman thrust upon you thus, and if you should prefer it, your maid may assist me on my return.”
“I will aid in any way necessary,” affirmed Sarah. Conscience forbade that she should turn aside from him when he so needed her, and despite the situation, she was reluctant to leave her husband’s care to another.
With a final salute, the doctor left the cottage, promising to return within the hour with the necessary implements of his trade.
He’d scarce left her portals when Sarah ran up the stairs to the bedchamber above. Cautiously opening the door, she looked to where the earl lay, and seeing him in deep slumber, she crept inside to stand at the foot of the large bed. Her eyes devoured his pale countenance, and something in the region of her heart clenched. She was not prepared for the emotions that rose, and she held to the post of the bed when her legs threatened to betray her. In slumber, her husband’s features appeared almost boyish. and she fought the tears that would rise.
Rose came to the door but retreated unnoticed, leaving her mistress to her lone contemplation.
****
When the doctor returned, he brought with him his wife who, when necessary, acted as nurse, thus releasing Sarah from the necessity of being present during his ministrations. For, as Dr. Ellis explained, although she was a widow, this man was a stranger to her and it was not right that she should be forced into such intimate contact with him, or have the burden of his care thrust upon her.
Perversely, she wanted that burden. Against all that was sense she wished to be involved in his care, but she realized that to put herself forward would seem strange, and she wished for no suspicions of their true connection. Therefore, she merely complied with his arrangement and sat in the parlor, awaiting the outcome of his attentions.
****
Still unconscious from the draft that had been administered earlier, Alexander merely moaned when he was carefully turned to lie face-downward upon the bed. Bruising blackened the lower half of his back, showing clearly where he’d taken the force of the blow. The leeches, specifically chosen for their ability to drain blood from an injury without causing discomfort to the patient, reposed in a glass jar, eager to do their duty. Taking them one by one, Dr. Ellis placed them at strategic intervals on the bruising. Leaving them to their work, he turned to making the poultice that would be used to lessen the inflammation once the bleeding had been reduced.
As each leech grew fat with its intake of blood, he replaced it with one of its hungry companions until, completely sated, their work was done. The poultice applied and the earl settled in a more comfortable position, the doctor and his wife could do no more until the morrow, when he would return to replace the poultice.
Evening had come and graduated into night whilst they had been at their ministrations, and when Dr. Ellis sought Sarah in the parlor, he assured her that he would return at first light to replace the poultice. “Mr. Markham appears extremely fit,” he assured when questioned on his patient’s condition. “His ability to heal depends entirely on his body’s capacity to repair itself. Little is known of this type of injury. There have been cases where a full recovery has been achieved and cases where no improvement has been made at all. I cannot guarantee the outcome one way or the other.”
With this, he and his wife made their departure, leaving Sarah to contemplate the implications of her husband’s prolonged presence at the cottage.
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