Marrying Miss Martha (34 page)

“They’re only on foot. We’ll soon leave ’em behind once we get on the road,” Jack gloated, pleased with the success of their escape. He raised his voice to call, “Whip the horses up a bit, lad.”

“They can’t go any faster. It isn’t safe in all this snow.”

“Do as I tell you!”

Dirk yelled at his horses, who moved a little more quickly only under the persuasion of the whip cracking above their heads. As they turned the final bend he yelled in shock at the sight of the makeshift barrier and reined in the animals, which were trying to turn aside to avoid the piled snow and gate.

Jack dropped his pistol and clung for dear life as the carriage rocked wildly.

Georgie, still standing in the doorway of the carriage, felt Hobb’s arm slacken and seized the opportunity to throw herself out and roll away across the snow. She stumbled to her feet as Hobb jumped after her, knowing she hadn’t a chance against a huge man like him, but still not willing to give in without a fight.

Then a figure she recognised as her teacher ran forward to stand in front of her holding a shovel poised in mid-air like a weapon.

Hobb stopped dead. “Come and help me with these two, Dirk.”

“Can’t. Got to calm these bloody horses. You’ll have to clear that mess away.”

Jack picked up his pistol again and roared, “Come back over here, you stupid bitch, or I’ll shoot you.”

“Shoot me, then!” Georgie yelled back before Martha could stop her. “I’d rather die than go anywhere with you.”

Martha saw he really did mean to shoot and pulled her foolhardy young companion down to lie on the ground just as he pulled the trigger.

Cursing loudly as the shot meant to hit Georgie in the arm went wide, he cast that pistol aside now that both its chambers had been fired and began to fumble in his belt for the other one. But the horses were still upset and the loud noise had made them start rearing and whinnying again. One of them was trying desperately to free itself from the tangled harness and the carriage was rocking about even more wildly than before. It took all Jack’s strength not to fall out. “Get her back here, Hobb!” he roared.

Just as Hobb reached Georgie, Ben came up from behind the carriage. The relief in her face alerted her pursuer and he swung round as Ben lunged for him. Both men struggled to move through the snow and went down in a welter of fists and feet.

Jack managed to pull the second pistol out and tried to aim it at Ben, but the men were rolling to and fro and he couldn’t get a good shot in. Then a big snowball took him in the face and by the time he had spat out the snow and wiped it from the eyes with the back of one hand, Daniel was dragging him out of the carriage and fending off his attempts to turn the pistol on him.

One of the other men came to Daniel’s assistance and they stopped the fight quite simply by pushing Jack’s face down into the snow.

While this was going on, Peg got out of the carriage on the other side and started back towards the farmhouse, stopping short when a man moved in front of her.

“They made me do it,” she whined, cringing as if expecting a blow.

“Tell that to the magistrate!” He grasped her arm.

Martha could feel Georgie shaking with cold. Sure that the other men wouldn’t let Ben be defeated by Hobb, she hauled her companion to her feet and wrapped the cloak more tightly round her. “I need to get her back to the kitchen fire,” she called out to Daniel and began urging Georgie to return to the farmhouse. She looked at the woman. “You’d better come with us.”

“Hadn’t I better keep hold of her?” the man asked. “Who knows what she’ll do?”

“I don’t think there’s anywhere she can escape to and if she tries anything, I’ll be happy to thump her myself,” Martha said grimly. “I’m a good deal bigger than she is.”

The woman muttered something beneath her breath but fell in behind Martha and Georgie.

Dirk was still busy calming the horses and had signified that he didn’t intend to resist any more, so the only ones left still struggling were Ben and Hobb. Daniel took his muffler and bound Jack’s hands behind his back, then went cautiously up to the struggling pair. They were evenly matched, but he didn’t see why Hobb should have the opportunity to land any more punches on Ben’s already bruised face, so waited until he saw his way clear, then dived into the fight to pull Hobb’s head back by the hair and hold it for long enough for Ben to land a massive punch on the man’s temple that knocked the light of battle from his eyes and made him sag back.

“I could have finished him off on my own,” Ben growled.

“If you want Martha to be attracted to you, you’ll do better with your face in one piece.” As Ben gaped at this frank speaking, Daniel kept a wary eye on Hobb. “We’d better tie him up before he comes to or we’ll have it all to do again.”

Ted had stepped in to help Dirk with the horses and at last the two animals were standing still, quivering in reaction to the near accident. “One of ’em’s scratched hissen,” Ted called, “but I think the poor creatures will be all right.” He looked at Dirk. “You aren’t going to give us any trouble, are you? Good. Then help me get this thing turned round and back to the farm.”

Seeing that everything was under control, Ben looked round for Martha and his sister.

“They’ve gone into the house,” Daniel said. “Georgie was only wearing a nightgown under that cloak.”

Ben’s face lost its look of triumph and took on a grimness that boded ill for her kidnappers.

“You go back to her,” Daniel said softly. “I’ll sort this lot out.”

“Thanks.” Ben set off as quickly as he could manage, but had to slow down as he slipped and slid on the trampled snow.

* * * *

Outside the back door of the farmhouse the three women found Peter Brindley standing unsteadily, clutching the door frame for support, looking dazed and chalk-white.

Georgie forgot her own troubles and flew across to him, putting her arm round his waist in a gesture so familiar it was obvious to Martha she’d done this before. “Are you all right, Peter? I saw them hit you again.”

He clung to her. “Feel dizzy.”

“Come inside.” She forgot the others as she guided him through the back door.

Martha jabbed her forefinger into the woman’s back and Peg went forward at a run. Shutting the door behind them, Martha looked round the kitchen, nose wrinkling at the grubby state of the room. “Build the fire up,” she ordered and the woman hurried to obey her, recognising the voice of authority.

Georgie had sat Peter down on a high-backed wooden settle and was examining his head, making soothing noises and seeming quite unconscious of the fact that she was scantily clad in a nightgown.

Martha blinked in surprise at the pair of them, then moved forward to say, “Don’t you have some clothes, Georgie?”

The girl turned. “What? Oh, they took them away.”

“I know where they are,” the woman volunteered, adding, “They made me do this. I didn’t want to.”

“Never mind that, go and get her clothes right away.”

When the woman returned, Martha had to tap Georgie on the shoulder to get her attention. “You’d better go and put your clothes on. I’m sure the men will be back in a minute.”

“You won’t—hurt Peter?”

“On the contrary, I want to look at his injuries.”

Georgie returned to the room very shortly, hair in a tangle still but respectably clad, at least. “It wasn’t Peter’s fault,” she said at once. “They kidnapped him, too, you know.” She went across to stand by him, holding his hand.

Martha looked from one to the other, recognising the same sort of invisible connection she had seen between Daniel and Penelope. How had this happened so quickly? She’d have sworn the two of them barely knew one another before this incident.

Just then the door banged open and Ben almost erupted into the room. “Georgie, are you all right?”

“Yes, thanks to Peter.”

Ben looked from her to the man on the settle. “Is there somewhere else we can go to discuss this matter, Brindley?” he asked, his tone frigid.

“There’s a bedroom,” Georgie said acidly, “but since Peter and I have spent the last few days in there, I don’t feel like going back, thank you.”

If Ben had been frigid before, his tone was positively icy now. “I’m not including you in the invitation, Georgie. We’ll step aside for a few minutes, if you please, Brindley.”

Georgie set her hands on her hips. “No, you won’t! Can’t you see he’s injured?”

Martha didn’t know what had been going on, but clearly Georgie had not only survived it, but found love in the process.

“I need—to speak—to him,” Ben said, articulating each word as if it was an effort to hold back his anger.

“Well, you’ll have to wait. We’re tending his injuries first.”

“He needs to explain himself to me, as your brother.”

Georgie rolled her eyes. “You’re really good at ordering people around, Ben Seaton, but you’re not going to spoil my life and you’re not going to shout at my Peter while he’s in no state to stand up for himself.”

Ben gaped at her.
“My Peter?”

Peter hauled himself to his feet. “He’s right, love. He and I do need to talk.”

“Don’t you dare call my sister ‘love’!”

“Oh, stop shouting at people, Ben. I’m perfectly all right—and didn’t you hear me say that that is thanks to Peter, so stop treating him like—like a pariah.”

Martha put her hand on Georgie’s shoulder. “Your brother’s been out of his mind with worry about you.”

“I can speak for myself, thank you, Martha.”

He didn’t even look at her as he spoke and suddenly she began to grow angry. Was she so unimportant?

Into the heavy silence, Georgie announced, “You may as well know that I love Peter. He saved me from them and we’re going to be married and—”

“Over my dead body!”

“We’ve been living together ever since they kidnapped us and—”

“If he’s bedded you, I’ll kill him,” Ben said flatly.

“Well, he hasn’t!” she flung back at him. “He hasn’t touched me at all in that way. But I wish he had, then you’d
want
me to marry him.”

Ben stood there, opening and shutting his mouth, clearly at a loss at this unexpected attack.

“I think we can postpone these discussions until we get back to town, don’t you?” Martha said coldly. “Georgie needs a bath and a change of clothes and Mr Brindley really does need his injuries tending properly.”

“The matter is only postponed,” Ben snapped. “I’ll go and see if the carriage is ready.”

“What’s made him so bad-tempered?” Georgie demanded as soon as he was out of the room.

It was Peter who answered. “Worry about you. I don’t blame him in the least.”

“Well, I do. And for once, he’s not telling me what to do.”

Peter grinned. “You’re turning into a fearsome woman, Georgie Seaton.”

Her anger faded and she returned his smile. “Sometimes you have to fight for what you want.”

“You’re sure?”

“Very sure,” she said quietly.

Martha didn’t comment on that exchange.

* * * *

Outside Ben found that his men had tied up the prisoners and discovered a cart and sorry-looking horse in the ramshackle stables, so he left them to escort the prisoners to the magistrate in that and joined the women, Daniel and Peter in the carriage, with Ted driving.

The journey back into town was slow, because of the bad roads, and passed mostly in silence. All of them were tired and cold, longing to get back to the comforts of dry clothes and a fire.

It wasn’t until they were nearly there that Ben remembered something. “I forgot to inform you, Brindley. There was an accident in the mill and your father was killed.”

Peter stared at him as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Yes. He’s dead? Really and truly dead?”

There was such relief in his voice that Martha’s heart went out to him.

Georgie beamed at Peter. “There. Now we can improve conditions in the mill, just as you wanted.”

Ben looked at Martha and said in a low voice, “I’m getting more and more bewildered by these two.”

“Then I suggest you postpone further discussions.”

Her voice was so curt that he realised she was angry about something. He forgot his sister and opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but just then the horses came to a halt.

Daniel, who’d been watching them all but saying nothing, hid a smile. Ben Seaton seemed to have no idea how to treat a woman and in the heat of the moment had barked out orders to her as if she were his servant.

He heard Georgie whisper to Martha, “Don’t leave me alone with Ben!” as he helped the two women out of the carriage and his grin broadened.

The front door of Seaton’s house was flung open and Hepzibah burst through it, followed closely by Penelope. After that it was impossible to hold a conversation as explanations were demanded, half-started, interrupted and begun again. Ben strode into the house, forgetting Brindley, so Daniel helped Peter inside.

“I should go home and change my clothes.”

“You should come inside and stay with Georgie if you want to marry her.”

“I do. But will he let me?”

Daniel shrugged. “I think she’s probably as stubborn as he is, and he’s a bit distracted now by Martha.”

Peter eyed him in puzzlement. “Martha?”

“Mmm. He seems interested in her, but he’s making a hash of dealing with it.” He guided Peter into the front parlour and when the other man collapsed on the sofa with a sigh of relief, went to put more coal on the fire and wait for the womenfolk to come downstairs again.

Ben strode in to join them. “I can’t get any sense out of them and they won’t let me talk to Georgie.”

“She needs to put some clean clothes on,” Daniel said mildly.

“And Martha’s angry with me about something.”

“You’ve been barking orders at her again.”

Ben stilled and frowned at him. “Have I?”

“Yes. It’s something you do from time to time.”

Ben caught sight of his face in the mirror. “Oh, hell! I didn’t realise I looked so bad. No wonder Hepzibah wanted me to go and bathe my face.” He saw Peter behind him, sitting slumped on the sofa, his face chalk white except where it was bruised by the blows he’d received. “You’d better come too and let her minister to you. Your face is in a mess.”