An Impossible Choice (All Things Possible Book 1) Page 18

  “Ow,” Argel cried and snatched away her hand. “I’m sorry, I must have injured it when… Oh, it doesn’t matter.” She gave the man her most innocent smile, batting her lashes.

  “Here, let me look,” Benson said tenderly, taking her hand to examine it. The way his moods changed from one extreme to the next, Argel decided he was most definitely mad. “Can’t have you injured if we’re ta pull this off.”

  As he bent close, Argel saw her chance. In a flash, she swung her free hand and struck him on the head with her weapon—not enough to knock him out, but enough to knock him off his feet.

  “Why you little—” he growled as he fumbled around for his gun.

  Argel moved to swing again before he could aim, when a loud crash sounded from behind and a flurry of shadows and grunts descended upon them in the darkness.

  She stood frozen in place, hand still raised, ready to hit someone, anyone, when the gun went off again.

  Suddenly, the scene before her went still. In the moonlight mingled eerily with smoke, Benson lay lifeless on the ground.

  “Argel, are you alright?”

  “Damon?”

  Strong arms enfolded her and at last she relinquished her weapon, falling into the embrace, weeping. “Oh, Damon! I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

  “Shhh,” Damon smoothed her hair. “Don’t talk now. You’re safe, that’s what matters.”

  “I’ll take care of the bodies, notify the authorities.”

  “Titus?” Argel lifted her head and sniffed.

  “Madam,” Titus Pendenny nodded and smiled grimly before turning to leave.

  “I see you were right about him, he is good in a fight,” Argel laughed through her tears. Leaning her head back against her husband’s strong chest, she sighed, “Thank you, Damon. You saved me—again.”

  Argel felt Damon’s arms stiffen around her, but thought nothing of it. He was here at last and she was safe. Her refuge had come.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Damon stood in the corner of their hotel room, arms crossed, and watched from a distance as the authorities questioned his wife, having finished with him. Though wrapped in a blanket and holding a warm cup of tea, Argel sat back straight, head lifted, and answered every question clearly and calmly. She showed such a quiet strength despite not only everything she’d just gone through, but also all she’d learned about her past as well, making Damon proud.

  He refused to leave her for her questioning, not after what happened the last time he left her alone. He didn’t want to dwell on how close he’d come to losing her…

  He and Pendenny had nearly reached the room where Argel was being held captive when they heard the gun go off the first time. Damon thought his heart would fail him until he heard Argel’s scream, realizing she still lived. He had moved to rush in when Pendenny had stilled him with a hand to his arm, nodding to the cracked door.

  Blast Pendenny and his excellent vision.

  But as Damon had paused, he’d been able to make out Argel holding something behind her back. Instead he watched and listened. He heard every despicable word she’d spoken about him, and though he knew she was playing a charade, buying herself time, they cut him just the same—because he knew there was truth in them.

  Damon smiled wistfully at his brave, strong wife as the authorities wrapped up their questioning. For so long, he’d relied on only himself, not believing in anything or anyone else. And then, God had sent him Argel—he believed that now beyond a shadow of a doubt. He had conquered, but she had taught him he needn’t be alone, that there was a happiness money couldn’t buy. She taught him what real love was. And not only that, but she returned it.

  He loved her—truly, fully, unconditionally. He would do anything for Argel.

  He frowned.

  Anything. No matter how painful.

  Deep down, Damon fully understood now what he must do—because he loved her.

  Argel’s questioning was over. He pushed off from the wall and nodded to the men as they left the room, but his eyes remained on his wife. He knew he needed to tell her now, but how?

  She turned and gave him a tired smile, but Pendenny entered the room then, distracting her. “Titus! Your nose!” she gasped.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” the man mumbled as he shot Damon a glare. Damon noticed he had replaced his spectacles again. “I came to tell you I took the liberty of readying your carriage. I assumed you’d not wish to stay here—unpleasant events and all.”

  Damon nodded to his faithful friend as Argel smiled, clutching her blanket close. “Thank you, Titus,” she sighed. “I do believe I’d rather spend the night anywhere but here. Even if it’s only to sleep in the carriage.”

  “Here,” Damon said to Pendenny as he handed him an envelope from his coat pocket. “Settle up with the hotel for us while we gather our things. It won’t take long, we’ll be down soon.”

  Pendenny nodded and headed for the door. Damon looked after him, continuing to stare at the door long after his comrade had gone. He couldn’t manage to bring his eyes to Argel.

  “Well,” came her relieved voice, “that was all rather— Well, anyway, we’re all here now, safe and sound. So, where shall we go next?”

  He could hear the smile in her voice, her attempt to be light-hearted to ease his tension. It was one of the countless things he loved about her.

  Love.

  Balling his fists, Damon closed his eyes and answered through clenched teeth, “You’re going home.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “What do you mean I’m going home?” Argel laughed. “You’re coming with me, of course.”

  After an agonizing stretch of silence, the blood began to pound in her ears. Damon still had not turned to face her and she began to feel her stomach sinking. “Damon?”

  His shoulders visibly stiffened. “No, Argel,” he answered quietly. “I’m not.”

  “But…why ever not? Look at me Damon.” She stood carefully. “What’s wrong?”

  Slowly, Damon turned to do as instructed. The pure anguish Argel saw in his face quickly vanished, replaced by a fierce hardness. Her mouth went dry. “Tell me,” she croaked as she reached out a hand towards him, stunned when he jerked away.

  “You are only here because of me,” came his harsh words.

  “What?” Argel worked to calm her racing heart.

  “You could have been killed, Argel. All because of me. If I hadn’t forced your hand, tricked you into marriage, none of this would ever have happened.”

  “Maybe not today,” Argel began slowly, “but eventually everything with my uncle and Benson would have come to a head. I can’t go back and change the past. ’Tis better this way, I assure you. Now I’m free from my burden of guilt over my parents’ deaths—now you and I are together.”

  “But you never had any real choice in your life. Perhaps your uncle wouldn’t have continued with his scheme. You might have one day truly gained your independence—and I took that possibility away.”

  “But you did give me a choice, Damon. More than once, and I don’t regret the one I made either. I chose you before I even knew about my uncle, remember? On my doorstep? Had things been different, I still would have married you.”

  “But we’ll never really know, will we?” He sighed heavily. “And therein lies the problem. Love does not force or manipulate.”

  Argel’s lips quirked despite her unease. “Since when have you been paying attention in church?”

  “Since you’ve taught me there’s more to life than conquest, than relying on myself alone. Which is why,” he paused and Argel watched him visibly shake with a deep breath, “I am truly offering you a choice. ’Tis long overdue. I am letting you go.”

  Argel’s blood froze. “Letting me go? Damon we are married—in the eyes of God and the king…and you would just…abandon me?”

  “No,” he said forcefully. “Not abandon. Give you a choice and the time to make it.” He
clasped his hands behind him and turned away, his voice turning businesslike. “I typically journey at the end of every summer to visit all of my financial interests throughout England before the winter. I have decided to go ahead and do that now. I shall be gone for three months, giving you time to decide if this is truly what you want. You needn’t remain at Abingdon-on-Thames either. Go anywhere, do anything…just make sure it is your choice.”

  “Damon! You are my choice! I love you!” Argel ignored his retreat from her this time and clutched at his dark sleeve. How else could she possibly make him understand?

  “You may believe you do.” He looked away and shrugged. “Maybe you very well do, but I refuse to keep you in a forced position. If you still feel the same when I return in three months, then I shall remain with you. If not, I will let you go. You can rest assured I won’t seek you out.”

  “What happened to pursuing me to the ends of the earth? Hmm?” Argel’s voice rose now as she felt her own anger rising within. “And what if I’m already with child? Would you simply abandon us both?”

  Damon’s head turned sharply to her, “Of course not! I told you, three months is what I’m giving you. I shall return then and act according to your wishes, and yours alone.”

  “But, I wish for you to remain—”

  “Stop,” he roared, his hand slicing through the air. “Go with Pendenny. He has informed me Miss Hughes awaits you at Burchwell Hall. Go and leave me be.”

  Argel’s jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. There was no reasoning with this man! What in the name of the king was he thinking? She searched his eyes for clues—something, anything! But he merely stared at her blankly, ignoring any further protests she made.

  Titus’s words sounded in her mind then, This one’s stubborn. The memory that once made her laugh now made her want to weep in frustration.

  Fine. She would comply—for now.

  Lifting her chin, Argel headed for the door, pausing as she walked by him. She looked up, giving him her best glare. “You’re a coward, you know.”

  “No,” Damon replied flatly. “I’d be a coward if I forced you to remain in this coerced marriage.”

  “I can’t say anything to change your mind, can I?” Tears began to trickle down Argel’s cheeks, but she ignored them.

  His eyes shuttered as she had seen so many times when he was fighting his emotions. “No,” was his simple reply.

  Very well.

  Argel turned to leave when Damon’s voice stopped her at the door. “I’ll have your things sent down.”

  Lifting her skirts, Argel walked away without looking back.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “Oh, Argel,” Wynny sighed somberly, “I still can’t believe it—that he just…left you. When he was clearly so besotted with you.”

  Argel was back at Burchwell Hall and sat in the drawing room with Wynny who had refused to leave her side since her return yesterday. “He didn’t leave me, Wynny. Not for good anyway. I know he is simply trying to do right by me.” Argel’s quiet ride back with a silent Titus had given her plenty of time to ponder the matter. Now Damon’s troubled mood since Sunday’s sermon made sense. “Perhaps if he had offered me this in the beginning, I would have appreciated it, but things have changed—I’ve changed. And I don’t need time alone to know what I want.”

  “So what are you going to do?” Wynny asked over her cup of tea. Mrs. Bowers had been bordering on motherly affection when Argel had arrived home husbandless—ensuring she and Wynny weren’t without food or tea for long.

  “I don’t know,” Argel sighed for the tenth time as she absently fingered her precious wedding ring. “I suppose I have no choice but to wait for him to return. Then maybe he shall finally be convinced of my love.”

  Wynny sighed wistfully, but said no more. They sat together in silence for some time, the blue papered walls and cushions accurately mirroring their moods. Argel began worrying her bottom lip as a new fear began to form, something she had not yet considered. “You don’t suppose…no, ’tis silly.” She shook her head.

  “I don’t suppose what?” Wynny quietly asked, wide-eyed.

  “That Damon might change his mind about me while he’s away…do you?” Now that she voiced the possibility aloud, Argel’s stomach turned.

  “No,” Wynny said firmly. “I’ve never seen a man with such strong affections—well, not many men anyway…” Her face flushed as she sheepishly amended her statement.

  Argel smiled weakly. “Titus?”

  “Bah!” Wynny waved a hand and huffed. “I am not speaking to that man. I pleaded with him last night to tell me just a hint of where your husband had gone—and he refused to tell me a single, solitary thing. Vexing man!”

  Argel exhaled slowly. No doubt Damon had sworn Titus to secrecy and the man was faithful to a fault. Damon could be anywhere. The only clue he’d given her was that he would remain in England.

  Well. That certainly narrowed it down.

  “I can’t just sit here and pine after him for three months!” Argel threw out her arms. “I can’t simply do nothing! If only…if only I could remember a name of just one of his business dealings. That would be a start.”

  “Oh! That’s a grand idea! Let’s think.” Wynny closed her eyes to concentrate.

  After a few minutes had passed, Argel sighed. “Oh, it’s no use! When I worked at the office, I mostly organized things. I don’t remember reading any of the names…”

  “Yes,” Wynny said thoughtfully, “I mostly helped Titus with figures after you left. You know, balancing the ledgers and such. And then he left so quickly to warn you about your uncle. But…” She tapped her chin slowly, “I vaguely remember one name. Voyles? Broyles?” Argel watched as her friend bit her lip. “I’m not sure which.” Suddenly, Wynny brightened and shot to her feet, “But I do remember…it was in Warrington!”

  “Oh, Wynny!” Argel leapt to her feet, clasping her friend’s hands. “That’s a wonderful start! I-I must leave then—first thing in the morning!”

  “But, where will you go?”

  “I don’t know,” Argel began pacing with excitement, “but I’ll ask around when I get there. If he hasn’t made his way through already, I shall wait for him there. If he has, perhaps they can tell me where he was headed next.” She paused, beaming at her companion. “Oh, Wynny, you’re a dear!” She went to kiss her friend’s cheek. “Thanks to you and that brain of yours! Now, I must hurry and pack,” she laughed as she stepped back. Delirious with excitement, she blurted the first thought that popped in her head, “Why, I don’t even know what the air is like in Warrington this time of year!”

  “Likely similar to Beddgelert. ’Tis north, closer to Wales.” Wynny turned for the door then, ahead of her. “I must hurry as well.”

  Argel stood still. “Whatever for?”

  Her blonde friend paused to give Argel a cheeky grin. “I’m coming with you!”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Argel couldn’t help but smile at the now familiar scene before her—Wynny sleeping soundly and Titus sitting, arms crossed, grumbling with every bump and jolt of the carriage. They had been traveling for nearly two weeks now, never fast enough for Argel.

  Just as she and Wynny had been leaving Burchwell Hall, Titus had arrived to check in on them. Incredulous that the two women were leaving with no escort and no destination other than a Voyles or Broyles in Warrington, he’d reluctantly divulged Damon’s more immediate plans, insisting on accompanying them as well. “He’ll kill me, he will,” he’d muttered before revealing that Damon had stops to make in Cheltenham, Gloucester, and Hereford before moving on to the copper mine in Sygun. He’d be stepping foot outside of England after all.

  And so, they’d decided to head directly for Beddgelert where they would await Damon, though they inquired after him at every stop along the way. Argel felt certain he would return to the village—if for nothing other than a hotel room, as there were none in Sygun.

  Argel felt a
powerful need to return there herself after everything that had transpired with her uncle. Knowing of his betrayal, his hand in her parents’ deaths—not to mention, witnessing his own—she felt that the path to full closure lay in returning to her home, and that she could find peace praying in her St. Mary’s.

  She wanted to test her theory that, now knowing the truth, she could look upon Beddgelert and truly see its beauty, that she would no longer feel confined by the surrounding mountains.

  Wynny also needed to return to her family. Her parents were likely beside themselves in missing their eldest child. People in Beddgelert simply didn’t…leave.

  Argel grinned to herself as she thought of how Wynny had blossomed in her time away. No longer so frightful and superstitious, she had grown more confident, and unlike Argel, it seemed that town quite agreed with her.

  Perhaps when it came time to leave, Argel would ask Wynny to return to Burchwell Hall with her—as a companion of sorts. She had a feeling Titus wouldn’t object.

  Wynny Pendenny.

  Well, it certainly had a ring to it.

  Argel turned to look back out the window at the passing landscape, feeling something she never thought she would—excitement in returning to Beddgelert.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Argel slowly pushed open the door to the small cottage that had been her home. She was alone and it was eerily quiet; nothing moved other than the dust swirling at her disturbance. Before her sat the table that her life had once revolved around—countless meals and conversations. It was where she had first learned of her uncle’s wickedness, where Damon had proposed marriage in his unusual way, where Wynny had held her hand before leaving…

  As she crept into the house, the familiar sights and smells threatened to undo her. Though she knew it was impossible, a part of her had expected to hear her uncle’s voice calling out, “Argel, is that you?” She shook her head. Time to move. She went first to her own room before moving to her uncle’s. She hesitated just outside the door, hands shaking with trepidation, but finally she took a deep breath and stepped inside.