“Will you listen to me? I didn’t know about the engagement in advance! Your mother didn’t inform me.”
“But when you did learn about it, you conspired with Roxanne to hide your sins from me.”
“I can explain.”
“Well, there’s the problem for you, Kit. I don’t care what your explanation might be.” He nodded to his half-brother. “Get him out of my house.”
“Gladly.”
Caleb Ralston marched over and yanked Kit to his feet with such force that it wrenched his injury. He wailed in agony and asked, “What’s happening? Where are you taking me?”
“You must concentrate, Kit,” Jacob said. “You keep becoming confused. You’re under arrest, and there will be a lengthy list of charges. The worst ones will be the arson and the attempted murder.”
Caleb Ralston sneered, “Those are hanging offenses.”
At hearing the word hanging, Kit fainted. When he roused again, he was in a carriage and rumbling down a rough road. He didn’t recollect how he’d arrived there or who had carried him. He was lying on the floor, each bump of the vehicle causing him to bounce and jostle his wound.
He tried to sit up, but he was stunned to find that his wrists and ankles were bound with a rope. He groaned in anguish, and Roxanne appeared in his line of sight, leaned over from the seat above. She was the only other occupant, and she was fettered as well.
“You only had to do one thing, Kit,” she spat. “You had to shut your mouth.”
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“To jail—you bloody fool.”
“I told Jacob this was your fault,” Kit said.
“I told him the same, but apparently, he didn’t believe either of us. He seems to assume we’re accomplices.”
“His half-brother, that Caleb fellow? He said I might be hanged for starting that fire.”
“It’s no more than what you deserve for ruining my life.”
“I ruined your life? I’m quite sure that’s an exaggeration. You were completely capable of ruining it without any help from me.”
Roxanne crushed her foot onto his leg, right on his wound. He howled with outrage, but she simply stared out the window. Despite how he begged, she didn’t raise her foot, didn’t ease the pressure, and he wasn’t strong enough to kick her away.
“Those are the two most despicable people I’ve ever encountered.”
Jacob smirked in agreement. “I’m amazed that I put up with Kit for so many years. I’m even more amazed that I almost wed Roxanne.”
“You definitely dodged a bullet there.”
“You are a master of understatement.”
“Have we handled all your crises?” Caleb asked. “May we head to Barrett now? I’m anxious to marry Caro, but she’ll be thinking I’ve changed my mind and fled.”
“I need to pack a bag, write a quick letter, and speak with two boys so I can have them pack too. Then I’ll be ready.”
“Who are the boys?”
“Their names are Tim and Tom Sanders. Their father is my stable manager, and he’s out of town. I’m watching them while he’s away, so they have to accompany us. Their father would skin me alive if I left without them.”
“I can’t have them slowing us down. Can they ride?”
“Like the wind.”
“Who must you write to?”
“My sister, Margaret. She eloped last week—with their father. It’s why he’s away from the property.”
Caleb laughed. “It sounds as if your side of the family is just as deranged as mine. Did you try to stop them?”
“I thought about it. I even chased them to Scotland, but then, it occurred to me that she’s twenty-eight, and she can decide who she wants as her husband. They stayed on to enjoy a honeymoon, but I’d like them to come to my wedding.”
“You’re awfully certain Joanna will have you.”
“I’m not certain at all. She feels I’m a pompous snob.”
“She’s right, but I suppose you’ll wear her down.”
“I hope I can, or Luke will wring my neck.”
“He won’t have time to notice your misbehavior. He’s too busy, doting on his bride. It’s embarrassing to observe how he fawns over her.”
They were in the driveway, waiting as the dust settled behind the carriage whisking Kit and Roxanne to jail. Caleb gestured to the house and said, “Could we cease our dithering?”
“I’ll hurry.”
“Don’t forget to bring a fancy suit. You have your own wedding to attend—plus two more besides.”
Jacob peered up at the sky and asked, “Do you believe there’s really a Heaven? If so, do you imagine Father is looking down on us?”
“There might be a Heaven, and if there is, he must be up there. I can’t fathom how these three Lost Girls found each other on their own. Someone seems to be guiding their steps.”
“And ours.” Jacob grinned. “Let’s head to Barrett and get married.”
Joanna was in her bedchamber at Barrett. Caro was sitting on a chair over by the window, and Mutt was loafing on a rug by the fire. Joanna was kneeling next to him, checking his stitches.
He was healing nicely, with no sign of infection, and he was able to walk with a slight limp. It would be awhile before he’d run after a rabbit, and he’d probably never be as fast as he once was, but he was much better.
“How is he?” Caro asked, and when he heard them talking about him, he thumped his tail.
“He’s much improved,” Joanna said. “In another day or two, I’ll remove the stitches.”
“I wish I had your nursing skill. It must be satisfying to possess such a useful talent.”
“It’s satisfying, but it can be dangerous too. I can’t ever forget how my mother and I were chased out of England because of her abilities.”
“I don’t think it was her healing ability. I’m quite sure it was her illicit amour with your father.”
“In my Aunt Pru’s version of the story, the romance was all my father’s fault. My mother constantly tried to break
