A Blessed Song for Their Love by Olivia Haywood
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Good morning Mrs. Stratton,” the shop assistant in the mercantile store greeted Rosaline as she entered.
“Good morning. The usual for me please,” Rosaline greeted in return and handed the paper over after placing her empty basket on the counter.
The bell over the door jingled as people came in and out. Tuesday mornings were always the busiest after a shipment of fresh goods came into the town. People milled about and waited in the queue for their orders to be filled.
Rosaline lowered the hood of her cloak and looked about the shop as she perused the aisle of canned goods in the back of the store. Picking up a tin of canned peaches she wondered if she should make something nice for the family. Thomas had taken to making a fuss over every new dish she tried.
The thought of Thomas made her smile. There was hope sparking inside of her that he may have feelings for her, more than the warm friendship that was already between them. After all, had he not been the one to initiate their kiss? Don’t get your hopes up, she reminded herself, but still... The hope was there.
She had almost told him of her feelings the night of the kiss, or rather, kisses. She blushed as she recalled the events. Was he just caught up in the moment or was there more to it than that?
She placed the tin back on the shelf and smiled in her own little world of hopes and dreams.
“Easily amused by peaches are we?”
Her heart stopped beating and her hands froze on the tin as the voice of Diedrick Voss invaded her thoughts.
“I have never found peaches to be particularly amusing.”
She shut her eyes and hoped that she was hearing things again, just like that Sunday she thought she had seen him at church. She kept her eyes shut and slowly turned, counting to three before she opened her eyes.
Diedrick Voss was standing in front of her with a wild look in his eyes. “You thought you got away from me, didn’t you?”
Rosaline breath caught in her chest. Like a trapped deer, she didn’t know which way to run or what to say. “What are you doing?” She eventually managed to ask after a moment or two.
“I’m here to ensure that you return to where you belong.”
“I told you in the letter that I’m married now. I can’t just leave my family. I have a husband, a son, and a home to look after.”
Diedrick scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Oh please, you aren’t talking about your marriage of convenience. Oh yes,” He looked down at her. “I know all about your little arrangement. You are no better than the hired help. They will replace you the second you leave.”
Rosaline rallied as her love for her new family filled her heart. “That’s not true, they love and accept me for who I am, even Thomas...”
He tilted his head in a challenge and scoffed at her. “Even Thomas what? Do you think he loves you? Who would love a dirty little servant girl? He kissed you because he is a man. He would have kissed any girl that followed him into the dark.”
Her mouth hung agape. “How did you...? You’ve been spying on me?”
“Oh please, I know everything. I always do.” He took a step towards her. “You will come back home with me or I’ll expose you for the thieving wench you are, and the Stratton ranch will fall to pieces.” His eyes were dark as threatened her.
Regaining her courage she stood up to him. “Even if Thomas does not feel the same about me, I will not leave. You do not own me or my talents, Diedrick Voss.” Her chin tilted up in pride as she continued. “I will stay with my family. I never stole a single cent from you. I left behind everything that I did not pay for out of my own earnings. Thomas and Arthur are honest men, they don’t owe you anything either.”
He towered over her as he took another step forward. “You don’t know who you are dealing with child. The Strattons are indebted to me. Elroy Higgs is my associate.”
All of the color drained from Rosaline’s face.
“I sent him to ensure that you will return home with me. Be at the station tomorrow morning at six. Come alone with all your belongings. If you tell anyone, the Stratton ranch will go under.”
“I won’t, you’re lying,” she whispered.
“You little!” he rushed forward and grabbed her wrist, pushing her back into the shelf of cans, causing several to fall to the floor.
The queueing customers stopped talking and turned to look at the pair.
Diedrick had her arm bent over, his fingers digging into her wrist. He quickly released her and stepped back when the shop assistant came forward.
“Are you alright Mrs. Stratton?” he asked before shooting a questioning look at Diedrick.
Mr. Voss straightened his coat and sniffed. “The lady felt faint. You should bring her a glass of water.”
“Of course.” The assistant hurried off.
Diedrick glanced and the staring customers. “Be there tomorrow, or else,” he hissed under his breath so that only Rosaline could hear before walking out of the shop with his hooked nose in the air.
Rosaline stood and began to straighten her dress. Without thinking she picked up her skirts and ran from the shop.
The shop assistant attempted to run after her. “Mrs. Stratton, you forgot your basket!”
Rosaline ran as the tears streamed down her face. She didn’t care who saw her crying. She needed to get to Thomas.
***
Thomas was standing with his back to the study door as Rosaline burst into the study.
“What’s the matter?” he asked in a panic when he saw how distraught she looked.
Her face was streaked with tears and her hair had come loose from running all the way back to the ranch. She was out of breath and struggling to form a sentence.
Thomas gripped her by the shoulders and gently shook her to stop her from crying. “You have to speak to me, Rosaline. I don’t know how to help you. Are you hurt?”
She shook her head through the tears.
“Then why are you crying like this?” Thomas drew her into his arms and held her until she stopped crying.
Rosaline buried her face in his chest as her breathing eased and she stopped sobbing. The warmth of his embrace soothed her and calmed her racing thoughts.
Gently letting her go, Thomas wiped her face with the sleeve of his shirt and guided her to his chair and made her sit. “I’m going to get you a drink of water and then you can tell me what happened. He disappeared out into the hall and returned a few moments later with a glass of water.
Placing it in front of her he sat on the desk and waited for her to take a sip.
Rosaline gulped back her tears ad looked up at him. “I ran into Diedrick Voss in town.”
Thomas’ face paled and his jaw clenched. “Did he hurt you?”
“Not very much,” She looked at the red marks that encircled her wrist.
Thomas gently took her hand and examined her wrist, his fingers gently tracing the marks that were quickly turning into bruises.
“He said that if I didn’t return with him that he would sink the ranch and expose me as a thief.”
Thomas’ eyes were dark. “How could he possibly sink the ranch? I’ve never met the man before in my life.”
“Elroy Higgs is working for him. The money he gave us to fix the ranch comes from Diedrick.”
Thomas let go of her hand in shock as he stared open-mouthed at her. Pushing himself up from the desk he walked to the door and ran his hands through his hair.
“I’m so sorry Thomas,” Rosaline began to cry again. “You wouldn’t be in this situation now if it wasn’t for me.” She hung her head and sobbed.
Thomas stopped pacing and walked over to her. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “None of this is your fault, Rosaline. This is all part of an evil scheme, and you aren’t to blame yourself for any of this. I’m angry because of him, not you.”
Rosaline closed her eyes as he leant forward and brushed his lips against her forehead.
“First we need to tell my father and then we can figure a way out of this mess.”
“If I just go back with him, there won’t be any of this mess, and he will leave you alone to repay your debt.”
“Stop right there,” he scolded, then said more gently. “You aren’t going anywhere unless we all go with you.”
“Is everything all right? I thought I saw Rosaline running past the window earlier? I was just settling Robbie.” Arthur frowned as he came into the study and saw Rosaline’s tear-stained face.
“It seems we have been steered by an expert hand,” Thomas said before explaining everything about Diedrick Voss and Elroy Higgs.
Arthur had to grip the wall as the gravity of their situation became clear to him. “Oh Lord help us,” he breathed.
“I’ve told Rosaline that we will come up with a plan together. She is under no circumstances whatsoever to go and meet this scoundrel tomorrow morning.”
Arthur straightened and regained his composure. “Of course not, that is completely out of the question,” He waved the idea of Rosaline leaving away as if it were a fly. “But of course, this would explain Ian’s behavior this morning.”
“What do you mean?” Thomas and asked and looked from his father to Rosaline.
“Oh, I completely forgot about him. He was sent here with references from Higgs. I wonder if he knew of anything.”
Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. “Shortly after Rosaline left to go on her errands this morning, Ian came into the kitchen and said that he needed to tell me something. Robbie was fussing so I left him alone in the kitchen while I went to the nursery. When I came back he was gone. I sent the lads to go and look for him but he doesn’t seem to be anywhere on the ranch.”
“I spoke to him before I left,” Rosaline added. “He was asking about the layout of the house.”
“What did you tell him?” Thomas asked.
“I explained to him about all the rooms,” she frowned. “But I can’t see how any of that can help Diedrick.”
“I want to apologize to the both of you,” Arthur said solemnly. “I insisted we take the deal without doing more research.”
Thomas walked over to his father and placed his hands on his father’s shoulders. “We were all steered by expert hands, and we deal with this as a family,” He looked at Rosaline and smiled. “All of us.”