Both Sam and Clara looked in and saw Abigail holding a knife to Dolan’s throat, looking determined.
Sam and Clara rushed back into the inn and Clara yelled, “No, Abigail!”
Abigail would hang if she killed Dolan. She glared down at him. “Do you know what this monster did to me? What he did to so many? He deserves to die.”
“Let him be punished by the courts,” Sam said, pleadingly.
She laughed hysterically. “Do you really think he will pay for any of this?”
Constable Hurley, Jack, Devons, and Miller entered the inn.
“He will,” Clara said.
“How do you know that?” Abigail demanded.
“Because this man is here to arrest him,” Jack said, nodding towards Hurley.
Hurley nodded in agreement. “He will go away for a long time, but you need to let me arrest him.”
“Please, Abigail, don't let him destroy any more of your life. You have so much to live for. Think about your new life in Liverpool,” Sam pleaded again.
Abigail held the knife to Dolan’s throat as he looked back at her with horror. She finally yanked the knife away, throwing it on the ground. She stood and collapsed into Clara’s arms.
“It is over. I promise you, Dolan will pay,” Sam said.
Abigail nodded.
~
Clara shut Henry’s door and made her way down the hallway to her room. When she arrived home this evening, he had launched himself into her arms and then refused to budge from her side. She didn’t blame him and knew he was scared. He not only witnessed Clara’s kidnapping, but Peterson get struck on the head when he stepped outside to smoke. Fortunately, Peterson would be okay.
She walked in her room to see Sam standing by a window. He had removed his jacket and had his sleeves rolled up to his elbow. Since returning home they hadn’t had much time to talk, with the constable and everyone else coming and going. Eventually Clara had taken both Henry and Abigail up to get settled for the night. Abigail would stay with them until Sam and Clara were confident Dolan was no longer a threat. He was currently being held under house arrest in his home. Clara grimaced at the thought. If it had been anyone else but a lord, he would be sitting in Newgate Prison.
She sighed and Sam turned at the noise. He gave her a tired half-smile.
“Any word on what will happen with Dolan?” she asked.
“Jack has spoken with some of his acquaintances in the House of Lords, and he is confident the Crown will allow him to be tried. “
“So, he will go to prison?” Clara asked, quietly.
Sam shook his head. “He will likely end up atVan Diemen’s Land.”
Clara's eyes widened in shock. “A penal colony?”
Clara let out a sigh of relief. Tears stung her eyes, and she quickly brushed them away. Sam strode over to her and wrapped her in his arms.
“Shh…it’s okay,” he told her reassuringly.
She burrowed into his chest, wanting to be as close to him as she could. Finally, she pulled away and looked up at him to see his own cheeks wet with tears.
“I thought I had lost you. I never want to feel that way again,” he said softly.
She framed his face with her hands and said, “You won’t ever have to.”
He took her hands and guided her to a chair to sit. Once seated, she looked up at him questioningly.
Sam took a deep breath and said, “I wanted to share some things with you.”
