“Aye, you’ve found it, lad, right enough,” the gruff man chortled. “This is Gretna. That stone yonder marks the border with your country and mine.”
The smith pointed with his pipe to a standing stone in the distance, atop a hill. It stood in the middle of a field. Charlotte felt an enervating thrill at the thought that they were already in Scotland.
Surely, this must be the back of the journey broken. How much further can it be?
Seth’s keen visage mirrored her thoughts too. “Is there anywhere in the village that we can spend the night? We’ve had a hard road up from Carlisle,” he asked further.
“Aye, I’ve lodgin’s at my own house,” the smith said with a nod. “There’s the inn as well, but most folk stay with me—seein’ as what brings them here in the first place.”
Seth looked confused, but Charlotte understood, having grown up close to the border. This was the first village after crossing the border, so it was the first stop where young elopers could marry. The smith looked at Charlotte and frowned, puffing on his pipe.
“You have a familiar look about you. I will never forget a face; I’m sure I’ve seen yours before. But not his.”
Charlotte felt Seth tense beside her, drawing breath for a sharp reply. She caught his arm, feeling the tension in the muscle.
“If you have seen my face, then you have very likely seen my sister—my twin. The gentleman she was with was the Viscount of Beswick.” Charlotte briefly described Luke, and the smith grinned widely, displaying a host of missing teeth.
“Aye, that sounds like the laddie, right enough! I’m glad ye’ve a twin, Miss—had me thinkin’ ye were tryin’ to wed two men at once. I cannae do that. Against the law o’ the Kirk, it is.”
Seth looked at her, suddenly smiling. Charlotte felt shocked when she realized the smith had assumed she and Seth were here to elope—to marry.
Oh, Lord, but we could. This is what people do when they come here.
She looked into Seth’s eyes and saw the fierce desire there.
“We can’t,” she whispered.
“Why not?” he whispered back, grinning.
“Because if it were discovered that we married before Amelia rejected you, it might look like adultery. That you rejected her, which is against the clause.”
Seth arched a brow. “It is providential that we are here. Our journey has brought us to Scotland and to the very place where young English couples come to marry quickly. I want to complete this journey as man and wife.”
The smith was watching them with keen eyes, puffing on his pipe.
“I’m free this moment if ye wish to be wed o’er the anvil. I’m the minister here in Gretna, and I’ve the right o’ God to see it done. Mind, if ye’ve been ridin’ the road together—just the two o’ ye—your souls may well be in peril already.”
“Did my sister marry here?” Charlotte asked suddenly.
“Aye, that she did. A bonnie bride, though a touch sickly and paler than ye’self. Her man near doted on her. They didnae linger—headed north for Strathclyde, they were.”
“Do you keep a record of the marriages you perform?” she asked then.
“Aye, as the law requires,” said the smith.
“May we see it?”
Charlotte’s heart was pounding in her chest with hope. Proof that Amelia had married would surely exonerate Seth from the marriage clause. The smith nodded, rising and indicating they should follow. He led them to a cottage beside the forge.
Inside, they passed through a kitchen, greeted by a plump woman toiling over a black iron stove, and into another room. There was a great, black sideboard against one wall. The smith took a cord from around his neck, attached to a long, cast-iron key. He unlocked the sideboard and rummaged through a pile of paper. Finally, he produced one sheet in particular and offered it to Charlotte.
A certificate of marriage, signed by Amelia Nightingale and Viscount Beswick, was in plain, unadorned lettering. Charlotte’s hands shook as she held the paper. The date was clearly stated.
Seth… is free now. He can send this to Monkton; the marriage clause would surely be null and void.
She held it out to Seth, and her trembling worsened. The page shook so that the names on it couldn’t be read.
Now he is free and no longer needs me. Now, he could ride back to England with this paper. He has no reason to follow me north to find my sister, to ensure her good health. None.
