“Very convincing delivery, De Witte,” the man said, moving closer. “Though I’m not too happy about the ‘forsaking all others’ part. Would you care to elaborate on that?” He spoke with a pronounced foreign accent. German, Annie thought, as she regarded Leo once more.
“Leo, who is thi—?”
“I’m waiting.” The man halted, widened his stance and put his fisted hands on his hips. “Come on, you blackguard. Explain it to me. Where will this sham of a marriage leave my sister, eh? Or, more accurately, the innocent young woman you first ruined and then abandoned, along with her unborn child.Yourbastard.”
Annie gasped and pressed a hand to her chest, her mind stumbling over what the man had just said.Sham? A child?“Leo,” she began again. “Who is this man, and what is he talking about?”
“That’s what I should like to know.” Pale-faced and frowning, Annie’s father looked from one man to the other. “Well, Leopold? Are these accusations valid? Have you done what this fellow is accusing you of?”
“I have donenothing.” Leo’s mouth lifted in a sneer as he regarded his accuser. “Thisdummkopfis lying. The girl is no innocent, and the child is not mine.”
The man gave a soft, bitter laugh. “You know damn well it is, youworthless piece of shit. It is fortunate for you I am not armed, for I would be tempted to shoot you where you stand.”
“I must remind you that this is a house of God, sir!” The reverend’s voice thundered over Annie’s head. “What is your purpose here? Are you declaring a legal impediment to this marriage? If so, state it now that I might proceed accordingly. If, however, no such impediment exists, you will cease this blasphemous interruption and leave this house immediately.”
“My sincere apologies, Reverend, to you and the Almighty.” The man removed his hat and came closer still. Annie, her mind reeling with confusion, lifted her veil to better see him. Of similar height, he also looked to be of a similar age to Leo, clean-shaven with an unruly head of brown curls, his dark clothes elegant and finely tailored. “And my answer to your question must be no,” he continued, eyes narrowing as he regarded Leo. “What this scoundrel has done is reprehensible, but not illegal, so there is no impediment in the eyes of the law. However, I find I cannot, in good heart, allow him to continue with this charade of a marriage without exposing him for the snake he is.” He moved his gaze to Annie, clicked his heels together, and bowed. “My name is Karl Hoffman,Fraulein. Please forgive the intrusion, but I feel it is my duty to warn you that the charming boy you once knew no longer exists and it would be a mistake to continue with this…” He gestured with his hand. “Thisfarce. I notice there is no one here from his side of the family. Have you not asked yourselves why?”
Leo hissed through his teeth. “Shut your mouth, Hoffman.”
“I’ll tell you why. It is because they want nothing more to do with him. De Witte is a charlatan and a liar. A man without honor who will undoubtedly take all he can from you and then cast you aside while he moves on to—”
Leo parted with a throaty roar and launched himself at his accuser. Annie barely stifled a cry, unable to do anything but watch as the twomen grappled with each other in the aisle. Other cries of alarm from Hattie and Bridget echoed around the church.
“Stop,” her father shouted and moved toward them. “Stop thisat once. Good Lord.”
“Papa, no, leave them!” Annie reached out to grab his coat, but he pulled away. “Please, you might be—”
Leo’s elbow, crooked to throw a punch, struck her father hard in the face. He staggered back a step, then another, yet remained upright, body swaying slightly, arms hanging loose at his side. The fight stopped, the subsequent silence disturbed by Annie’s hesitant voice. “Papa?”
He didn’t reply. Like a man seeking mercy, he fell to his knees, his upper body remaining rigid for a moment before he toppled, face-down, onto the cold, stone floor. The silence endured a moment longer, and then someone screamed; a high-pitched, blood-chilling sound, like that of an animal snared in a trap. Only when Annie felt the harsh burn of it on her throat did she realize the sound had been of her own making.
Dropping her bouquet, she stumbled to where her father lay and fell to her knees beside him. His head was half-turned toward her, the left side of his face visible, the left eye wide open and staring. Blood trickled lazily from both nostrils, forming a dark, viscous pool on the floor. There was no other sign of injury that Annie could see, yet a shiver of apprehension set her teeth chattering. With trembling fingers, she brushed several strands of hair from his face. “Papa, please,” she said, tears blurring her vision. “Can you hear me? Say something.”
A shadow fell across her, accompanied by Leo’s voice. “This is entirely your fault, Hoffman,” he said, his tone as cold and hard as the church floor. “Not mine.”
There followed a scoff as someone knelt at Annie’s side. Karl Hoffman, she realized. “Christ have mercy, De Witte, you are beyonddespicable,” he said. “Fraulein, allow me to examine your father. I do have some medical knowledge.”
Shivering, Annie nodded her permission and sat back slightly as the man turned her father gently onto his back. There was no resistance, no sign of movement. No sign of life at all. Clarence Fairfax simply lay there, staring up at the ceiling. The trickle of blood from his nose seemed to have slowed. Was that not a good sign? Annie prayed in silence and reached for a semblance of hope.
At that precise moment, shafts of sunlight tumbled through the stained-glass windows, glinting off a ringed finger as Karl Hoffman probed beneath her father’s jaw. Annie held her breath when Hoffman winced briefly and gave his head a slight shake.
“Papa, please,” she whispered, willing him not only to breathe but to blink, for his eyes remained wide open, yet somehow horribly bereft of life. “Please stay with me.”
“Someone fetch a doctor,” came the wail from Hattie. “Quickly.”
“I fear it is too late for that.” Heaving a sigh, Karl Hoffman sat back on his heels. Annie felt his gaze upon her and dared to meet it. “I am very sorry,Fraulein, but he is gone.”
“No, that is…” Unable to grasp the truth of the man’s words, Annie shook her head. “That is not possible, sir. You must be mistaken. Please, check again.”
“There is no mistake, dear lady,” he replied. “I only wish there was.”
Teeth chattering, Annie regarded her father. “Are you sure?”
“I am certain.”
“Then may God rest his soul,” the reverend said. “This is outrageous. Outrageous, I say!”
Someone, either Hattie or Bridget, began to sob. Leo muttered something under his breath and his shadow, looming over Annie, drew back. There followed a fading echo of hurried footsteps on stone and the familiar creak of the church door opening and closing.
