“We’ll send a messenger to Mama, letting her know you have found me, and we are continuing to Gretna Greene as planned. I cannot go home. I’ve been alone with a man—two men. You know society does not care if a woman is taken by force or goes willingly with a man, she is ruined either way.”
Hugh nodded.
“But that’s not the only reason. I want to go to Gretna Green with you because I want to be your wife.” She put her arms around Hugh’s neck. “When Lucas put his hand on me and spoke about sharing an intimate space with me, it filled me with revulsion. But when you touch me, and when I think of sharing a room—a bed—with you—” she brushed her lips against his—“I’m filled with happiness. It’s what I want.”
Her words, her touch, her scent, her taste, and her lips filled him with desire. He covered her mouth with his and kissed her. She responded eagerly to his kiss, but he only allowed himself a few delicious moments before pulling away. He wouldn’t do anything to dishonor her before they were married.
Chapter Twelve
Only those trulyin love could withstand eloping to Gretna Green, Charlotte thought as she rested her exhausted body against Hugh. The journey thus far had been agonizingly long. They’d made multiple stops to refresh the horses and take their meals at various inns, and it seemed to Charlotte that their goal of standing before a priest and swearing to love each other for all the days of their lives had become a faraway dream. She wanted nothing more than to be Hugh’s wife so they could start their lives together—a life no man could put asunder. But until she became legally his, she could not rest.
Lucas’s odious presence lingered in Charlotte’s mind. Each stop they’d made during their journey left her feeling sick with anxiety lest she encounter him again. Hugh had no such fears. Lucas would not report the stabbing, Hugh had reassured her, because he’d have to admit that he’d abducted a young gentlewoman who’d acted in self-defense when he’d tried to take liberties with her.
And, in the event Lucas was stupid enough to pursue them, then Hugh would make certain the rogue lost the use of his wandering hand for good. Yet, the hollow feeling in the pit of Charlotte’s stomach remained. Lucas wouldn’t forget that she’dpinned his hand to the table with a knife so she could escape his clutches, and he would want his revenge.
“We’ve arrived, my love,” Hugh said, nudging her slightly.
Charlotte blinked before sitting up. Had they truly arrived? She peered out the carriage window to see the sun sinking behind a small village with sparse buildings. Her body pulsed with anxious excitement, and her mind raced with questions. It was almost nightfall. How long would it take before a priest could marry them? Would they be able to spend their first night in Gretna Green together? Or would they have to wait? She yearned to lay in Hugh’s arms—as his wife—and dreaded the notion that they’d have to sleep apart and wait until the morning to be married. If she could jump out of the carriage straight into the church, she’d do it happily.
The carriage rolled to a stop, and Hugh pushed open the door and stepped outside. Charlotte’s heart drummed as she took Hugh’s hand and descended from the carriage. An elongated white building with a thatched roof and the words “Gretna Inn” painted above its wooden door stood beside a smaller thatched-roof cottage on an otherwise lonely road.
Charlotte looked from one building to the other.Is this where we are to be married? Where on earth is the church?
She craned her neck, searching the horizon. A few buildings dotted the rolling green hills that lay beyond. Charlotte tried to hide her disappointment and concern as Hugh escorted her inside the inn. A red-bearded man with striking blue eyes set beneath a pair of wild eyebrows greeted them as they approached the counter.
“Evening, come from the blacksmiths, have ye?”
“Not yet,” Hugh said. “We’ve just arrived and come to inquire about a room.”
The man shook his head and waved a finger at them. “I don’t allow sinners in my inn. You’ll want to visit the blacksmith’s next door or take two rooms.”
“Of course,” Hugh said. “I’ll go and see him right away.”
“Why the blacksmith?” Charlotte turned to Hugh.
“It’s how they do things here,” Hugh explained.
Charlotte frowned. She knew that elopement meant a quick, unplanned wedding, but a blacksmith?
Hugh reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Don’t worry, it’s all perfectly legal in Scotland.”
Charlotte smiled. As long as they were legally man and wife, she didn’t care who married them.
“Aye,” the innkeeper said. “He’s just finished up another wedding, not half hour ago, and will be wanting his supper soon. You’ll be lucky if you can get him to perform the ceremony tonight.”
Charlotte bit her lip.
“Perhaps if I pay extra,” Hugh offered.
“The priest won’t take kindly to that.” The innkeeper shrugged. “But he is a good friend of mine, so for a small fee, I might be able to persuade him to marry you tonight. On account of the fact that I only have one room left in the inn.”
“That’s very kind of you.” Hugh reached into his pocket and extracted a coin.
“And, of course, the misses an’ me will act as your witnesses for a small fee if you’re in need,” the innkeeper added.
“Indeed.” Hugh pulled a second coin from his pocket.
The innkeeper’s wife, who’d since introduced herself as Mrs. Bagby, took Charlotte into a small dressing room and helped her out of her yellow traveling dress and into the white, lace-trimmed empire dress she’d packed for her wedding. The dress had been part of her new seasonal wardrobe. Although it was wrinkled from its hazardous journey in the carpetbag, she wasmore excited to wear it than she’d been to wear any of the countless pristine dresses she’d worn during her two seasons. She paired it with a fresh pair of white gloves and the pearl-studded veil she’d worn the night Hugh had first kissed her.
