She turned around, finding Tommy watching her closely, and the realization of all he was doing for her, all he had set aside, all this was costing him, rushed through her. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve his generosity, but she was thankful that he was here with her, that she was not alone.
“Thank you, Tommy,” she said, and his green eyes glinted, causing a responding flash of interest within her. “For everything.”
Chapter Ten
With their early morning departure, it already seemed a long day when Tommy and Minnie crested the hill of Gretna Green, passing a weathered wooden sign noting the history of the place.
Yet Tommy grinned as they approached the storied blacksmith's shop, its stone walls weathered but sturdy. The ringing of a hammer on an anvil could be heard from inside – a fitting background for their impending nuptials.
Minnie gripped his arm tightly as they neared the entrance. Her face held a mix of apprehension and excitement, her cheeks pink from the brisk Scottish air.
Tommy took in the determined set of her delicate jaw, the way the afternoon sun brought out the gold in her blonde curls. He had noted how she had hesitated on the train when they had first entered the car, when she had likely finally realized just how much her life was about to change.
Yet she didn’t back down. She didn’t turn around and run down the stairs of the train, nor cry off from the idea of marriage to him. Instead, she had continued walking ontothe train, and had soon made friends with the people sitting around them as though it was where she belonged.
He supposed she did now.
He was in awe of this woman, the most beautiful he had ever seen, and, by some miracle, she had agreed to be his wife, even if it was to escape an unwanted fate.
She might never return his feelings, but he vowed then and there that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. Protected. Treasured.
"This is it," he said, injecting more confidence than he felt into his voice. "Are you ready?"
Minnie met his gaze, her blue eyes shining with a mix of emotions he couldn't quite name. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this."
Hand in hand, they stepped through the heavy wooden door and into the dim interior of the blacksmith shop.
The blacksmith, a burly man with kind eyes and a knowing smile, stood in front of the fire, in much the same stance Tommy often found himself in. He greeted them warmly when they walked in.
"Welcome! Let me guess. Looking to get married, are you?” he asked with a knowing smile.
Tommy nodded, suddenly tongue-tied with emotion. This was actually happening. Minnie squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“Yes sir,” Tommy said, finally finding his voice. “If you’d be willing.”
"I'm always willing to help young love," the blacksmith said, winking at Minnie.
“Tommy is a blacksmith himself,” Minnie supplied, squeezing his arm with her other hand.
“Are you, now?” the blacksmith said, his eyes glinting with considerably more interest. “Whereabouts?”
“Manchester.”
“I see,” he said, nodding as he looked from one of them to the other. “Are you returning there once you’re wed?”
“That’s the plan,” Tommy said, suddenly nervous, as he hadn’t thought ofafterthe marriage. Would it be smartestnotto return? Would they face any consequences from Mr. Draper once he had discovered what they’d done? But how could he possibly leave his family? His work?
Minnie looked up at him with concern, obviously reading his emotion, but he shook his head and returned to the task at hand.
“Do you have time to marry us now?” Tommy asked. “Or should we return later?”
“Now?” the blacksmith said, raising his brows. “Usually, we plan these things a few weeks ahead, but luckily for you, today’s a slow day. We just have to take care of some particulars.”
He crossed the room and picked up a large ledger book, donning reading glasses before opening it up to a page within. “Now, where have you been staying?”
Minnie and Tommy exchanged a glance.
“At the main inn in town,” Tommy said.
