Aunt Sarah offered him a weak smile. “That he is,” she said. “He wasn’t always like this. I had once fancied myself in love with him.”
Winston huffed. “That must have been long ago.”
“It was,” Aunt Sarah replied, her voice tinged with melancholy. “I fell in love with him the moment I first saw him, but I knew my family would never accept him because of his lowly station. But I chose love…” Her voice trailed off.
“Do you regret that?” he prodded gently.
Aunt Sarah shook her head. “No, despite everything that has happened to me, I believe in love. But sometimes, people change. And Isaac changed. Perhaps I did, as well.” She sighed. “When my father wouldn’t release my dowry, Isaac became irate and I realized that he had married me for the money, not for who I was.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, feeling inadequate in his response.
She waved her hand dismissively. “It was my own fault. I believed the lies that Isaac told me, and I chose to elope with him,” she said. “I was complacent in all of it, and I understand why my father did what he did. But when my brothers turned their backs on me, especially Richard, I was devastated.”
Aunt Sarah continued, “When I received word that Richard died, I was heartbroken that I could never makeamends with him. I was determined to salvage some kind of relationship with your father since he was the only family I had left.”
The coach hit a rut in the road, jolting to one side. Aunt Sarah steadied herself and shared, “When Isaac turned his heavy hand onto Matthew, I knew I had to flee and never look back. So I turned to Lionel for help.”
“My father cares for you,” Winston assured her.
“Lionel has been a godsend, and Matthew adores him,” Aunt Sarah said. “I just wish it hadn’t come to this.”
Winston leaned forward in his seat. “This plan will work. You will be safe and reunited with your son soon enough.”
Aunt Sarah didn’t look convinced. “If something does happen to me, please watch over Matthew. He has done nothing wrong.”
“I promise, but it won’t come to that,” Winston said.
“No, it won’t,” Aunt Sarah muttered. “Because I won’t go back to being under Isaac’s thumb. At any cost.”
Winston saw his aunt fidgeting with the reticule around her wrist and could only imagine how nervous she was. But her eyes told him a different story: they were determined, if not slightly resigned.
He turned his head towards the window and saw that they were almost there. The dilapidated barn loomed ahead, its weathered boards and sagging roof standing in contrast to the overgrown field surrounding it. Jasper and Grady should be in position, hidden among the trees and underbrush. This ordeal should be over soon enough. Mattie would be back in his arms—where she belonged.
Aunt Sarah eyed him curiously. “Do you love Miss Bawden?”
“I do,” Winston said, seeing no reason to deny it.
A small smile came to her lips. “I am happy for you. Love is a beautiful thing, especially with the right person.”
The coach jerked to a stop a short distanceaway from the barn. Winston exited the coach and reached back to assist his aunt out. Once her feet were on the ground, she withdrew her hand, her fingers trembling slightly.
Winston’s eyes roamed over the field in front of the barn and saw no sign of Isaac. The tall grass and weeds swayed gently in the breeze, but there was no movement near the barn. A moment later, the barn door creaked open, and Isaac stepped out with an irate look on his face. “Where is my son?” he demanded, his voice echoing across the open space.
Aunt Sarah tilted her chin defiantly. “I am here to trade places with Miss Bawden. Let’s leave Matthew out of this.”
“He is my son!” Isaac shouted, his face reddening with anger.
“You don’t treat him like it,” Aunt Sarah declared. “You hit him.”
Isaac took a commanding step towards her, his posture menacing. “It is my right to discipline him.”
“As you do to me?” Aunt Sarah asked, her voice steady despite the danger.
His eyes narrowed. “You have, and always will be, a disappointment to me,” he declared. “How else would I show you my displeasure?”
Winston spoke up. “Where is Miss Bawden?” he demanded.
Isaac smirked, his eyes glinting with malice. “You didn’t think I was just going to hand her over to you, did you?” he asked. “I need to ensure that you came alone.”
