Her Mother Forced Her to Marry a Stranger… But Her “Poor” Husband Hid a Shocking Secret
Chapter 7
They reached Ashcombe Hall after midnight.
The estate stood in darkness.
Broken statues lined the path.
Samuel found an old entrance beneath the western wall.
They entered through a passage.
Clara carried the lantern.
Samuel carried the pistol.
They descended beneath the house.
At the bottom was a stone room.
Inside were shelves filled with documents.
Samuel searched quickly.
Then Clara found a wooden box.
Inside was a bundle of letters.
One contained Richard’s seal.
Another contained Ashcombe’s.
And the final one was written by a man Clara recognized.
Her father.
The letter described the night he had discovered the theft.
He had confronted Richard.
Richard threatened him.
Ashcombe had offered him money.
Edmund refused.
The last sentence made Clara’s hands tremble.
If I die, look for the carriage records from Bellford. They will show who ordered the attack.
Samuel immediately understood.
“Your father’s death was staged as an accident.”
“We need those records.”
A sound echoed above them.
Footsteps.
Samuel extinguished the lantern.
Men entered the house.
Clara whispered:
“How many?”
“Too many.”
A man’s voice called from upstairs.
“Samuel!”
Samuel recognized it.
Richard.
He had followed them.
Clara held the letters against her chest.
“What do we do?”
Samuel leaned close.
“We leave through the river tunnel.”
They ran.
The passage flooded into an underground stream.
Samuel helped Clara across.
Behind them, gunshots echoed.
They reached the opposite bank.
Samuel turned.
“Keep going.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll slow them down.”
“No.”
He grabbed her hand.
“Clara.”
She looked into his eyes.
For the first time, she saw fear there.
Not for himself.
For her.
She kissed him.
It was brief.
Unexpected.
Then she whispered:
“Come back.”
Samuel nodded.
“I will.”
He turned toward the tunnel.
Clara ran.
