His Mail Order Bride Was the Prettiest Woman He Ever Laid His Eyes On
Chapter 7
The following weeks changed everything.
Eleanor stopped thinking of Thomas as the man who had answered her advertisement.
She began seeing the man beneath the letters.
He was stubborn.
Quiet.
Protective.
Terrible at expressing affection.
But he was honest when honesty mattered.
One evening, Eleanor found him in the barn.
He was speaking to a young stable boy.
The boy had broken a valuable saddle.
Thomas listened.
Then he said,
“You’ll repay me by helping Samuel repair the fence.”
The boy looked terrified.
Thomas smiled.
“No beating.”
The boy nodded.
“No shouting.”
The boy smiled.
Thomas turned.
Eleanor was standing behind him.
“You heard.”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“That you are kinder than you pretend.”
Thomas shook his head.
“You’re getting dangerous.”
“How?”
“You’ve started noticing things.”
She smiled.
That night, Thomas gave Eleanor a small box.
Inside was a silver hairpin.
“My mother wore it.”
Eleanor looked up.
“You shouldn’t give this to me.”
“I want you to have it.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re part of the family now.”
She touched the pin.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She smiled.
Then Thomas reached for her hand.
He stopped before touching it.
Eleanor noticed.
“You can.”
He looked at her.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
Their fingers touched.
Neither moved.
Then a horse screamed outside.
Thomas released her hand.
They rushed toward the barn.
A fire had started.
The stable was burning.
Thomas ran inside.
“Thomas!”
He emerged carrying two frightened horses.
Eleanor helped release the others.
When the fire finally died, Thomas found a piece of cloth caught on the barn door.
Black wool.
Crowe’s coat.
Eleanor looked at it.
“He wants us afraid.”
Thomas nodded.
“Then we shouldn’t give him what he wants.”
The next morning, Thomas rode to town.
Eleanor followed.
They visited the magistrate.
They presented the forged inheritance document.
The magistrate looked nervous.
“I cannot act on suspicion.”
Eleanor placed her aunt’s letter before him.
The magistrate read it.
Then he closed the door.
“Miss Hart, you need to understand something.”
“What?”
“Your cousin is not acting alone.”
Thomas leaned forward.
“Who else?”
The magistrate whispered one name.
“Lord William Ashford.”
