“As angry as Pitman is, the way Pitman is angry, she should be grateful to have a head still on her shoulders.”
Jess took a deep drink of her cognac. “But where are you going to find a man foolish enough to get up in front of the town and take the blame for something like that? Especially when he didn’t do it?” Her head came up. “What will be their punishment? Surely they’ll both be punished.”
Alex looked at the last bite of cheese. “Oh, probably nothing more than the stocks,” he said. “But I do have the perfect man in mind.”
“Who?”
“I think I’ll surprise you. Leave it to me. I’ll settle this like I’ve settled your other problems.”
“I can take care of myself, but if by some chance you do get Abigail free, I’ll do something for you. I’ll help you find a wife. By this time next year, the Montgomery house will be crawling with babies.” She put down her drink. “Oh, Alex, I just thought—your weakened muscles don’t extend to…I mean…” Her face turned red. “Can there be babies? Your babies, I mean.”
He gave her a long look, then turned away and sighed. “I haven’t tried being with a woman since my fever, but I think I could do all right if I were propped up and she gave me a great deal of help.” He turned back and gave her a weak smile.
“Oh,” she said, gulping the last of the brandy. “Perhaps we’d better not tell anyone that or we’ll never get you a bride. I can’t imagine a woman—” She stopped before she hurt Alex’s feelings again, but she thought of the Raider, smiling broadly at the idea of his needing any help.
She recovered herself. “You work on a man for Abigail and I’ll do my best to find you a bride.”
“It seems that I have the easier job. Here,” he said, tossing her an orange, “eat this and then we’ll both set to work.”
* * *
Ethan Ledbetter stood in the box before the judges. All the women in the courtroom were leaning forward, eager to hear anything this beautiful young man said.
The judge, in his full, long wig, asked Ethan to repeat himself.
“Mistress Abigail didn’t want anyone to know we were lovers, so she said she was with the Raider. She barely made it back before the soldiers came searching. If she’d been a few minutes later, she’d have been caught.”
“That’s a lie!” Abigail shouted. “I don’t even know this man. I told the truth: I made the whole thing up and I singed my hair in the fireplace. I’ve never—”
“Bailiff, if you don’t quiet this woman, I’ll have her removed. Now, Mr. Ledbetter, what about the hair?”
“We rolled too close to the campfire,” he said, with some pride in his voice.
For a moment, the courtroom was too shocked to reply, but then they let out a sound half between laughter and a roar of outrage.
The bailiff restored order while the judges conferred.
“We have reached a decision,” one judge said. “The defendant, Abigail Wentworth, and the witness, Ethan Ledbetter, are to be taken from here and—” The audience waited. “And married before sundown.”
Abigail fainted and Ethan looked as if he were about to.
“I lied,” Ethan cried. “I only wanted to help the Raider. I lied.”
The judges, looking utterly disgusted with the whole case, waved their hands in dismissal.
Alex took Jessica’s elbow and escorted her from the courtroom, but Jess pulled away from him and waited until the prisoners were brought out. Abigail was crying, as was her mother, but Ethan had his handsome jaw set, his head high. He looked proud in spite of the people gaping at him. When he passed Alex, he stopped, looked at Alex with hatred, then spit in his face.
Very calmly, Alex took his handkerchief and wiped away the spittle as Ethan was shoved forward.
“Shall we go, Jess?” Alex asked.
Jessica went with him but she didn’t allow him to touch her. Nor did she speak to him until they were away from the crowd.
“Of all the hideous things to do to a person,” she gasped, so angry she could barely speak. “You knew the court would force them to marry, didn’t you?”
“I had an idea it might happen.”
“How did you get Ethan to agree to say he’d been with Abigail?”