"Take him to the bloody stockades!" Hewlett spat out, flustered and outraged.
Only a few feet away, Anna watched him with wide, hopeful eyes, praying that Richard would be unable to spill her secrets while he was being carried away, pleading with anyone that could hear her desperate thoughts that Hewlett might refuse to listen to a man he'd always considered a dear friend.
The two soldiers hesitantly towed Richard away, hands clasped upon his shoulders as he struggled against them; he shouted at Hewlett until his protests faded from the hall, but not once did he give voice to Anna's sin.
It was almost surreal, almost too much to hope for—Anna closed her eyes with relief, releasing a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Hewlett heard her soft sigh and turned his eyes toward her, attempting to regain his composure after Richard's outburst. When Anna finally opened her eyes, he was calm before her, swallowing his anger in order to preserve what should have been their moment.
Around them, the guests murmured to one another, startled by the magistrate's objection and the implications of such a scandal. Mary watched Hewlett carefully, equal measures of shock and respect warring within her. Hewlett would meet repercussions, if only from Richard himself; on the other hand, though, he'd just tossed out the one man Mary had resented for the better part of a year now, especially ever since he had betrayed Abraham.
She made sure to watch Anna, as well, who stood as still as a statue in the middle of the room, jaw clenched and hands neatly clasped. She looked the perfect picture of an uncomfortable bride, and Mary suspected that was all Anna really was. She was marrying a man out of both duty and selflessness, which was something Mary could relate to, but she doubted that Anna would have chosen this particular groom had she been given a true choice.
Hewlett smiled gently, almost apologetically, over at Anna, as if to make amends for the unfortunate interruption and his subsequent outburst; his gaze softened in a familiar way and he gestured to the magistrate that he'd found at the very last minute. Anna, whose pulse fluttered at her throat, nearly felt sick with anxiety, with pure terror, with some unnamable fear that Richard would have cornered her and forced her to go through with her plan to lay blame upon Hewlett. It would have been the only way to protect her from punishment while keeping him safe, sending him off to his familiar home in Scotland.
But all of that was apparently behind them, and Hewlett's comforting smile drove out the dark thoughts.
Anna found herself smiling, too, and relaxed her tense shoulders. She was safe, he was safe—they were safe. They were free, they were unmarred, and they were standing at the altar. Anna had been so sure that her plans were destined to be intervened upon that she hadn't truly prepared for the day, hadn't truly prepared to be standing across from Hewlett in her finest gown with every intention of marrying him. Suddenly, the realization dawned and she shivered from the weight of it.
Mary noticed the change and tilted her head, puzzled; she hadn't ever seen Anna with such a look in her eyes.
Slowly, the magistrate cleared his throat, clutching his bible as he gave a concerned look to the guests whispering in each other's ears. Gossip was nearly unholy, for all the trouble it caused.
But the major had the authority in the town, and if he'd just thrown out Setauket's magistrate over a wedding objection, no one could go against his decision. So, they continued, despite the heavy air of suspicion around them.
Hewlett tried his very best to pretend that he didn't notice the looks he was receiving, and Anna figured that it was for her own sake. He'd always been like that, really; he'd always put her comfort above everything else, and in that moment she was grateful.
Abe had never been like that, she thought fleetingly.
Not at all.
Hewlett vowed to stay faithful and keep her, and she vowed to stay faithful and obey him; the words fell easily from her lips. She'd already been through the motions once with Selah, but this felt different.
It almost felt true, she thought. It almost felt right.
Hewlett's giddiness radiated from him; it was almost amusing. His eyes shone with his professed love, his smile warm and reassuring. He looked at Anna the same way he gazed at constellations: in awe.
She couldn't help but grin at his obvious mood and recalled how stoic Selah had acted at their wedding, how obediently he had recited the vows-certainly not with the meaningful, careful tone that Hewlett recited them with. He understood their sanctity, yet he could never understand the lie they would be founded upon.
Anna, moved by the same simple and genuine admiration that she'd witnessed the night of their first kiss, decided then and there that she would never tell him the truth of what almost happened. She couldn't do that to him; she wouldn't.
They would be safe and Hewlett would never have to know.
The new ring on her finger promised that future, and the feel of Hewlett's hand in hers cemented it.
What did y'all think? The chapter was pretty short but it is 2am after all and I get too excited while I'm writing so I just post things without waiting to add a better word count later. One of my many flaws, I'm afraid. :P
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