~Chapter Three~
Two days later Richard kissed Lucille farewell heading for Spain. He arranged for Jacques, the closest neighbor to stop by and check on Lucille each day, do some of the heavier chores. He worried about her doing heavy work with her pregnancy, although she still had several months to go. He was hoping to retrieve his daughter from the Moreno family with as little fuss as possible. He was hoping to impress them in some fashion that he was capable of providing a good home for Antonia, and convince them that Teresa would want their daughter with him. He was all right financially for the time being and as long he and Lucille kept the farm in profit they would be fine.
Sharpe had been gone about an hour when the letter arrived. Lucille looked at the letter, it was postmarked from London and it had "urgent" scrawled beneath the address, and she thought it might be something to do with Richard's divorce. Richard was headed in the opposite direction. She was torn, should she open it and decide for herself or try to get it to him as soon as possible?
Lucille knew Richard wanted them married before the birth and if Jane had decided to cause more trouble it might not happen. She went out to the barn and saddled the other horse, knowing full well Richard would be furious with her he were around and caught her, but she needed to get the letter to him. Even she wasn't foolish enough to try to take it all the way to him, but Jacques lived almost a mile away, too far for her to walk or run and all he had was a small pack mule. Carefully she mounted the horse, knowing every moment was taking Richard farther away.
As soon as she arrived Jacques and his wife Marie came outside. Marie clucking over her furiously in a stream of French. Lucille shushed Marie long enough to tell Jacques what she needed him to do. He was to take the horse and take the letter to Richard giving him the route Richard was taking. He was to wait for Richard's reply about what he was going to do.
It was almost mid-afternoon when Jacques caught up with Sharpe. Richard tore the envelope open reading two-page letter twice. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. It seemed that resolution of a certain portion of his problems was resolving itself, but certainly not in the way he expected or really wanted.
There was no choice. He gave the letter back to Jacques telling him to take it back to Lucille and let her know he was on his way to London. The letter explained everything. Richard knowing Lucille would understand he'd had no choice but go.
He just hoped he wasn't too late….
Half a day's travel wasted, but if he rode hard, he could make Calais tonight, get the overnight passage to Dover, dock by dawn and hopefully he could reach her by the following afternoon—he just hoped his wife lasted that long.....