*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you so much*
Roman paced in the woods as he waited for Della to return to him so they could start their journey to Italy but something inside of him told him something was wrong. Della was in trouble. He could feel her pain and instead of waiting in the woods he made his way to the home she shared with her husband. He was trying to avoid going to her home but deep down he had an agonizing feeling that something was off and something was wrong. He walked up the front stairs to her beautiful home. He knocked on the door but no one answered. He heard sobs from inside and he opened the door as he heard Della crying out for him. He walked inside and saw her on the floor crying out in agony. "Della!" he yelled. "What happened?" he asked kneeling down, "did he do this to you?"
"He killed the servant that saw us in the woods. He knew he was lying and he let me out of the house. He killed him, Roman," she cried, "and then he attacked me. I think I am miscarrying."
"Miscarrying?" he asked. "You're with child?"
"I told him my courses were here. I lied to him because if he knew I was with child he would have tied me in the house and I wouldn't have been able to get free. My courses never arrived," she stated to him with tears falling from her blue eyes. "I knew I was with child. I never wanted to carry his child or have his child. He is an evil man."
"Are you sure you're miscarrying?" asked Roman.
"Positive," she said. "We have to go before he comes home from work. We need to go."
"But you're miscarrying," he said. "You need medical attention."
"The only medical attention is my husband," she said. "He can't know that I am possibly with child or was with child. He will be angry with me because I lied to him. Please, Roman we need to get out of here," she pleaded with him before one of the other servants came into the foyer to see what the commotion was about.
"Sir, who are you?" she asked. "You're not to be in this home."
"If you're smart," said Roman as he stood up, "you wouldn't stay here."
"You're going to have to leave," she said.
"I will after I get some clothes for my wife. You're more than welcome to travel with us. You'll be safer," he said as he looked at her. "You're not safe working here."
"I enjoy working for Dr. Rollins," she said. "Please you're going to need to leave," she said.
"And I told you that I will as soon as I get my wife's things," he said. He realized he was calling Della his wife but that's what she would be to him even if it wasn't in the eyes of God in his heart she was his wife, she would be his wife. He was taking a risk stealing her from her husband and the famous physician but Della was worth the risk. He was giving up his life for her to make her happy. She was the only woman that would ever truly make him happy. "I want you to get her some rags so I can clean her up," he said.
"I don't work for you," she said.
"Go get her some rags," he insisted. "She's bleeding. She needs attention to treat her injuries. Go now," he demanded. The servant girl let out a heavy sigh and walked to get rags to clean Della up. Roman got back down to Della's level. "I'm going to get you out of here."
"We have to go soon," she said. "While she's getting the rags my things are upstairs. Go get them for me," she said.
"I don't want to leave you," he said.
"I'll be fine but if we wait much longer Seth may return and that won't look good for either of us. Please go get my things."
"All right," he said with a soft smile as he ran his hand over her forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said with a smile before he leaned down and kissed her lips. He stood up and made his way up to her bedchambers to get her clothes from the wardrobe. He shuffled through her gowns and decided to just grab her a few skirts and a few blouses to make it through the next few days of travel. He pulled out her night clothes and under garments. He packed them up before grabbing some of her jewelry. He hurried down to the foyer to see the servant girl tending to Della's injuries and cleaning her up. Her beautiful face was starting to swell and Roman knew that after they escaped she would never be harmed again. He would never allow harm to come her way again. He was going to protect her and love her the way she deserved even if it meant giving up his life, giving up his title and becoming the man she needed to him to be.
"I have everything, Della, we need to go," he said as he reached his beautiful wife.
"I can't get up," she said. "I'm sore."
"I'll carry you," he said. He looked at the servant girl that was on her hands and knees. "I will pay you well if you come with us," he offered. "Please come with us like I said you're not safe here."
"I will accompany you," said the servant girl. "I'll accompany you." She knew she would no longer be safe if Seth returned and his wife was missing. He would blame her and she would suffer the same fate as the servant boy that lied to Seth. She took a deep breath and took the luggage from Roman so he could carry Della up from the floor.
Della winced and cried out in pain as he scooped her off the floor. In that moment Della and Roman both knew that she had miscarried the child she was pregnant with. Della took it as a blessing because she never wanted to carry Seth's child. She wouldn't be able to sit back and raise their son, raising him to be just like him or even worse abusing their children the same way he abused Della. She could never allow it. She would never wish to lose a child but she was grateful she had lost Seth's child. She was ready to start new with Roman. "I'm sorry," he said kissing her cheek softly. "I'm sorry. We'll get you checked out."
"Thank-you," she said with a soft smile. Roman and the servant girl walked out the door and ventured into the woods to where Roman's carriage was hidden. The servant girl placed Della's luggage in the carriage as Roman helped Della into the carriage. The servant girl climbed into the carriage behind them and Roman instructed the driver to go. The driver took off and the sound of horse hooves clomped in the dirt as they started their trek to Italy.
Their dangerous trek to Italy would take days so Roman chose to stay hidden, taking back roads where he knew no one would be looking for them. He knew the danger that Della was in by leaving with him. If caught she could be sentenced to death for being an adulteress. She would be beheaded or hanged for her crimes of adultery. He planned his route out intelligently and he had special cottages reserved for an overnight stay where he knew they would remain safe. It wasn't only Della that was in danger he could be killed at the hands of Seth if he would catch them on their journey. Once the sun began to set in the sky after half a day of traveling the carriage pulled up in front of a tiny cottage for them to take shelter overnight before they were going to venture out before dawn to get to their next location, Roman held Della the entire way as she slept resting her head on his lap. He had untied her long dark hair and was combing through it on their journey. "Dell, it's time to wake up," he said waking her up softly. She let out a soft groan that made him smile. "We're at a cottage for the night. It's time to wake up." Her deep blue eyes opened and met his dark brown eyes. "Hello," he smiled.
"Hi," she smiled back at him. "Where are we?"
"We're at a cottage to rest for the night before we go on our journey tomorrow. There's food and shelter for us tonight."
"Okay," she said with a smile as she tried to sit up. She winced in pain as she sat up.
"Take it easy, Honey," he said assisting her. The servant girl climbed out of the carriage first to get their luggage while Roman helped Della out of the carriage. They made their way to the cottage. Roman opened the door and let the women go in first. He shut and locked the door behind him. He started a fire to warm things up in the cottage. "I need to check your ribs, Dell."
"Okay," she said. Roman helped her out of her blouse and skirt while the servant girl went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for them. Roman helped her out of her corset and his eyes grew large when he saw the bruises on her rib cage. "It hurts, Roman."
"I think you have broken ribs," he said. "I think he broke your ribs." He investigated her tiny arms and saw the bruises on her arms and the fingerprints on her neck as if he had tried to choke her. "What did he do to you?" he asked with tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Della," he said wrapping his arms around her as they sat in front of the fire.
"It was awful," she cried into his chest. "It was awful." He ran his hand through her long hair as he held her in his arms.
"I will never let him hurt you again. I promise, Della. I promise," he promised her. She looked up at him with her deep blue eyes and gave him a soft smile. "You're so beautiful." He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. She parted her lips allowing his tongue to enter her mouth. They shared a soft passionate kiss by the fire, her hands were on his biceps as he kissed her. "You'll be safe with me," he promised.
"You promise?" she asked with her deep blue eyes full of question.
"I promise," he smiled. "Let's get you cleaned up and then I will wrap your ribs up to help with the pain."
"Okay," she smiled.
"Stay here," he instructed before he went to get the items he needed to clean her up from her miscarriage and to wrap her ribs to keep them in place. It should help ease her pain. He returned to her and began to clean her up. He cleaned her up between her legs and cleaned the dried blood up off her thighs. She had gone through hell that day and there was no denying it but she stayed strong through her pain. He wanted to turn her pain and sorrow into joy and happiness. The thoughts of their life together played in his mind and he smiled as he cleaned her up.
"Why are you smiling? I cannot participate in intercourse this evening," she said softly. "I am in no condition."
"That's not why I was smiling," he said. "I was thinking of our life together."
"Our life together?" she asked. "What about our life together?"
He smiled as he threw the rag into the bowl of water after cleaning her up. "Our future," he smiled. "I see us having a happy and joyful life in Italy living on a vineyard maybe even a farm. I see us having children, lots of children," he said. "Beautiful children that look like you, I hear their laughter and see you running with them as I watch. I see me working to support our family and to support you," he said. "I see happiness. I see you as my wife even if not in the eyes of God but in my heart you're my wife and we will do that properly even if it is just you, me and the servant girl. We'll wed one another to what's true in our hearts not what's true in the eyes of God."
"You're risking a lot to be with me, Roman. You know what could happen if they catch you."
"You're worth risking it all," he said with a smile as he brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "I would risk my life for you just to be happy. I know it's dangerous but I have a plan to keep us safe."
"And if we are caught? You know the consequences for adultery? I could be sentenced to death."
"I'm aware but we will never get caught," he said, "we're going to go to Italy and start a new life, become new people and not worry about the lives we left behind. We're going to be happy, Della. I promise you we're going to be happy."
"I trust you," she said with a soft smile. "I trust you."
He leaned in and kissed her lips softly and passionately. When they broke their kiss he took dry rags and wrapped them around her ribs to hold them into place. She winced in pain as he wrapped them around her. As he finished wrapping up her ribs the servant called them for dinner. They made their way into the small kitchen to enjoy their first of many dinners together and neither could be happier. Life was going to be different for Della and Roman but the life they were choosing with one another would always be better than the life they were living even if it was a risk they both knew the risk was worth it to be happy with one another.
Meanwhile as Roman and Della were starting their new life together Seth walked into his home he shared with Della. "Della," he called out. "I'm home!" He didn't get a response and then he realized he wasn't smelling any dinner being cooked. "DELLA!" he yelled again but she never answered him. He stormed through the house and walked up to their bedchambers. He didn't find her there and stormed back down to their sitting room. She was not there either. He stormed into the kitchen to see another servant girl getting ready to cook his dinner. She looked at him with fear on her face. "Where is MY wife?" he asked her.
"Sh-sh-she," she started to say.
"She what?" he asked with haste. "She what?"
"She left," she answered with fear. "Madame Rollins left with a gentleman and Ruth earlier today."
"SHE WHAT?" he asked. "What do you mean she left?"
"A man took her," she said. "A man took Della." Seth filled with a rage and knocked everything off the stove and everything off the table. The servant girl was frightened by his outburst and began to cry from fear.
"Shut up!" he demanded. "Who took my wife?"
"I don't know," she sobbed. "I don't know. It was just some man. I didn't see him. I was scared. Ruth left with them."
"Where were they going?"
"I don't know, Sir. I don't know. He just took them," she said. "I don't think she's coming back."
He slapped her across the face and she cried out in pain. "Of course she's not coming back you Idiot! She ran away with her lover that Lord Reigns and when I find them," he began, "when I find them," he pulled his knife out of his pocket. "I will kill them," he promised. "And I'm sorry to do this to you," he said, "but you shouldn't have let them leave," he said before he slashed her throat with the knife allowing her to fall to the ground. He stepped over her and walked out of his home. He was on a mission to find Lord Reigns and his wife. He vowed to do so as he set out on his hunt for them.
*A/N: What do you think about Roman finding Della in time? What did you think of him helping her? What about the servant girl are you surprised she left with them? Do you think the risk is worth it for both of them? Why do you think Della is the only one that would be punished for adultery if caught and not Roman? What did you think of Roman's reaction to her bruises? Does she bring out his soft side? Why do you think he's willing to risk it all for her? What do you think of his thoughts of his future with her? What did you think about Seth's reaction? Please review and thank-you for reading.