*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much*
After a sleepless night between Roman thinking of ways he could keep his family safe and the cries of his daughter he arose out of bed as the sun was rising in the morning sky. Della had finally fallen asleep through her cries of fear as The Crown remained a threat to her and her family. Roman kissed her cheek softly before he walked over to check on his baby girl Leah. She was asleep soundly and was the mirror image of his self. He smiled at her as she slept with her full pouty lips pushed out, her chubby tan hand covering part of her face. He ran his hand over her soft dark hair causing her to stir a little. He picked her up before she began to fuss. Her blue eyes met his as he held her. "Good morning, Leah," he said in his deep soft voice. "Good morning," he said again. "Let's go check on your Aunt Adelle and your Uncle Dean," he said softly before he left the bedchambers.
He walked to Adelle's and Dean's room. He knocked on the door lightly. "Come in," called Adelle.
Roman opened the bedchamber door and said, "Good morning, Adelle."
"Good morning, Roman. How is Della?" she asked.
"Resting," he answered. "She's afraid. She has reason to be. We need to begin our journey to get on our boat. The sooner we're on the boat the sooner we are safer from The Crown and the sooner we are to America. She's not safe here, none of us are safe they will have her head if she's caught."
"I know," she said. "I'm worried for her."
"Me too and I can't let Leah grow up without her mother. I can't grow old without the love of my life. She's everything to me and I knew the moment I met her I wanted her to be my wife."
"Why did you choose her?" asked Adelle. "You could have had any woman of wealth, any woman with a title but you chose the Farmer's Daughter why did you choose her?"
"She's beautiful, she's intelligent, she's one of a kind. I couldn't see myself with anyone but her which is why I left my wife for her. I needed to be with Della, I needed to love her and make her my wife. I know I could have had any woman in this world. I could have loved anyone but it was only her and is only her that I love. I want to grow old with her, start a new life with her in America. I want more children with her. I just want forever with her. There is no other woman on Earth that could ever be better or replace Della in my life," he said honestly and sincerely.
"I remember the day she told me she was in love with you. I told her she was foolish and she was just a farmer's daughter so there was no way she would be able to have you. You proved me wrong. I never thought you could love her."
"I love her very much," He said with a smile as Leah let out a little moan before she yawned. "And I love you too, Princess Leah," he said with a smile as he watched her close her eyes before falling asleep in his arms. "How is Dean?"
"As well as he can for someone that was stabbed with a dagger," she answered. "He was in pain all night. I'm not sure what to do for him."
"He needs his rest," said Roman. "Can you hold Leah for me while I check his wound?"
"Sure," said Adelle. Roman handed her his daughter before he made his way over to the bed to check Dean's wound. "She looks like you," she said with a smile. "Does she have anything of Della's?"
"She has her beautiful blue eyes," he answered as he looked down at Dean. He was sound asleep with sweat covering his forehead. "How long has he been sweating like this?" he asked.
"Most of the night," she said, "Is that bad?"
"It could be a sign of infection," he said as he moved the covers away from Dean. He opened his shirt exposing his abdomen. He removed the bandages covering the wound and like he thought infection had begun to set in. The wound was getting worse and there was puss oozing from the wound. The area surrounding the wound was swollen and red. Roman took the alcohol sitting on the bed table and poured it into a white cloth. "It looks like infection is beginning to set in," he said to Adelle as she watched him. "This should help but there's no guarantee that he will survive this."
"He needs to live, Roman," she said to him. "He needs to live. I need him, Samuel needs him," she said, "we have our whole life planned out," she said with tears in her eyes as she watched Roman place the alcohol soaked cloth onto the wound to clean it out.
"He is going to need herbs and medicine to survive our voyage to America," said Roman. "The alcohol will only help so much but it won't save his life. We need herbs and medicine to fight the infection or we're going to lose him."
"How are we supposed to find herbs and medicine for him when The Crown is looking for all of us," she asked with concern. "What if we get caught?" she asked.
"We won't," he answered. "No one knows who you are. You're going to have to go into town and get the things I ask for. We need them for our voyage or he will never make it across the Atlantic."
"Me?" she asked.
"Yes you," he said. "I can't send Della. If she is spotted in town it could end badly for her. The Crown isn't looking for you. You'll be safe. I need you to go into town to get the herbs and medicine to save his life look at his wound it's not doing well. If it gets worse he is going to die. I'm not going to let him die."
"Very well," said Adelle. "I'm scared to go into town."
"You have nothing to fear," he said. "Just disguise yourself and you'll be fine."
"All right," she said nervously. "I don't want him to die," she said as she looked at the love her life laying in their bed. "I can't let him die."
"I will give you a list of what you need," he said as he put new bandages on his friend's wound. "Thank-you, Adelle," he said before he cleaned his hands. He took his daughter back allowing Adelle to get herself dressed so she could venture into town. He left the room and made his way down the stairs.
"I was looking for you," said Della as she appeared from the sitting room.
"I was checking on Dean," he said greeting her with a soft kiss. "Good morning, Love."
"Good morning," she said with a smile.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked.
"I'm relieved that Seth is dead but I'm still nervous because of the crown."
"I understand," he said. "Adelle is going to go into town today to get Dean some herbs and medication to handle his wound."
"Adelle is going into town, that's not safe," she said as she took Leah from him so she could nurse her. "What if she is caught?"
"The Crown is not looking for Adelle they are looking for you. For all they know she could have run into town for your father. They would never know. We need the herbs and medicine for Dean if we don't' get them he won't survive the voyage to America. Infection has already began to set in," he explained as they took a seat while she nursed their young daughter. "He'll die if we don't have it."
"I understand, I just don't want them to capture my sister," she said. "I just got her back."
"She'll be fine," said Roman as Adelle came down the stairs and found her way into the sitting room. Della covered herself as she fed the baby.
Adelle was dressed to hide her face so no one could recognize her and had Samuel with her. "I'm going to make this look nonchalant. Do you have the list for me?" she asked.
"Yes," answered Roman. He stood up and walked over to the desk. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out the list of what was needed to treat Dean's infection but added other things for the list that they would need for their voyage to America. They were going to be on the seas for a month or two. He needed to have them prepared. "Adelle, be careful."
"I will," she said as she took the list as he handed it to her. "No one will ever know."
"If you hear anything about Della please fill us in when you arrive home."
"All right," she said. "I will." She walked over to Della. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said, "Please be careful," said Della.
"I will," she promised. She hugged her sister softly and kissed the top of her niece's head before she headed out to go into town to pick up what she needed.
Adelle took the carriage into town it felt like years as she traveled through the wooded area before she finally made it to the main road into town. She followed the dirt road and breathed a sigh of relief as she reached town. The driver of the carriage pulled it to a stop and rounded the carriage to help Adelle out with her child. Adelle kept the scarf over her head as she carried Samuel in her arms along with the bag to hold her supplies. She nervously made her way into the crowd of people to begin looking for the things she needed. "How can I help you, Madame?" asked one of the townspeople in charge of the herbs and medicine.
"Yes, Sir, I am looking for this stuff," she said showing him the list she wasn't very skilled in reading and the words were difficult for her to read so it was easier to show him what she needed.
"And what reason do you need this for?" he asked.
"My husband has fallen ill," she said. "We're going to venture out of here in a couple days we need these to help him survive through our venture."
"Very well," he said as he looked at the young girl. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked.
"I wouldn't know how you would know me from somewhere. My husband and I are not from around here. We just stopped here to rest."
"Aren't you Hunter's daughter?" he asked causing her heart to stop.
"Hunter?" she asked. "Who is Hunter?"
"The farmer, Della's father. Are you Hunter's daughter Adelle? The one that ran away with Seth?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, "Could you please get me the herbs and medicine I asked for? I need to get back to my husband."
"Sure," he said before he walked to get her the herbs and medicine she needed. She rocked Samuel back and forth as he started to fuss as she waited. "Here you go, Madame," he said handing the herbs and medicine to her. She gave him the coin and she started to leave the shop. "You know it's not safe for you to be in town, Adelle," he said. "The Crown is looking for your sister. You're guilty by association."
"My name is not Adelle," she said, "but thank-you for the warning," she said before she left the shop. She put her items into her bag and looked over Roman's list. She was nervous that the man she just encountered would alert someone that she was in town so she wanted to make her trip to town done quickly. She walked around town and she saw pictures of Della hanging all over the place. She was wanted for adultery.
There was a group of townspeople around one of the posters with Della on it. "It's a shame that young girl," said one woman. "She ruined her life by running away with Lord Reigns."
"When she's caught she will get all that she deserves. She deserves death. She took another woman's husband and left her own husband. She deserves death," said a man.
"And Dr. Rollins has not been seen for days. He was supposed to bring Della back to The Crown."
"Maybe he couldn't find her," said a man. "He had a young wife, Della's younger sister."
"That poor family with Hunter and Stephanie dead," said a man. "Those innocent children that died in the house fire," he said. "Adelle and Della were the lucky ones to still be alive if they are alive." Tears burned Adelle's eyes as she learned of her family's deaths. She couldn't believe they were gone. Her heart ached for her younger siblings and her parents. She knew Seth was responsible. "That fire was no accident."
"It certainly was not," said a townswoman. "Who could possibly do something so heartless to that beautiful family? It is not their fault that their daughter is a harlot. Those people didn't need to suffer," she said as Adelle backed away. She knew she wasn't safe in town. She believed Seth was responsible for the fire that killed her family but she couldn't be sure it could have been anyone. She wasn't safe. She hurried through town and gathered what they needed for their voyage to America. She grabbed a poster of Della and put it in the bag as she hurried back to her carriage.
She managed to make it out of town undetected by anyone but the man in the pharmacy. She nursed a fussy Samuel on her way home as tears streamed from her eyes. She knew she would never see her family again but she never thought that they would all be dead. She arrived back at the cottage and made her way inside. "I'm home," she called out.
"Did you get everything we need?" asked Roman.
"Yes," she said. "Where's Della, I need to tell her something," she said.
"I'm right here," said Della as she appeared with Leah. "Were you crying? Did something happen in town?"
"Della, they're looking for you. There were these posters all over the town," she said showing Della the poster of herself saying she was wanted for adultery. "The pharmacist recognized me," she announced. "The Crown wants to kill you," she said as tears formed in her eyes. "We need to leave. We need to make it to America before they find us," she said.
"Adelle," said Roman, "slow down. Did the pharmacist alert anyone?"
"I'm not sure but we need to leave. They are looking for Seth. They're not going to find Seth because he is dead but they can find us," she said. "We need to go and we need to go now. Papa, Mama and everyone are dead. Someone murdered them," she said.
"What?" asked Della. "Are you certain?"
"The townspeople were talking about it, Dell, they're gone they died in a fire."
"Oh my God!" she cried out. "My family is gone," she said before she broke into sobs.
"I'm going to go pack things up. We need to leave now. We're not safe," said Roman. "We need to go," he said.
"My family is dead, Roman," said Della with tears falling from her eyes.
"We'll be dead too if we don't leave now. I need you two to gather things for the babies, grab blankets, cloths, put this bag into the carriage I am going to get Dean. It is safer to leave now than wait. Someone could have followed Adelle back here we don't know," he said.
"I told you it was risky," said Della. "But you insisted."
"If I hadn't insisted Dean could have died. We would also not have enough supplies to make it to America and we would die on the ship. Don't waste time fighting with me, Della. We'll talk in the carriage but right now we need to leave. I will meet you in the carriage," he said before he hurried upstairs to get Dean while Della and Adelle packed up the carriage so they could make it to the dock to head to America.
*A/N: What did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading.