Forever Safe (Beacons of Hope) by Jody Hedlund Page B

road.”
    Victoria nodded. “Very true.”
    “While I do that, you can clean up and put on a different dress.”
    A frown creased her forehead. “A different dress? That’s absolutely unthinkable.” She glanced down to the white satin that had pooled around her. Then she uttered a cry as she took in the blood that streaked through the tiny pearls sewn into the bodice. Against the unblemished white, the red stains were vibrant. There was too much blood to hide with quick cosmetics. In fact, she was covered with so much blood, it looked as though she’d just come off a battlefield. He’d seen enough during the war to know.
    “My dress is ruined,” she wailed, spreading out the material even as more blood dripped from her nose onto the skirt. She buried her face in her hands as though she couldn’t bear to see the dress a moment longer. “And now my wedding is ruined too.”
    “It doesn’t have to be.”
    “It is,” she said into her hands. “It’s utterly and completely ruined.”
    “We can postpone—”
    “I thought this time with Nathaniel, I could do it. I really did,” came her teary voice. “But I should have known it wouldn’t work. I should have known I’d end up doing something to ruin it.” Her sobs were muffled but heart-wrenching.
    Tom sat back on his heels and wiped the perspiration off his forehead. He was accustomed to crying women. He’d been around theatrics and tantrums and drama as long as he’d been a bodyguard. But this was different. She wasn’t putting on a show or attempting to manipulate him. Her pain was genuine and went deep.
    He watched her, unsure what to do. She didn’t need his platitudes or promises. And she didn’t need to hear all his doubts, especially that he hadn’t thought Nathaniel was right for her in the first place.
    All he could think to do was lay his hand on her back. At his touch, she leaned into him and pressed her forehead against his chest. Her body shook with sobs. He knew he should set her away from him or, at the very least, help her stand and walk back to the grassy embankment. But with the warmth of her body so near, with her tears soaking into his shirt… He hesitated for only a moment before pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her.
    She melded against him, and he held her, knowing he shouldn’t. But he was helpless to do anything else.

Chapter 7

    V ictoria leaned against the closed door of her father’s study. She shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but after saying goodbye to Nathaniel, she hadn’t been able to ignore her father and Mr. Cushman’s voices deep in conversation, discussing all that had happened earlier in the day.
    Mr. Cushman had been relaying details about the investigations he’d done that afternoon. He’d attempted to follow the perpetrator’s trail, had gone into town and asked around, had visited all the haunts where a criminal might hole up. He’d even questioned Davis several times. But the coachman hadn’t seen the attacker who’d knocked him out before climbing up and taking his place. Mr. Cushman had found Davis hidden under a hedge, unconscious and bleeding from a head wound.
    Now her father and Mr. Cushman were talking about a letter that had been placed on the front step of the house only an hour ago. She trembled at the thought that the kidnapper was still on the loose and might try to come after her again.
    “Do you think the letter and this morning’s attack are related?” her father asked.
    “Yes.” Mr. Cushman’s voice was low and earnest. Victoria could picture him sitting in a chair across the desk from her father, his shoulders straight and stiff, the muscles in his jaw flexing, and his brows slanted in frustration. “Which means we can’t have the wedding tomorrow.”
    Victoria had been so convinced earlier that she ruined everything again. That perhaps she was the one sabotaging her attempts at getting married. That her fears were rising up and causing all the problems.
    When