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Back The Runaway Heiress Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR MEG TILLY AND HER NOVELS
  3. TITLES BY MEG TILLY
  4. Dedication
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
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  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. 57
  63. 58
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  69. Excerpt from SOLACE ISLAND
  70. 1
  71. 2
  72. 3
  73. 4
  74. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  75. What’s next onyour reading list?

“I did.” Sarah turned. Her auntie Jane had moved to stand beside her, the wooden handle of the shovel resting against her shoulder, a smear of blood on the spade. “I don’t care if I go to jail,” she said shakily, her eyes welling up. “I had to stop him.” She stared into the pit at his broken body. “I . . .” She swallowed hard, as if battling back nausea, her chest rising and falling like a trapped bird. She wrenched her gaze away from her husband, but it settled on the bloodstained shovel in her hands. “Oh my Lord.” She dropped the shovel in horror and backed away, wiping her hands frantically on her dungarees. “What have I done?”

Sarah took the trembling woman in her arms. “What you did, Auntie Jane”—Sarah kept her voice gentle, as if soothing an injured fawn—“took tremendous bravery. I am forever in your debt. You saved my life.”

“I couldn’t let him kill you. I couldn’t.” She clung to Sarah like a woman drowning in grief. “You are the daughter of my dearest friend and . . .” Her gut-wrenching sobs were ripping Sarah’s heart asunder. “And . . .” Auntie Jane pulled back slightly and met Sarah’s eyes dead-on. Breath-catching shudders had possession of her body. Tears continued to flow down her face, but there was a fierce determination as well. Auntie Jane’s trembling hand rose to gently cup Sarah’s face. “The mother of . . .” Auntie Jane said softly. “My precious little Lilly-girl, who has been such a ray of sunshine in this dark, bleak world.”

58

Sarah stared at her Auntie Jane, stunned. Her heart was thundering like a runaway horse, and she could hear the seashore in her ears. “You need to sit down, dear.” Auntie Jane’s voice seemed to be coming from far away. “You look pale. The shock. I understand.” Typical. Auntie Jane was still crying, but Sarah could feel her gentle hands guiding Sarah to a sitting position. “Put your head down between your knees . . . There you go . . . Take deep breaths, nice and slow.” Sarah could see both of their feet dangling in the pit above her uncle Phillip’s body, could feel Auntie Jane’s hand making shaky circles on her back as Sarah gulped in air. She noticed a small clod of dirt falling from her shoe onto Phillip’s cheek and then rolling off to join its brethren dirt clods, leaving a streak behind. The skies opened up, and it started to rain, and still they stayed, feet dangling, breathing in the smell of wet earth, and being alive, and freedom.

Once Sarah had managed to catch her breath and the dizziness had subsided, she lay back and stared at the gray skies overhead. “My daughter, you say?” Sarah said, breaking the silence now that her heart was beating properly again. “That beautiful little girl who is in your house right now watching Frozen . . . she’s my daughter?”