Unexpected Vows In A Frontier Town Chapter 04

Unexpected Vows In A Frontier Town Chapter 04

Sebastian didn’t hesitate. He just nodded.

“No problem.”

I blinked.

“You’re not going to ask why?”

“You brought it up. That means you have your reasons.”

He dropped his gaze. His voice was as flat as ever, but I caught the tips of his ears turning red.

“I’ll do it.”

I looked at his face, and the weight that had pressed on my chest for a lifetime eased just a little.

In my past life, he’d been drunk. When they pulled him out of the pond, he couldn’t remember a thing. Faced with everyone’s accusations, he couldn’t utter a single word in his own defense. He just had to swallow the bitter pill.

Later, I learned the truth. Sebastian had been kidnapped as a child, and it left him deeply traumatized and plagued by a speech impediment. He barely talked to anyone. Alistair was his only friend.

If… if things worked out.

If I really became Mrs. Wolfram, I wanted to protect him.

On the wedding day, Whisper Valley was decked out in splendor.

The vows. The feast. The first dance.

Everything went according to plan.

I was nervous, but I didn’t forget what mattered.

Before being led to the bridal suite, I grabbed the housekeeper’s arm.

“How’s Mrs. Pike?”

“Rest easy, ma’am. She’s been banging on the doors and windows in the guest room, raising a fuss. We’ve got maids and security watching her closely, not even a fly could get in.”

I let out a breath.

In my past life, right at this moment—

I’d just been sent to the bridal suite when Martha and Sebastian were hauled out of the water in front of everyone, disheveled and tangled together.

Now Martha was locked up. Sebastian hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol.

This disaster should be behind us.

Just as I stepped through the doorway, a scream tore through the air outside.

“Someone fell into the pond!”

I ripped off my veil and ran.

Out in the garden, the pond was ringed wall-to-wall with guests.

Martha, wrapped in coats held by several maids, was soaked through, her hair plastered across her face.

She was locked in a tangle with a man in a black suit, their bodies pressed together as they kissed wildly. Even the maids couldn’t pry them apart.

My head went blank.

The guest room door had been locked. Four or five people on rotating guard duty. How the hell had she gotten out?

When Martha spotted me, she staggered to her feet and lunged for the pond.

The maids caught her. She dropped to her knees on the lawn, sobbing.

“Oh God! Mr. Wolfram did this to me! So shameful! Is this how you nobles behave? I’d rather drown myself!”

The guests murmured among themselves. A good number of them held distinguished titles. They seemed more than happy to watch Mr. Wolfram squirm.

“Mrs. Pike is a model citizen on the chapel’s honor roll. Mr. Wolfram, you’re bound for hell after this.”

“If word of this gets out, Silver Creek will run her off. And I hear those little towns are brutal to women. Mr. Wolfram, you have a duty to help this poor woman.”

“How tragic, her husband’s already dead. But perhaps it’s time she found a new one.”

All eyes turned to Sebastian.

An old gentleman from the town stepped forward.

“Everyone in Silver Creek knows exactly what kind of woman Mrs. Pike is!”

“She came here today to watch Wren walk down the aisle, and nobody could’ve foreseen such an accident. Mr. Wolfram, you have to take responsibility for this!”

Someone snorted.

“Nonsense! I’d say Mr. Wolfram had his eye on both the girl and the widow. Marrying one shack-born orphan wasn’t enough for him! He had to ruin another woman too!”

Martha, hearing this, covered her mouth and sobbed even harder.

“Mr. Wolfram is so strong. I’m just a woman, I couldn’t fight him off…”

She raised a hand to push back her tangled hair, revealing red marks along her neck.

The crowd erupted.

“What more proof do you need?”

“Mr. Wolfram, you’re a man! How can you shift your blame onto a woman?”

“If you touched her, you have to take responsibility!”

The man in the black suit growled.

“I never touched her! She came out of nowhere, grabbed me, and dragged me into the water!”

Martha let out a bitter laugh.

“Mr. Wolfram, you mean after all those years in the western army, you were forced into the water by a defenseless woman?”

The man’s words died in his throat.

Then, Sebastian’s personal bodyguard, Lark, suddenly rushed forward and dropped to his knees.

“Sir, the truth is out. Just admit it.”

“You’ve had your eye on Mrs. Pike all along. Marrying Miss Calloway was just a front. You set this whole scene up!”

Guests erupted into chaotic uproar.

“So that’s it!”

The man in the suit clenched his fists, his voice shaking.

“Lark? I pay you more than enough, but why are you betraying me?”

Lark lifted his head, his face a mask of righteous fury.

“Mrs. Pike has done good in Silver Creek for years. She’s a decent woman. I couldn’t stand by and watch her get trampled like this!”

He whipped around to face me.

“Mrs. Pike is like a mother to Miss Calloway. I’m sure Mrs. Wolfram won’t object.”

Everyone turned to look at me.

I took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

“Very well. Then you two should be together.”

Martha’s voice came out soft and sweet.

“Don’t worry, Wren. Even if you end up as nothing but a maid or a kept woman in this estate, I’ll make sure you’re treated well. I won’t let Mr. Wolfram look down on you.”

I raised an eyebrow and stared at her in mock surprise.

“What does this have to do with Mr. Wolfram?”

“He’s not Sebastian.”