“I’ll get the arrangements all set up at home. I just need some time.”
“Nonsense. Nothing needs to be arranged. I’ve done it all for you. You’ll be married by tonight.”
My heart drops to my feet. Tonight. I thought I had more time. So much for coming over here to talk him out of it. Seems like I just sped up my execution date.
All I can do is nod and wait for my sentence to pass.
BRENNA
“Father! No!” I kick at the back seat, darting from side to side,looking for a way to get the door open. I should’ve known he was up to no good when he decided to open his wallet to get me a new dress.
Any other day I would’ve cherished the long white peasant dress that I have on, but right now it feels like it’s made of the heaviest chains.
“Stop your mess.” My father hisses at me through the door. He’s talking to one of the guards, a man specifically put here to make sure I don’t run off.
I’d rather face the gallows than be in this car. My father wants me to calm down, but what he doesn’t understand is I can feel my freedom slipping away with every ticking second. I can’t just be calm. I’m in my own private war.
I was supposed to have more time, supposed to have at least another week before I was going to be shipped off and married to that monster. Now my father is telling me that the wedding will happen today.
It won’t be any wedding that I’ve dreamed of. There will be no bridesmaids or large parties. No first dance or long courtship. This is a prison sentence through and through.
I kick at the door again, but this time, instead of just ignoring me, my father grabs hold of the handle and rips the door open.
He reaches inside the car and grabs hold of my arm, yanking hard enough that it causes me to cry out.
I’ll take the beating if it means I get more time.
“I’ve already told you once to stop. You will not make a fool of me here tonight. This is happening whether you want it to or not.Get used to it. Accept it. Deal with it. Whatever you have to do to make sure this marriage goes over without a hitch.”
“And if I don’t? What happens if the priest asks me to say I do and I say I don’t?” I narrow my eyes at my father, issuing one last threat.
His lips pull up into a snarl. “Then you are of no more use to me. This beautiful forest will make a nice final resting place, don’t you think?”
There is no hesitation in my father’s tone. No doubt. He means every word that is coming out of his mouth right now. He’s going to kill me if I don’t go through with this.
“You don’t mean that,” I utter, even as he continues to stare at me, and I know for sure that he does.
“Of course I mean it.” He fixes a smile on his face.
I look around the environment that I’m in. I don’t remember ever coming to this part of the countryside. I don’t know for sure what is waiting for me on the other side of this tree-lined field, but I know it feels like walking to my death, one way or another.
“Please.” I beg one final time.
“Come, it’s time.” He reaches out for my hand as if I want him anywhere near me right now.
I don’t grab hold of him. Instead, I shoot daggers out of my eyes before I take a step in the direction he wants me to go. The guards surround me, cutting off any hope of escape while my father follows alongside me.
I stumble several times over the branches and muddy patches in the dirt. It aggravates my father.
“Give me your shoes.” He snaps and wiggles his fingers, waiting for the offending article of clothing to appear in his hand.
“What? How will I get there? Is someone going to carry me?”
“Carry you? No. Your new husband can take care of your feet once the ceremony is over.”
His request should shock me, but after all I’ve been through in the past few hours, nothing shocks me anymore. I don’t have the energy to fight. Instead, I just reach down and pull the high heels off. My feet connect with the ground, and I have to admit, I prefer the feel of the earth beneath me.
Ireland is a land of many wonders and gifts, and it’s just now hitting me that this may be the last time I ever set foot here. My new husband has plans to bring me to America. I’ve always wanted to go there, just never under these circumstances. I thought I’d live out my old age here, in my home, with my people.
