The Rival Bride
After months of secret meetings, Horatio’s visits grew less frequent and his affection grew noticeably colder.
Betrayal and Despair
When Miss Williams pressed Horatio to fulfill his marriage promise to protect her reputation, he claimed he would find a clergyman to unite them, but never returned. A week later, she learned from a dinner guest that Horatio was preparing to travel to London with his new bride to buy wedding clothes for their upcoming nuptials. Enraged and devastated, she vacillated between violent thoughts of revenge and quiet sorrow, clinging to hope that he would return, until she received definitive news of his marriage. Consumed by grief and fury, she considered suicide before her desire for revenge took hold; her father, who guessed the cause of her distress, tried to comfort her without acknowledging her shame, which only increased her anguish and hatred for Horatio.
Elopement to London
With a small amount of money, Miss Williams fled her father’s house in the middle of the night, arrived at a nearby town at dawn, and took a stage coach to London the same day, sustained only by her desire for revenge. She rented a secluded lodging under a false name to hide her identity and circumstances.
The Confrontation
Miss Williams quickly located Horatio’s London home and went to confront him, refusing to give her name to the porter and demanding to speak to Horatio privately about personal business. After waiting 15 minutes, a servant told her Horatio was occupied with guests and would not see her. Enraged, she pulled a hidden dagger from her clothing, rushed upstairs screaming that she would kill the “perfidious villain,” was seized and disarmed by footmen, and saw Horatio approach with his new wife before fainting from shock.
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