Page 17 of Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

“The sack’s gone!” he shouted.

“Damn it.”

“What shall I do?” the young man asked.

Lilly watched the exchange of ideas as to how they should best keep her under control with an odd disconnection as though it wasn’t really happening to her. After all, it was not something a young, well-bred lady prepared for, no matter how many sticky situations they found themselves in. Which, as her family would tell anyone, was quite common for her. But she’d never been in anyrealdanger.

Somehow, she still did not believe she was. The man in front of her was more of a boy really. A lot younger than her and fair-haired with freckles across his nose. He had the sort of wide-eyed look of someone who wasn’t used to the world.

Or perhaps someone like her. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket as suggested by the other man and eyed it then eyed her and then the handkerchief once more.

“There’s no chance it will fit around my face,” she told him. “Besides, I shall simply rid myself of it.”

“What’s she saying?” the old man demanded, giving the reins a vigorous flick and increasing their speed. “Don’t talk to her, Bill. Just keep her quiet damn it.”

“We’re going too fast,” Lilly said calmly. “You ought to tell your—father?—to slow down or he’ll break a wheel.”

“He’s not my father,” Bill grumbled.

And he wasn’t too clever. Not unwilling to use his fists, yes, and maybe smarter than Bill, but simply by using the boy’s name, he had given away details to her.

“Then you don’t need to do what he says,” she said quietly. “You should release me before you get into too much trouble.”

Doubt flickered in his pale eyes.

“My father’s an earl,” she added for good measure. “If you harm me, you could hang.”

“We ain’t going to harm you,” Bill informed her. “We just need you to identify the horse.”

“Identify the horse?”

“We heard about the racehorse and how much he’s worth.”

“From the men who had Icarus?” She kept her expression as placid as she could manage as she curled her fingers around the clumsy knot binding her hands together and to the carriage.

Bill nodded. “Fred overheard you talking about it with that fella, and we know where the horse is, but we don’t know what it looks like. So all you need to do is tell us if it’s the horse and then we’ll let you on your way, see?”

“Where is Icarus? Where are you taking me?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Place called Grantham?” The driver twisted around to eye them. A hand whipped out and clipped Bill around the ear. The sound of the slap made Lilly wince.

“Just tie her down and don’t talk to her,” the old man snapped.

Bill rubbed his ear and offered her an apologetic look.

“There’s not enough rope.” She worked with shaky fingers to loosen the bonds. She needed to move quickly. If they tied her tighter or tethered her to the vehicle properly, she would never escape.

The boy looked up and down the length of the rope and she nodded toward where it was tied to the seat. “Look, it’s too short.”

He grasped the end, inspected the length, and must have concluded he’d try his best as he untied the end and gripped it tight in one hand. Lilly glanced ahead and her heart began to thud hard in her chest. She’d heard it before she’d spotted it—a wide river rushing alongside the road. Ahead, a humped bridge ensured a safe crossing for the wagon.

And a potential escape for her. Her bonds were loose enough, and she could take Bill by surprise, but she wasn’t certain she could outrun them.

She reckoned she could outswim them, though.

Bill wasn’t even looking at her. He was too busy trying to fathom a way to tie her better. The bridge approached. She grasped the rope between both hands.

Standing, she yanked the rope. It slipped. The last thing she saw before she leapt into the river was Bill’s mouth dropping open.

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