Page 48 of His Darling Duchess
"I'm bleeding," Grantleigh said petulantly, and Aurelia was suddenly flung to the ground.
She gasped as her hip connected painfully with the stone floor, her scalp already stinging and her neck aching from his rough treatment. To her relief, he turned and left the room without another word to her, presumably going to look for a bandage for his bleeding hand. She heard the snick of a lock as the door closed and sagged; there would be no escape that way.
Climbing stiffly to her feet, she hurried to the drapes she could now see covering a small window. It was dark outside, but a half-moon cast enough light for her to see that while she was on the ground floor of whatever building she was in, there would be noescape through the window. Thick iron bars outside made the room an effective jail cell.
"I have to get out of here!" Forcing the casement window open, she grasped at the bars, hoping desperately that the mortar setting them into the stone might be crumbling with age, but they held fast. Groaning, she leaned her brow against one of the bars, fighting back tears as she stared out into the night. She could not fall apart, could not give in to despair.
A shadow moved in the darkness, and Aurelia blinked, squinting, trying to make out what it was. Someone was out there, she thought. Someone trying not to be seen, creeping between the shadows.
And if that person was trying not to be seen, it could mean they were Grantleigh's enemy... which might mean, her ally.
"Whoever is there, I need help!" she called, as loudly as she dared. "Please, help me!"
The shadowy figure stiffened, and then slowly, cautiously, approached her window, still staying in the shadows as much as possible, until finally they were right before her. In the dim firelight, Aurelia stared with relief into the shocked face of Stowe's man, Jeremy Hale.
"Mr Hale!" she gasped.
"Your Grace?" He looked utterly horrified. "What are you doing here?"
"Grantleigh had me kidnapped. How do you come to be here?"
"I was travelling towards London when the duke's carriage passed me at a tremendous clip, heading in the opposite direction. I was curious why he had headed this way and thought something might be wrong - followed to see if I could be of assistance. When they stopped to change horses, I recognised one of Grantleigh's men and hid myself. Followed them here. Are you all right, Your Grace?" He looked deeply concerned, reached out as though to tentatively touch one of her hands.
Aurelia actually grabbed for his hand, desperate for a reassuring touch, grateful when he firmly grasped hers in return, the work-roughened skin of his palm a steadying touch in her panic. "I'm all right. Grantleigh's here, though. Can you get me out?"
Hale shook his head regretfully, dashing her hopes. "He has better than a dozen men with him, and I'm alone. Don't despair, Your Grace!" He must have seen her face fall. "I know where we are - this is a disused hunting lodge belonging to the Stowe estate, a few miles from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire."
She took a deep breath and nodded, putting her trust in him. Hale seemed an eminently good, solid sort of man, and she knew Stowe trusted him with his life. "You have a plan?"
"Aye - I don't like to leave you here alone, but I'll ride to High Wycombe and send messengers straight for London, hope perhaps one of them will catch His Grace on the road headed this way. Grantleigh's men were stupid not to change the coach. Carriages with ducal crests get noticed, especially when they're going in that much of a tearing rush. I've no doubt His Grace is hot on the trail."
Aurelia had no doubt of it either, and her heart sank as she realised why Grantleigh had not attempted to cover his tracks. He planned to lure Rhys here and then kill him.
"I'll locate the magistrate in High Wycombe, gather some men and get back here as soon as I can," Hale was saying. "We'll be back before dawn."
Would Grantleigh surrender her, when faced with overwhelming force? Would his men give up, if threatened with the law - they'd face hanging for being complicit in the abduction of a duchess. Giving themselves up, they might avoid the noose. She had to hope.
"Keep Stowe away," Aurelia said urgently. "Grantleigh means to kill him. He must not risk himself."
Hale nodded, his expression serious. "I'll ride to High Wycombe immediately. You stay here and keep quiet, Your Grace. I'll come back for you as soon as I can, with help."
With that, he disappeared back into the shadows, leaving Aurelia alone once again in the dark, foreboding room. She sank to the floor, feeling like a helpless prisoner once again.
But this time, she had hope. She had an ally, and she had the knowledge that help was on its way. She couldn't let herself give up now, even if she did have the sinking feeling that Grantleigh would never give her up, would likely kill her rather than let Rhys have her back.
Aurelia closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing, on the rhythmic inhale and exhale of air. She couldn't let herself fall apart. She had to stay strong, stay determined.
Hours passed, and Aurelia's nerves were stretched to their limits as she tried to stay calm. She had the terrible, sinking feeling that she would never see Rhys again.
Dawn was breaking, the first spears of pale light streaking the eastern horizon, when the door of her room crashed open and Grantleigh blocked the doorway, fury etched across his face.
Chapter Twenty-One
Harris's grim countenance toldRhys the news was bad before his valet uttered a word.
A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. "What did you find?" His voice was steady, belying the tumult within.
"We found the maid Kate and the footman James in an alley between here and Bond Street, my lord. And your driver, too. Beaten and left for dead." Harris's knuckles whitened around the silver tray he was carrying. "And the duchess—she is missing."
