Page 78 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
Edward hurried into the house and emerged with two torches. He handed one to the Marquess, who immediately began to search the ground for clues as Edward watched helplessly. He had asked Marcus to organize the rest of the household into a search party and trusted that his steward would carry out his wishes.
“Hmm, it's difficult to tell because a large number of people were stamping about here, but there seems to be a pair of footsteps coming from that direction.” He pointed towards the driveway. “Thank Heaven for the rain earlier that made the ground soft. Also there seems to have been some sort of scuffle or struggle. You see here, the ground is disturbed,” Pemberton pointed out.
Edward peered at the spot, and the grass definitely seemed a little flatter than that surrounding it, but Avahadbeen sitting on the ground. “Are you sure?” he asked Pemberton.
The man made no reply, simply began walking away. “Come, let us follow the footsteps. You see here, drag marks. I think that one person was reluctantly dragged away. Someone with adult feet which leaves the question of where your daughter is.”
“Ava might have been carrying her.”
“Ah, that explains the heavier tread I see. This is good; we will be able to follow fairly easily.”
“But what about when we get to the cobblestones?”
“Mm, a quandary indeed. We shall cross that bridge when we reach it.”
Edward followed meekly as Pemberton tracked Ava, wanting to ask more questions but not wanting to distract the man, lest he miss something. Suddenly Pemberton came to a stop. “Carriage wheels,” he said.
“Beg pardon?”
“A carriage. It was parked here.” Pemberton pointed at the grass. “You see the wheels?”
Edward peered down dubiously, but then he noticed the grooves made in the grass that could have been caused by a wheel. “I do see it, yes.”
Pemberton sighed, “Fetch the horses. It’s time for us to ride.”
“Where are you taking us?” Ava yelled, but Aaron ignored her. She was quite worried that they might have an accident, seeing as Aaron was going quite fast in spite of the fact that the road was bumpy and full of potholes. The carriage listed from side to side, throwing both Ava and Lily about. She’d tried to steady her daughter, but eventually, all the knocking about woke Lily up.
“Mama? Where are we going?” she asked, rubbing her eyes, a frown marring her brow.
Ava sighed, not knowing what to tell her. “I don’t know yet, darling. Would you like to put your head on my lap and go back to sleep?”
Lily shook her head, “It’s too bouncy, Mama. Why are we going so fast?”
Ava simply gathered her close and held onto her. “Don’t be afraid. It’ll be all right.”
Lily looked up at her, the skepticism clear in her eyes. “All right, Mama,” she said quietly and laid her head on Ava’s chest. Ava rested her chin atop Lily’s head with a sigh, closed her eyes, and prayed for deliverance.
Thankfully, there was only one path that the carriage could have taken, and the tracks were easy to follow in the mud. Horseswere also faster than a carriage, so Edward prayed they would catch up to Ava and her abductor soon.
He had his pistol in his inner pocket and his sword, strapped to his belt. Whatever it took, he was going to get his wife back. “Hold on, Ava. I’m coming,” he murmured, spurring his horse to go faster and thankful for the moonlight which lit their way even as it filled the countryside with ominous grey light.
Edward began to worry as he realized that the road led towards the cliffs which could be treacherous in daylight but in the dark, could be downright fatal to the unwary.
“Heah!” he spurred his horse on, leaving Pemberton behind. He rounded the corner and raced down the lane. To his relief, he caught sight of the carriage, trundling along about a mile away. But relief soon gave way to horror as he noted how close they were to the edge.
“Oh God.” He spurred his horse to go faster, feeling the sweat dripping down its mane. He felt a pang of guilt for driving the horse so hard, but he had no choice. He needed to get to them before something awful happened to someone he loved… again.
He felt as if he’d been doused in cold water at the realization.
Why does this happen to me? Am I cursed?
He knew for sure that he loved both Lily and Ava with his whole heart. He was not ready to go through what he went throughwith Jonathan again. Reluctantly taking up his whip, he spurred the horse on even faster. “Heah!”
He had left Pemberton far behind, and finally, he was drawing up on the carriage. He reached out, using the whip to lasso the wheel. He pulled, trying to stop the carriage, but instead, he was jerked off his horse and pulled along after the carriage, his legs dragging on the ground as he stumbled along.
He tried to brace himself, but the carriage was too heavy. He pulled himself forward, using the whip like a rope until he could get a hold on the carriage door and lifted himself off the ground. Unlatching the door, he threw himself inside.
“Edward!”
