Page 58 of Promises Made at Midnight
“She would not?” the brothers chimed in unison.
“Bloody Hell!” Ulrick swore, before pushing back his hair that had fallen over his forehead.
Taegan began to pace the room. “Which brings up the matter of exactly how much did your mother truly know about your father’s, brother’s, and step-father’s demise? Mayhap this, too, was arranged by your mother.”
Turquine nodded. “A woman who would go to such lengths might not stop at killing off a husband or two.”
“She would not…” Ulrick could not finish his thoughts, knowing his two friends were most likely correct in their assumptions. “We must protect Bridgette and my family. One of you go to my brother and sister, for I know in my heart they are not involved with any of this. The other, please go find my children and ensure they are safe. I will go to my wife.”
They all but ran to the door, but when they pulled the portal open, there stood Eustace. Tears of grief ran down his face as he threw himself at Ulrick.
“She’s gone! Someone took her, father,” he sobbed.
Ulrick quickly realized his worse fears were coming to fruition. He hugged the boy to him. “Who was taken, son?”
“Mother!” he cried out. “I followed yer mother and milady tae the stable but I hid so they did not see me. The steward threw her in a cart that left Dunster just a short while ago. Ye will bring her back, will ye not?”
“Aye, of course I will, Eustace.” Ulrick vowed before turning to the brothers. “Take the boy and find Eva and my brother and sister. I am going after my wife and then will deal with the traitors beneath my own roof!”
Ulrick wasted no time making his way to the stable. With a bridle in place, he did not worry about a saddle but quickly put Herman into motion. They could not have gone far and he had the notion the villain who had taken his wife may head to the harbor. God help him if they boarded a ship before he could reach his wife.
CHAPTER42
Bridgette moaned as she regained consciousness when the swaying motion of the cart beneath her hit a rut in the road. Her thoughts fuzzy, she tried to unscramble the scene that had put her in her present predicament. It certainly didn’t take a rocket scientist to come to the realization that Ulrick’s mother and steward would go to any lengths to keep Dunster to themselves. A pity… Bridgette had held such high hopes that she would get along with the woman upon their arrival. Obviously, some families were dysfunctional, not that she would lay the blame of this mess on her husband.
With no idea of how long she had been out, Bridgette shifted in her makeshift prison, while attempting to rub her hands together to bring back the circulation. She could use the fact that they were bound in front of her as an advantage. Hadrian and Helena weren’t as smart as they thought, or maybe they just hadn’t thought their plan out far enough. Bridgette could feel the ropes loosening as she attempted to wiggle free without rustling the straw beneath her to give her away. She had to get free in order to save herself from whatever they had planned for her. Better to die trying to live than to let them get away with their plans.
Bridgette inhaled, bringing the saltiness of the sea to the forefront of her mind. The harbor! God forbid if she were put on a ship sailing for parts unknown. She’d never find her way back to Ulrick and the children if that were to happen. To hell with remaining silent. She needed to escape her captor now!
The driver cursed and the cart came to a jerking halt when he pulled mercilessly on the reins. She could tell he had left the conveyance when the wagon rocked from side to side. He pulled off the blanket and Bridgette stared into the face of a stranger.
“Stop yer fussing, ye damn wench!” he bellowed. “I ’ave a job ta do and only git paid upon finishing it.”
He crawled up into the cart and began checking the ropes. Bridgette in turn began kicking her feet as best she could; She didn’t want him to undo any progress she might have made. Luckily for her, he was so focused on what he was doing that he didn’t see a well-aimed kick that caused him to double over. Another push with her boots, and he was tumbling from the back end of the wagon.
“Ye bloody bitch!” he screamed out in agony. “Ye got me in me jewels.”
Bridgette was now sitting up, wiggling the ropes digging into her wrists before she lifted her hands and was able to free the cloth holding the rag into place at her mouth. She spit it out gasping for air before using her teeth to free herself.
“Come at me again and you’ll receive the same damn treatment, you friggin cur!” she taunted before going to work on the ropes at her ankles. Though her captor was writhing on the ground still, Bridgette knew she didn’t have long before he recovered enough to come after her again.
The sound of a horse in the distance caused Bridgette to move faster, not knowing if the rider would be friend or foe. She had just finished with the last knot when a sight to behold filled her vision and she cried out to her hero, coming to her rescue.
“Ulrick!”
Like a knight in shining armor in a romance novel, Ulrick rode his horse as though the hounds of hell were licking at his heels. He jumped from Herman and, with a determined stride, he neared the wagon. His blue-grey eyes roamed over her body to assess her condition before he took hold of the man’s tunic, bringing him to his feet. He gave him a might shake.
“It appears you have taken someone I hold very dear to my heart. You were a fool to think you would get away so easily,” Ulrick roared, giving him a shake.
The man’s eyes widened in fear. “I was just following orders for a bit of coin. I did her no ’arm—”
“—other than take her from those she loves,” Ulrick hissed, before raising his fist to send the villain sailing through the air when it connected with his face. The man moaned in agony while Bridgette, now free of her restraints, threw herself into Ulrick’s arms.
“You came for me!” she cried out, hugging her husband with all her might.
A chuckle escaped him. “You had so little faith in me,mon amour?”
She shook her head before cupping her hands to his cheeks. “No… I knew you’d come to save me.”
