Page 59 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
He spurred the horse forwards, without really noticing the countryside anymore. He should have just left her alone. He was upsetting her so much it was becoming dangerous. She was confused about him. She was still unsure about what they had done together in passion. If he really loved her, as he claimed, then he should just set her free.
He took a deep breath, tears stinging behind his eyes. It would kill him, but it would be the best thing for her. And that was all that mattered.
He was so distracted, thinking about it, that he wasn’t paying attention to where the horse was going, until he suddenly noticed that he hadn’t passed by this particular stretch of country before. He looked back. The horse had veered down a narrow country lane, obscured by overhanging branches.
He gazed around. Hedefinitelyhad not been down this lane before. He stopped the horse, thinking about it. It wouldn’t take much time to explore it.
He kept going, feeling a shiver of unease fall through him. The lane became narrower, and the overhanging branches thicker, the further along it he travelled. It was almost as if he was entering an enchanted forest; one that was luring him off a safe path, into something magical beyond.
It was dim, and silent. He couldn’t even hear the faint tweet of a bird, or the rustle of an animal. The horse squirmed restlessly beneath him. He leant down, patting it reassuringly, but his own skin had started to prickle just a little bit.
His heart lurched, thinking about Ara again. About his resolve to leave her alone. To leave her in peace. How was he going to do it, when it was impossible to keep away from her? When she was all that he thought about, every day, and every night? How was he going to be disciplined enough?
He took a deep breath, trying to strengthen his resolve. He would just have to find a way. She didn’twantto see him anymore. She had made that clear, and he had to respect her wishes.
Bitterly, he thought about the stupid bet, and what it had done to his life. If it hadn’t been for that, he would have just introduced himself to her with his own name. It would have been honest, and real, from the start. The argument at the ball would never have occurred, and he wouldn’t be searching for her down an obscure country lane now.
She might have agreed to become his wife. She might have fallen as in love with him as he was with her.
He nudged the horse forward as bitter tears sprang behind his eyes. He had been a stupid fool, and he would pay for it for the rest of his life.
***
He was heading deeper into the trees now. It barely seemed possible, but there was some kind of woodland here, amongst all the open fields. How he had not discerned it when he had first set out was beyond him.
His arm started to ache intensely. He held it gently, trying to will the pain away. But it had a hold of him now, and it was getting worse, minute by minute. He knew that it probably needed to be cleaned again, and the bandage changed. It needed to be looked at closely for any sign of festering; for the redness that could spread, causing fever and possible death.
He swallowed down his frustration. It would just have to wait. He would deal with it later, after Ara was safe.
He strained his eyes. It was getting darker; he could barely see two paces ahead. He should just turn around and leave. But, against his better judgement, he doggedly kept going, spurring the reluctant horse on.
He wasn’t sure why he turned back to look at the overgrown pile of weeds and tree branches that he had just passed. But something ticked over in his mind, and before he knew it, he was heading slowly towards it.
He stopped the horse, staring at the pile, puzzled. There was a form, just visible, within it. Wooden boards…and was that a door?
He smiled, slowly. Yes, itwasa door. It was an old shack, so overgrown with brambles that it was almost swamped by them.
He dismounted the horse, tethering it to a tree, before venturing on by foot. Twigs cracked beneath his feet in the silence. He took a deep breath, trying to dampen down his unease.
He was approaching the door. But a sudden instinct told him not to try the rusty door handle. At the last minute, he veered to the left, towards the back of the shack. He held his breath, trying to make as little noise as possible.
He stopped abruptly, stunned.
He had not expected to see, what was now before him.
Chapter 29
Ara coughed painfully, feeling the dust tearing at her throat. It was simply so thick that she could barely breathe.
She gazed around for the hundredth time, but there was almost nothing that she could discern in the darkness. He had tied her up, and bound her to an old, rickety wooden chair, which squeaked every time that she moved. That had been hours ago. He had left her and had only just returned. She had smelt him before she had seen him. A combination of old sweat, filth, and foul breath.
She still couldn’t see him clearly in the darkness. But she knew that he was moving around, by the rustle of his clothes and the squeak of the floorboards.
“Hello?” she croaked, staring into the blackness. “I am thirsty! Please, will you give me water?”
But there was no answer. She knew that he had heard her, but he was ignoring her. She might as well save her breath, for all the good it would do her, to entreat him for anything.
A single tear ran down her cheek as she turned, staring at the wall. It was all her own stupid fault that she was in this position. If only she had listened to her father. If only she had listened to everyone. But no, she had recklessly decided to ride beyond the confines of the house, telling herself that she wasn’t going far after all. Telling herself that she would be back before anyone noticed that she was gone.
