Page 56 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
Quickly, she looked around the stable. Pem’s saddle was there. The urge to ride, to stretch the horse’s legs on an open plain, was too much.
Feverishly, she saddled the horse, quickly securing everything. Her hands were shaking with anticipation.
I will not be long,she thought, as she headed out of the stable.I only need to be gone fifteen minutes, at the most. No one will even notice that I am missing.
***
For a brief moment, Ara closed her eyes, feeling the wind caressing her face. In this moment, it was the most beautiful experience of her life.
“Come on, Pem,” she whispered excitedly, bending down to the horse’s neck. “I want you to gallop, dear friend!”
She spurred him on, laughing. For one brief moment, she was tempted to head towards the coast and ride along the beach. It would be so exhilarating, her hands almost itched on the reins, urging her to do it. But she knew that she would quickly lose track of time, and then she would be late back and be discovered.
Reluctantly, she turned the horse down a narrow country lane. She could do a quick circuit of Rudwick House and still be back before her parents even realised that she was missing.
This country lane was not often used, either, so she knew that the chances of running into someone who might tell her parents about her ride were slim. It was a fair compromise, and she must not be foolhardy anymore.
She was almost half way down the track when she saw the man heading towards her. He was on foot and dressed entirely in black. She frowned slightly. She didn’t recognise him, but then he was still quite a distance away.
She shifted uneasily in the saddle but kept on. When she was almost upon the man, she slowed down, smiling hesitantly.
“Good day,” she called.
The man nodded, staring up at her on the horse. “Good day, miss. You out for a morning ride then?”
Ara nodded, feeling uneasy again. The man spoke in a strange way; his accent was peculiar, and his voice was rough, as if it had been dragged over coals.
The man stared at her brazenly. “You are a pretty one, aint ya?” he drawled, as if he was asking her about the weather. “How old are ya, then?”
Ara stiffened in the saddle. “That is an impertinent question, sir, and I do not think that I wish to answer it.” She paused. “Good day to you…”
Suddenly, the man reached beneath his black cloak, whipping out a gun. He pointed it straight at her.
“No,” he said slowly, raising it higher. “No, I do not think you are going to leave me, miss. I think I might just have someone who might like you…”
“What?” whispered Ara, in horror. She felt frozen to the spot. The blood suddenly drained from her head entirely. She was so dizzy, she almost toppled from the saddle.
The man laughed nastily. “Get off the horse, miss.” His face hardened. “Now.”
Ara slid from the saddle, still not believing what was happening. This man had a gun, and he was threatening her. A wave of intense fear swept over her, and she felt sweat ooze down her neck as she finally realised the gravity of her situation.
Chapter 28
Miles awoke suddenly to the sound of the door to the room he was staying in being pushed open. He groaned, sitting up. His arm was throbbing. He felt like he had been clobbered over the head with a sack of bricks.
He stared at the maid, who had just walked in balancing a tray which held a teacup and an assortment of food. Breakfast, he presumed. He must have crashed hard, after Ara had abruptly left him. He knew that it had been way after midnight when that had happened.
The maid smiled politely, setting the tray down on a bedside table. She walked briskly over to the window, where she pulled the curtains back, allowing bright sunlight to flood the room. Miles blinked rapidly, adjusting his eyes to the sudden light, after so much darkness.
“Good morning, sir,” said the maid, curtseying awkwardly. “I hope that you have an appetite today. Cook has presumed so, as you can see.” She smiled as her eyes turned to the tray.
Miles groaned a little. Therewasa lot of food on that tray. Two boiled eggs, several slices of thick ham, three bread rolls, and a pot of marmalade. He didn’t think that he would get through half of it.
“Thank you,” he said weakly, sitting up higher. “And could you please thank Mr. and Mrs. Nott for their kind hospitality, when you see them.”
The maid looked surprised. “You can tell them yourself, sir, when you are ready. They presumed you would like to breakfast alone, as you are still recovering from your surgery, but they have requested that you join them after in the drawing room.” She coughed delicately. “They would like to talk to you about your condition, and when you may feel fit to journey to your own home in Dorset to recover further.”
Miles smiled wryly. He should have known that the Notts would be eager to have him gone. The fact that they had put him up, even for one night, was generous in the extreme after what had happened in London.
