Page 62 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
“There,” he said, pointing beyond her, to the left. “See there.”
She blinked again. Tethered to a tree was a magnificent horse. It was an Arabian stallion, with a silky grey coat, and at least fifteen hands high. It tossed back its head, staring at them, so that its mane danced slightly in the wind.
“I told you,” he whispered, turning back to her, with fierce eyes. “I told you that I had brought him here to you. I knew, as soon as I saw him, that this must be the thief’s lair.”
She swallowed a sudden, painful lump that had formed in her throat. Tears thickened in her eyes. Furiously, she brushed them away with the back of her hand. She didn’t want to cry anymore.
“You came out searching for me,” she whispered slowly. “Even though you are injured. Even after I ran away from you last night…”
He gazed down at her. “Of course I did, Ara. What elsecouldI do? I knew the reason that you had ridden off like that was because of me.” He took a deep breath. “I know that I have done almost everything wrong, from the moment that I first met you. I have lied to you, and you do not trust me because of it…”
She blinked back tears again. All of it seemed so long ago now. Almost as if it had happened to other people entirely. London seemed a world away from this corner of England, and from what had happened since they had been back here.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
He kept gazing at her, as if he wanted to say something else. But at that moment, there was a groan from inside the shack. Miles jumped, his eyes widening.
“Stay here,” he instructed, frowning. “I must go and see what is happening with him. Stretch your legs. The Lord knows, you probably need it, after being tied up for so long.”
He headed back inside, before she could respond. For a moment, she gazed after him, before she slowly turned and walked towards the horse, who was stamping its hooves, almost imperiously.
“Hello,” she whispered, reaching out to stroke the beast. Her hand felt like it was touching the finest of silk dresses. “It is nice to meet you at long last, boy…”
The horse neighed, shaking his head, gazing at her with liquid brown eyes, so deep that she almost felt like she was drowning in them. Ara’s eyes filled with tears again. She would always love Pem the most, but this horse was beautiful. And she would never forget that he had been given to her, as a peace offering, from a man that she had been convinced was a liar and a fraud.
She trembled inside as she stroked the horse, staring back at the shack. Whatever else happened, at least she would always know that he had done this for her.
Chapter 30
Miles stared down at the man lying unconscious on the dirty floor of the shack. He was groaning faintly, but his eyes were still firmly closed. A dark purple bruise was flowering to life on his forehead, where he had punched him, knocking him out cold.
He kept staring at the thief and abductor, as if examining a strange specimen. A towering anger swept over him. This man had taken Ara, tying her to a chair in this filthy shack. His fists clenched and unclenched. He wanted to pummel him to a pulp for daring to lay a hand on her. He wanted to hurt him as much as he had hurt her.
With difficulty, he restrained himself. The man needed to be dealt with, but by the proper authorities. It wouldn’t help if he hurt him so badly that the man needed medical treatment. That would only delay proceedings further. The blaggard needed to have the power of speech. As it was, he was still unconscious, with no way of telling when he would wake.
Miles exhaled slowly. He was contained, for the moment, by the ropes and his own incapacity. But he might rouse soon, and then he would struggle. He had to deal with him quickly to manage the situation.
He took a deep breath, bending down, hoisting the man over his shoulder. He staggered a little under the weight, but quickly corrected himself. Thankfully, the blaggard was like a sack of potatoes, inert and unmoving. His head lolled over his shoulder, and his arms hung slackly, swinging as he started walking towards the back door.
He saw Ara, standing with the Arabian stallion. She was close, whispering to it, stroking it. When she heard him she turned around, her eyes widening in shock.
“Oh, dear Lord,” she whispered. “Are you alright? Do you need help?’
He grinned slightly. “I can manage him, Ara. But we do need to get moving, quickly.” He stared at her. “Do you feel able to ride?”
She frowned. “I think so…”
He nodded. “Good. In different circumstances I would ride with you, but I need to manage the man in case he wakes.” He paused. “I will take the stallion, and you can take the horse that I rode here, which is tethered not far away. Is that acceptable?”
She blinked rapidly. “Of course it is, Miles.” He saw sudden tears enter her eyes. “I can do what must be done. But I just remembered Pem. The thief made me leave him, and I have no idea where he is now. He is lost…”
Miles sighed. “We will look for him, Ara, and we will find him. But that will have to wait for now. We have to get back to Rudwick House. Your family will be eager to see that you are safe, and besides, we must deal with him.” He glared at the still unconscious man, swinging on his shoulder.
Ara nodded, taking a deep breath. “Of course. Let us do it, then. The sooner we set off, the sooner all this can be resolved.”
***
They headed off through the darkness of the woodland, making their way back towards the house. Miles glanced at her, sitting atop the horse. She was still pale, but she was managing to stay upright at least.
