Page 64 of A Duke Under Her Spell
“We will keep Father from you as best we can. When he has departed this world and I am Lord of Enfield, I want you to know that there will always be a place for you here with us. You are our sister, no matter the means of your birth. Illegitimate or nay, in our eyes you are a Lady of Enfield and shall be treated as such if we have any say in the matter at all. Should you choose to marry, we will see that you are able to make an advantageous match.”
“Nay, I shall never wed,” Marybeth shook her head. She moved forward and placed a kiss on each of her brothers’ cheeks, kissed Stephen’s now cool forehead, and then left Enfield and all of its entanglements behind. She prayed that Lord Enfield would not come after her seeking vengeance for her inability to save his son and heir. She did not believe for one moment that being his daughter would save her from his wrath.
Marybeth walked through the forest in the dawn’s early light until she was certain that she had left the Enfield Estate behind her. Once back onto Arkley soil she sat down on a fallen log and cried. She took the pistol Thomas had given her out of her bag and stared down at it. She was amazed at the love and acceptance they had shown her. She was greatly relieved that they were nothing like their father.
She imagined holding the pistol to Lord Enfield’s head and pulling the trigger, but the thought of shedding another’s blood chilled her to the bone. Shivering she accidently dropped the pistol on the ground. Bending over she picked it up and dusted the soil from its barrel.
As she sat back up a large hand came around and grasped her mouth pulling her head back against the muscled wall of a man’s chest. Marybeth struggled, attempting to bring the pistol up and aim it behind her. The man wrenched the gun from her hands and cracked her on the back of the head with it. “No!” She cried out in protest as the world went black.
Chapter 29
Felix returned to consciousness with a splitting pain coursing through his skull. He groaned, reaching up to assess the damage that had been done to his head. He opened his eyes and the world blurred around him. It was dark and the ground beneath him was covered in large flat stones. His hand came away covered in blood. He was not sure of the extent of the damage and prayed that his skull had not been fractured.
Attempting to sit up, the world spun around him and he clenched his fists against the stone as he rocked up onto his knees. Taking a moment to allow his head to settle, he tried again and managed to stagger to his feet. He stumbled forward to the wall and peered through the doorway.Blackleigh Castle… Why am I here? Who has done this? What do they want?Questions tumbled through his mind as swiftly as water rolling down a hill.
He steeled himself for whatever violence might ensue next. His captors would not get the better of him a second time. Felix grabbed a rock from a broken piece of wall and made his way into the next room. He wondered how long he had lain unconscious and whether enough time had passed for any of his men to begin looking for him. He crossed the room to the next and peered around the opposite doorway. There were no other means of escape, but to continue on.
Felix entered the room and crossed it unhindered. He began to wonder whether anyone had been left to guard him at all or if it had all been a matter of mischief. He had not been robbed as his pocket watch was still in his vest pocket. He had not been tied up so as to keep him from moving about freely. He found the entire ordeal to be perplexing.
The next room Felix came to held his captors. From the doorway he could see several ways of exiting the castle but could not reach any of them without drawing notice. It was within this very room that the hidden tunnel had come out from Arkley Hall. He had hoped to take it back home. Felix studied the backs of the men standing around the hole in the floor discussing something quietly.
Perhaps I can make it while their backs are turned?Felix took a step forward in hopes of skimming along the walls unnoticed but was brought up short by the sound of a cocking pistol.
“A pleasure to see you again, Your Grace,” a sinister voice greeted from behind him. “Put the rock down or die.”
Felix contemplated his options but decided to do as instructed. He turned to face his attacker. “Why am I not surprised that it is you? What is it that you want?”
“Why, the treasure of course.”
“There is no treasure. ‘Tis naught but folly to think otherwise.”
“I do not believe you. My family has searched for the treasure for centuries, ever since that witch took it from us, and it falls to me to find it now. It is a matter of honor and you are going to help me find it.”
“How does one find a treasure that does not exist?” Felix staggered back as he was struck across the face.
“You will aid me in my quest, or you will die by my hand, as will the little witch you are so fond of.”
Felix’s heart raced in his chest. “You will not touch Marybeth.”
“That, Your Grace, is up to you.”
* * *
Marybeth awoke, her head bobbing against the muscled back of a very large man. He carried her through the forest as if she weighed nothing at all. His strides were smooth and regular in spite of the bulk he carried flung over his shoulder. Marybeth began kicking and wriggling the moment she regained her senses. “Put me down this instant!” she demanded loudly.
The man did not answer but kept walking. Marybeth continued to struggle and fight her captor for all she was worth, but he took no note of her efforts. She was little more than a flea on his back. She searched about his person for the pistol her brother had given her but came up empty.Where did he put it?Marybeth lay over his shoulder panting in fear and exhaustion.
“Put me down!” As soon as she was able to catch her breath she began screaming at the top of her lungs for help. She knew out in the forest it was unlikely that anyone would hear her and come to her rescue, but she also knew that she had to try. “Help me! Help me please!” Her screams echoed off of the trees, but no one came rushing to her aid.
Panting frantically for breath, as her assailant’s shoulder dug into her middle and her head beat against his back, Marybeth felt the darkness begin overtaking her once more. As the forest faded from view behind a curtain of black haze Marybeth’s last thought was of the mother she had never had a chance to know.
I will see you soon, Mother.
* * *
Oliver Singer sat in his bed and worried about the extended absence of the Duke and Marybeth. “They have been gone much longer than His Grace anticipated. Did he not say that he planned to bring her straight back to Arkley Hall?” he asked of Mr. Wheatly.
“Yes, His Grace did say that he intended to return with Miss Wright forthwith,” the butler affirmed. “I, too, have reservations about the amount of time that has passed. I believe it might behoove us to send a man into the forest to make some inquiries.”
