Page 41 of A Duke to Restore her Memory
“I thought I should tell you that the young woman has taken the black horse,” said the stable master curtly. “She did not tell anyone. She simply slipped into the stable, saddled the beast, and has taken off riding, Your Grace.”
“Thank you, Hawkins,” said Sebastian, his heart sinking.
The man nodded, leaving him. Sebastian kicked a stone, staring into the distance. His heart was filled with trepidation. She had told him she was leaving Newquay Hall. Had she just done it?
Chapter 21
“Keep going, boy,” whispered Christina into the black horse’s ear, as they sped along the field, the air whizzing around her head. “Faster!”
The horse seemed to understand exactly what she had just commanded. They were already galloping. Now, the horse increased its pace again, flying like the wind. Christina gasped with sheer delight.
The world was rushing by so fast it was a blur – it looked like paint smeared on a canvas. It was so exhilarating that she gasped again.
This is exactly what I needed. I feel as if the ride is blowing cobwebs out of my mind. I feel as if I do not need to think at all.
She leaned forward, hugging the horse tighter, feeling as if her very muscles were an extension of the animal. The connection was so strong between them as if they were communicating via telepathy.
She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she and the horse had been close in her real life. They were the very best of friends.
She gritted her teeth. If only the horse could talk and tell her who she was and where she came from. If only.
For five minutes, they raced like the wind. Eventually, she slowed the horse down to a trot. They skirted along the top of a hill before heading towards the ruins of a castle in the near distance.
She would explore it before she headed back to Newquay Hall – it would give her something to do while she thought more about what she would do next.
She tethered the horse to a tree, carefully picking her way through the castle’s ruins. There were large grey stones scattered everywhere and brambles interlacing the decaying walls. She had just entered what looked like an old chapel, complete with a tumbling altar, when she stiffened. There were voices on the other side of the wall. Men’s voices.
She froze, not knowing what to do. She didn’t want to alert them to her presence – she was enjoying being alone. She needed to be alone.
She was just about to creep stealthily out of the ruins when she stopped, listening intently to what they were saying. Her eyes widened – she recognized one of the voices. It was so strident and loud.
“You made sure the wooden slats at that abandoned mine were loose?” The man’s voice was withering. “They are fixed now. It was boarded up closely when I walked past it just the other day.”
“Of course, it is boarded up now,” the other man exasperatedly replied. “He found an injured young woman in the shaft. He made sure it was fixed after that.”
Christina froze again. Her heart started to pound uncomfortably. They were clearly talking about the abandoned mine she had fallen into … and ‘he’ was the duke.
Abruptly, her blood ran cold as she realized the first voice belonged to Mr Walter Hester, the man who had spoken to the duke in the village inn that day.
The rival mine owner who had been so rude to the duke. The man who the duke didn’t like at all. His nemesis if you will.
“You must find a way to sabotage it again, Barstow,” declared Hester in a cold voice. “Along with all his other abandoned mines. The more accidents that happen within them, the more word will get around that Newquay’s mines are unsafe, and confidence in him will plummet … which will mean he will sell his mines to me for a song.” There was a significant pause. “Remember, I am paying you a very pretty penny for this, my good man. I demand results.”
There was silence for a moment, and Christina’s heart started to race. They were standing on the other side of the crumbling castle wall and might start walking into where she was at any moment.
She really should leave before they realized she was here. But she couldn’t. She needed to hear more of their conversation. It was very important – Hester was clearly paying this man, Barstow, to sabotage the duke’s mines.
“And you are getting results,” retorted Barstow hotly. “There was the accident with the young woman – then the mine explosion.” There was a taut silence. “I don’t feel good about that one, Hester. Good men lost their lives …”
“You are not being paid to have morals,” snapped Hester. “You are lining your pockets nicely with my coin. You will soon have a nice little nest egg and can leave this district and start over again. You will never have to worry about this community again, will you?”
“I suppose not,” replied the man. But his voice was filled with fear and trepidation. There was another pause, and Christina tensed more, watching a bird fly onto the top of the crumbling wall, staring at her intently. “What do you want me to do next?”
“I want you to sabotage another of his abandoned mines,” declared Hester. “Do not make it look too obvious. I will make sure that people see it … and the rumour mill starts circulating about it. His reputation will be in tatters soon … and it will make it so much easier for me to swoop in and buy his mines.”
The bird on the wall suddenly squawked, and Christina froze. She heard footsteps from behind the wall. The men were approaching, clearly attracted by the sound of the bird.
Quickly, she threaded her way back through the ruins, trying not to make a noise. She didn’t want them to catch her – they would know instantly that she had overheard their conversation.
