Page 85 of Lord of Mischief
Chapter Forty-Three
Eve awoke to find herself lying bound on the floor of a moving carriage.Her hands were tied in front of her and her legs were secured tightly together.
The effects of the drug took a little while to wear off, and she passed out several times more.When her head finally cleared and she was able to remain conscious, she remembered the events of the previous night.
She had been kidnapped.
The jolting of the carriage made it impossible for her sit up.After several attempts to gain purchase on the floor, she lay down, sobbing in desperation and fear.
“Oh, Freddie, I am so sorry.I should have listened to you.Now I am going to get us both killed,” she muttered.
She struggled in vain against the ties that bound her hands.They had been expertly applied.No matter how hard she tried to pull her hands free from the bindings she couldn’t make headway.
Her feet were a slightly better option.She managed to loosen the rope around her left ankle.She was close to getting the rope to move down her foot when the carriage began to slow.
It moved to one side of the road and came to halt.She listened to the jingle of the reins, bridle, and bit as the driver settled the horses.A sharp whistle rang out, followed by the sound of several pairs of boots on loose stone.
The door of the carriage opened.
She squinted in the bright morning light, catching a glimpse of brown, curly hair before a sack was thrown over her head.Strong, but surprisingly gentle, arms pulled her from the carriage and helped her find her feet.
“Time to attend to your needs.You have five minutes, so make it fast,” spoke a gruff voice.
She recognized the voice as belonging to one of the men who had taken her from Rosemount House during the night.
“Take my arm.”
“I can’t see, and I can’t really hold onto you.My hands are tied,” she replied.
The man swore.Then took hold of her hands and removed the ties around her wrists.Eve rubbed them, glad to be free of the tight bindings.
She was sorely tempted to lift the sack, but a rough slap on her back gave her pause.The sack was made of heavy cloth, and it effectively cut out all but a tiny amount of light.Eve was blind.
“Hold my arm tight then, and don’t try anything clever.I’ve had no sleep and I’m not in the mood for any games,” he said.
He guided her from the roadside and she felt the soft spongy texture of grass beneath her feet.When they had gone a short way, he stopped.
With both hands on her shoulders, the kidnapper stood behind her.“Now, this is how it’s going to work.I take the sack off so you can do your business.You keep your back to me.If you try to turn around things will go badly for you,” he said.
He pulled the sack from Eve’s head and she stood blinking in the bright sunlight.Without thinking, she began to turn, but the sound of a pistol being cocked stopped her.Neither of her kidnappers had done anything to harm her up to this point, but until she understood a little more of their plans, she would be foolish to risk incurring their wrath.
She turned her back fully to him.It was not the privacy she was used to when it came to her toilette, but with a full bladder she had little option.Lifting her skirts, she squatted down and relieved herself on the grass.
When she was done, the sack was put back over her head and she was guided back to the carriage.
“Turn your hands over, palms upward.”
A small bread roll and a piece of cheese were placed into her hands.With some difficulty she managed to get the food under the sack and to her mouth.Hunger stopped her from complaining about the pitiful size of her meal.A flask was pushed into her hand, and without a word she took it and drained it of the lukewarm tea inside.
“Thank you,” she said, waving the empty flask out in front of her.
It was snatched from her hands.
“Please, you don’t have to do this.I haven’t seen your faces.You could just leave me here by the roadside,” she pleaded.
There was no reply.
With her head covered by the sack, she was reliant upon her hearing to gather any further information about her kidnappers.A second pair of boots scraped on the roadside.
