Loving a Fearless Duchess: A Historical Regency Romance Book(80)
“My Lord?” one of his trackers came to Edward.
He turned, “Yes?”
“I think he’s headed for the hunting lodge.”
Edward’s eyes went wide. “That’s it.”
Edward turned, “I want two trackers to stay here and track this horse to make sure we’re not on a fool’s errand. If you find something, one of you come to us. The other stay put.
“If you don’t find anything, meet us at the lodge.”
Edward mounted his horse and began to gallop down the road to the hunting lodge. All but two followed.
*****
Chapter 32
When Henry pulled Penelope down from Boney’s horse in front of the hunting lodge, she didn’t think she had long to live. All the way to the lodge, Henry had taunted her about his plans to torture her.
Henry’s level of detail describing the torture was so impressive she was sick to her stomach. She prayed she didn’t vomit into her gag.
With her hands tied behind her back, she had trouble balancing when she doubled over, her stomach roiling. Henry jerked on the ties at her wrists to pull her up. Penelope thought her arms would be pulled from their sockets if he did it again just a tiny bit harder.
He was one angry man. On the ride to the lodge, he became even angrier, winding himself up into an agitated state.
Penelope seemed to be at fault for every adversity that ever plagued Henry. Thankfully, he thought, I will eliminate the adversity and get my life back on track.
Henry pulled Penelope from the horse roughly. She fell to the ground on her bottom with a jolt that went up her spine.
“Get up,” he yelled.
She had to manoeuvre her legs underneath herself and get on her knees. Then in her skirts, she had to raise one leg onto her foot then the other, and then stand. She deliberately took her time doing this.
Edward would come looking for her, and this was a logical place to look. She wasn’t about to hurry to her torture and death if she could help it.
The dark clouds crossing the grey of his eyes meant Henry had wound himself up tighter. He took her by the arm again and all but dragged her into the lodge.
She looked up. Her childhood memories dropped into place around her like so much rain. The chairs around the fireplace. The blanket she used to wrap herself in until the fire warmed her enough.
The cabinet with food. She wondered what was in there now. She remembered they ate every biscuit in there one time. The same time they had all split bottle of wine. She worried for three days that her mother might find out.
Henry’s face in front of hers snapped her back to her predicament. He grabbed her arm again and pulled her down the hall to one of the two back bedrooms. He threw her on a bed and headed for the door.
“I’m locking you in. There are a lot of tools and preparation that needs to be done, and I don’t need to worry about you while I’m doing it.”
He left, and Penelope heard a bolt slide on the other side of the door. She sat up and looked around for anything sharp that would cut rope.
*****
Nash rode his horse to the front door planning to give it to a stable boy. Thomas opened the door and ran to Nash.
“Henry lit the dower house on fire and escaped. He came in the night and took Penelope, using the house tunnels. He stole a delivery cart, killed the delivery man down the road a bit, unhitched the cart, and continued with only the horse and Her Grace.”
“Which way?”
“They think he went to the hunting lodge, but they aren’t sure. Lord Balfour and a group of men are headed there now.”
“How do you get to the hunting lodge? What are the directions?”
Thomas shook his head. “I’m sorry, Your Grace. I don’t know. I will find someone who does.”
“Never mind, Thomas. I’ll go to the stables. Someone there must know.”
Nash reached the stables quickly and dismounted. “You, there,” he said, pointing to a stable boy.
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“Feed and water my horse. I need a fresh mount and directions to the hunting lodge.”
“I can take you,” a man said.
Nash turned around. “Are you a member of this estate? What is your name?”
“It’s Merrill. I’m a villager Lord Balfour employs for odd jobs when he has them.”
“Can you ride fast?”
“Very.”
Nash said, “Get on your horse. We’re leaving.”
He yelled for the stable boy, “Where’s my fresh horse?”
The stable boy walked out with a saddled horse and passed the reigns to Nash.
“Good man. Don’t forget to take care of the horse I rode in on,” he said, mounted, then galloped off.
Nash shouted at Merrill as they rode, “How long?”
Merrill yelled back, “A little less than an hour.”
*****
Edward felt like the world was turning in slow motion. The trees were passing by too slowly, and the horses weren’t eating up enough ground. He didn’t remember the hunting lodge being this far away.
He reprimanded himself. How could he have left the dower house without finding out what time Minton opened the door? He didn’t know what kind of head start Henry had. How long has Penelope been at the lodge?