Chapter 1

Oftentimes, it was said that the morning was to bring good tidings. However, on that particular morning, Lady Rachael Allen felt lesser than she had felt the day before. Her spirits were low, and her heart was burdened. Her life had changed forever by the execution of her husband. Since the day she had watched him beheaded at the square, she had been uneasy. Perhaps she should never have been present for such an execution. But how could she resist? She had wanted to be certain that he truly paid for his sins.

She had wanted some assurance that he would never hurt her—or anybody else—ever again. She had wanted him to look her in the eye as he experienced pain, so he would know that she was free from him. From all the years of emotional abuse that he had rendered upon her. She wanted him to know that in the end she had won, because she was alive and free. However, the effects of her watching him die had not been what she had expected. Because even after death, she still felt his presence in her life. She had returned home to his scent, to his paintings on the wall, to the vases he loved to place by the tables, to the dead roses he never let her water, and to the quaint scarves he often bought for her on his way back from Paris.

That night, when Rachael returned home, she had cried in the drawing room, sprawled on the floor across the hearth. She had cried because the pain had been too much to bear, because even in death, it still felt as though he were holding her back.

For years, Rachael had lived the life her father had wanted for her. The life of affluence with the Duke of Loringham. The life where she lacked for nothing. Except her father had been wrong. She did lack the one thing her mother had always wished for her. Happiness.

Her husband, Loftus Allen, had been a traitor to the Crown. He had allied with French spies to bring down the throne, and his actions had brought about his downfall. Lady Rachael had known that his evil deeds would catch up with him quite soon, but she had not been sure when or how. She should have left him. She should have fled when she still had the chance, but she had not, because she had been afraid of what he might do to her.

He had been a ruthless man. And now his actions had not only affected him, but her as well. While the king had pardoned her, she was still seen by many as a traitor. She was still known as the wife of a traitor. She no longer wanted to be associated with such a title, which was why she had decided to leave everything behind and move to a remote village.

Her friend, Lady Emma Blackmoor, who had also been involved in the case, as her father-in-law had also been a traitor, had left everything behind and moved away to a remote village to start anew with her family. Emma had encouraged her to do the same. But she did not know where to go, which was why she had told Emma that she would stay with them for a while. Until she figured out what else she wished to do.

Rachael stared into the mirror before her, but the lady she saw was foreign to her. Her red hair was packed up in a neat bun, her skin paler than usual. Her eyes had bags under them from crying too much about her ruined life.

“Do you not wish to wear the gloves, Your Grace?  It is quite cold outside,” Maria, her lady’s maid, said from behind her. The voice startled Rachael. She gasped when she saw Maria staring at her through the mirror, reminded of a time not so long ago. Loftus often snuck up on her so. He would walk behind her quietly until he was so close to her that she did not know, and only then would he speak. She wondered how he could be so silent.

Her teeth clenched. Determination marred her face. She was going to move on from the life that he had subjected her to. She was going to move away from everything that reminded her of him, so she could live a better life.  She had to stop hovering around and leave. There was nothing left for her here. She was going to pursue her own happiness. Never again did she want a life like the one she’d had with Loftus. Never again would she live that kind of life, and she would make certain of it.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, she imagined instead the life she did want to lead, and a smile came across her lips. Excitement coursed through her. She breathed out. She was finally ready to move on.

Rachael turned away from the mirror and walked over to her bed. It had been cold the night before. It was foreign to her as well. She walked over to the window and looked out. It was indeed cold outside.

“I shall wear the gloves,” she said. Maria brought her the gloves soon enough. Rachael slipped them on. “Is the coachman ready?”

“Your trunk has been packed into the carriage, Your Grace,” Maria said. She sounded perplexed. Rachael blew out a breath. It was time for her to go. She turned away from the window and walked out of the bedchamber that had once been hers. The clump of her boots resonated through the entire hallway as she made her way down the stairs. To heal and move on from all that had happened, she had to move away from the estate.

****

Lady Rachael Allen, Duchess of Loringham—that was who she had been. But now, Rachael didn’t know who the woman who was seated in the carriage was. A woman of eight and twenty, a wife to no one, a disgraced duchess, formerly wedded to a traitor, but now favoured by the king. She knew that she and her co-conspirators had been praised for giving up the traitors, but she still felt ashamed for having lived with Loftus all those years. For pretending that everything was alright when nothing was.

She had been caged. At the beginning of their marriage, she had indeed loved him. She was mesmerized by him, by his ways. By the ease with which he carried himself, by the fact that he had acted as though he cared for her. But he had not. Everything had changed when she had miscarried. From there on, she was unable to bear another. They had tried a few times until Loftus got tired of trying and rendered her useless.

The carriage hit a bump, and Rachael snapped out of her reverie.

She wondered now what she was going to do with her life. Although she was heading to Brighton to stay with her dear friend Emma Blackmoor in her new home, she still felt out of place. Although Emma and her husband, Lord Henry Blackmoor, had welcomed her with open arms and were awaiting her arrival, she still felt that she would not fit into their lives.

The awareness that they cared for her did not ease her pain, or fill the void she felt inside.

The carriage hit another bump, and this time, it wheeled to a halt. Rachael sighed. She wondered what the problem was this time. Suddenly, she heard noises outside. There was a loud scream, and then, a struggle. Rachael’s heartbeat increased. She looked around her, but the curtains prevented her from seeing the outside. But she was curious. She made to raise the curtain of the carriage, but the door was pulled open and she was dragged out. Her red hair flew around her face as she tumbled out of the carriage, falling to the ground.

She looked up, frightened. All she saw were two men in black clothing, their faces covered with a black cloth so all she saw was their eyes. The taller of the two men retrieved a black cloth from the pocket of his breeches and tossed it to the other man.

“Who are you?!” she screamed. “What do you want?”

But she was ignored. The shorter man advanced towards her. She moved back, screaming. Behind him, she saw her coachman. His hands were tied and he was stuck by the carriage. His screams were muffled by what they had tied around his mouth.

Just as Rachael made to run, one of the men gripped her arms. She winced in pain, for his grip was strong. One of her captors placed the black cloth around her mouth. She screamed and shook her head; her screams were now muffled too. Despite the restriction, she kept struggling until the black cloth covered her eyes as well. All she saw was darkness as she was taken away.

Rachael had never been so terrified before. All she saw was darkness as she was pulled from the ground. Two strong hands gripped both of hers and she was led away. She was conscious of where they were taking her. She wondered if they wanted to kill her there in those lonely woods. Fear gripped her, so much that she began to struggle again. But it was of no use, they were too strong for her.

Her heart skipped. What grievances did these men have against her?  Though her voice was muffled, she tried to speak and plead with them.

Her own voice sounded incoherent in her ears and this made her want to cry. She felt herself being pushed into a carriage.

She struggled, tried not to get in, but a gruff voice from her right frightened her. “Tis better you do not struggle, Your Grace. You may harm yourself from doing so.”

At this, she calmly entered the carriage. She was alone for a while, the spaces beside her was empty. She began to make an attempt to untie the cloth that covered her eyes, but the knot was too tight and skillfully knotted as well.

She could hear distant voices outside, and the sound of something. She could not tell what it was. She kept trying to untie her fold, but she was unable to accomplish anything before the men joined her.

At each of her sides, the two men got in and the carriage began to move. Rachael could not help but wonder who was behind this. She could not help but wonder who would want to abduct her. Her heart began to pound. Could it be one of Loftus’s enemies coming after her, now knowing that he was dead?  Did they want to exact revenge? Rachael shook her head. Her eyes welled up with tears and her heartbeat escalated. What had she done to deserve this?

The carriage suddenly came to a halt. She was about to demand why it had, but the restrictions put on her reminded her of her new position. She was now a prisoner.

Chapter 2

Lord Edmund Blackheart had known deep inside that fate was playing a dangerous game. Perhaps this was why he had been feeling odd for three days. When they intercepted the carriage just as planned, he had not been ready for the shock that awaited him when he saw the Duchess of Loringham, and worse, when he saw that the Duchess of Loringham was his former intended, Miss Rachael Goodwill.

The years had been good to her, he noticed. Although she looked different, she was still as beautiful. How could he still be drawn to her? He recalled being mesmerized by her all those years ago. He recalled their chaperoned walks in her garden and their moments by the waterside. He could not believe that she had been wed to his worst enemy. He wanted to ask her what had happened. He wished that he could speak to her, to quench the burning curiosity inside of him. He groaned.

Beside him, the lady who occupied his mind turned to look at him. He was thankful that her eyes were covered. He was not certain he would be able to bear the inevitable combustion of emotions if she looked at him with her green eyes.

Edmund looked away. He blew out a breath. How had she been caught up in a web as tangled as this? How had she been wed to a man as crooked and dishonest as Loftus?

His brows ridged as his thoughts began to settle. His mind focused on a new realization. Rachael had ended the engagement so she could marry Loftus. He did not know how to feel upon this discovery. He felt a great pain within, knowing that the lady he had loved had left him to wed his enemy.

He looked to where George was seated. George seemed pleased by the day’s events. He inclined his head as his eye made contact with Edmund’s. Edmund did the same as well.

Indeed, the mission had been successful. Everything had happened just as Cecil had predicted. Lady Rachael Allen had followed the path through Richmond, and she had been alone, save for the coachman. He nearly ticked his tongue at the thought of that. How could she travel alone, knowing full well that she was a lady, and knowing who her husband had been, and how many lives he had ruined? Irrespective of whatever may have happened between them, she was a good person. Maybe he needed to give her the benefit of the doubt. He swallowed hard. He could not be a part of bringing harm to Lady Rachael. Even though she had been a traitor. He could not bring himself to do anything harmful to her. She had once been a very important part of his life. He would speak to George about this.

The carriage bumped, and the lady leaned into him as it did. He stilled as her hand circled his arm. He felt a thrill at her touch, and he was reminded of the past. For a moment he stayed still, even after her hands had let go. He stayed still and stared at her.

Beside him, there was a knock on the door. He looked opposite him and realized that George had alighted. Coming back to his senses, he alighted as well. They had stopped at the designated place, where they were to get food. Eric, who served as the coachman, joined them as they walked into the pub by the corner.

“Much easier than I anticipated, eh?” said George. “I expected some challenge.”

“As did I. But I see that the lady gave you some, hmm?” Eric said, nodding at the slightly torn part of the cloth that covered George’s eyes.

Edmund pulled off the cloth that covered his face as they walked into the pub. George did the same as well. They all took a seat. Edmund was contemplating how to tell them both that the plan would have to change. He swallowed hard as he thought of how to relay this information. What if they refused and saw it as even more reason to hurt Rachael? He shook his head. He would not let that happen. He would have to do something.

“What would you have, Edmund?” asked George.

“A pudding would do,” he replied.

A man came to the table where they were sitting and grinned at them. “Welcome… travelers?” A man in a shabby cotton shirt and similar looking breeches approached them.

“No concern of yours,” Eric snapped.

Edmund did not like the way Eric responded. If they were to get into any trouble here, Rachael would be discovered. And it would be bad for them. But Edmund did not reprimand him yet, not while the man still stood there.

He smiled at the man. “Three plates of pudding, please.”

“I’ll just have beer,” George said.

The man nodded and went his way. Edmund turned to Eric. “You should not have spoken to him in such a manner.”

Eric creased his brows. “I only told him off to keep suspicion away from us.”

“That was not the way. Your reaction did nothing but attract suspicion.”

Eric pressed his lips in a thin line. He cast his gaze down and said, “I apologize for all the troubles. It should not happen again.” The waiter returned with what they had ordered and served them.

“So, Cecil had said that after we took her, we would take her to his barn far east from here.”

Upon hearing that, Edmund was once again reminded of what they had to do. He needed to make them aware that things would no longer go as planned. He rubbed his temples and thought it best to get it over with. Only, he did not know the best way to approach the issue.

After they were done eating and they rose to leave, Edmund stopped them. “We have to get food for the lady.”

Eric scoffed. “Pardon me, but she is a prisoner.”

Edmund narrowed his eyes. “That does not mean that we shall starve her. Get her something to eat.”

Eric was grim, but he did as asked. He was always so stubborn. Now Edmund was left alone with George, who had an amused smile on his face. “A hard lad, that one.”

Edmund nodded. Seeing as he was alone with George, he thought it best to relay the change of plans with him before Eric returned. It would be easier for George to get through to Eric, so the boy did not throw a tantrum.

“George, there’s going to be a change of plans. We shan’t take her to the barn as planned. We shall take her to my home in the countryside.”

George’s smile fell. “Edmund, pray tell why?”

“I have my reasons for this decision. I cannot explain in detail now, but I do have my reasons. And I want you to trust me on this.”

George shook his head. “But you approved of each decision made, just as we all did. What has made you change your mind?”

He gave George a stern look. “I brought about this plan and I am the head of this group. Do you not trust my judgment again, George?”

George opened his mouth to speak but said nothing. He bowed his head. “I apologize greatly for my behaviour. But you must understand that I am stunned. A plan has been set in motion and we are halfway to completing it, and you come up with a new idea. Why did you not suggest this while we reviewed the plans three days ago? ”

Edmund was about to speak but Eric joined them then. Edmund said to George. “Trust me on this, I beg you.”

George stared at him for a while, before nodding reluctantly. He jerked his head to the side. “I shall relay the message.”

Edmund took the meal from Eric, who looked between them with parted lips. He made his way out and they followed behind. He could hear George talking to Eric in hushed tones. He could hear Eric’s protest and he could hear the slight argument that followed. He said nothing all of this time. He walked over to their carriage and was about to pull open the door, but turned around instead. Eric was startled by this move.

Edmund looked between the two. “We shall head to my home,” he said lowly. “Cover your faces before we get in.”

Eric nodded grimly and walked towards the coachman’s position. Edmund got into the carriage with George after they both covered their faces. Edmund froze when he saw her lying on the floor of the carriage, struggling. His heart ached at seeing her in such a manner.  He noted that her hands were tied. He did not recall doing that. He looked at George. She must have been trying to make an escape. But with her hands, legs, mouth, and eyes tied, she had not been able to.

George gripped her shoulders from the other end and set her properly on the carriage seat. She jerked away from him, screaming. But her screams were muffled.

George began to untie her hands. It must have been George who’d made them like that in the first place. Edmund relaxed, as he did not want to make any move that would be contradictory to their purpose. Once George had untied the knot, Edmund noticed that her skin had reddened. It had always been so pale and sensitive. He looked away.

“Untie her so she may have her meal before we proceed with the journey,” Edmund said.

George nodded once and did as asked. George untied her blindfold and handed her the meal. “Eat.”

The moment Rachael opened her eyes she looked his way, her brows creased. Edmund was stunned as her green eyes pierced into his. He was grateful for the cover over his face, for his expression showed how stunned he was. Her eyes were still as captivating as they had been all those years ago. He could not believe that they still held him in such a way.

Rachael looked older, more mature than the innocent young lady he had intended to wed.

He creased his brows when he saw that she had been staring at him for too long. He looked away from her and said nothing. He hoped that she did not recognize him. That would be a disaster. He could not bear for her to know that this was him. That he was this disabled man before her, who had abducted her. He could not bear for her to look at him with anger or confusion. Even after the many years that had passed, it would hurt him to see her stare at him in such a manner.

He stared out the window until he was certain that she had begun to eat

Even so, he did not risk looking at her fully. He snuck gazes at her but that was it.

When she was done with her meal, George tied her up immediately and got down to tell Eric to ride on. As their journey continued, he feared the worst for her. He wondered if Cecil would agree to the change of plans. He hoped that saving her did not bring him any troubles with his men.

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