Page 92 of The Duke and the Unwanted Bride

“The forest…” Hannah frowned as she considered… as she pictured the little girl and what she knew of her… as she came to realize the likelihood of where she was. “Find Frederick,” she said immediately.

“And tell him what?”

Hannah might have smiled if she wasn’t so worried. For although she now knew where Amelia likely was, that didn’t make the situation any better. If anything, it only made it worse. Amelia was in danger, and if there was any chance of saving her, Hannah would need to hurry.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

It was dark outside. The moon was not full, but it waxed such that the light shone before Hannah, enough for her to see the way ahead as she charged through the forest. Holding up her skirt, she jumped over felled tree trunks and darted around stray bushes and trees. She stumbled but did not slow down. She tripped but kept her footing. Nothing could slow her down, for time was not a luxury that she had.

Perhaps running was not necessary? Perhaps she would arrive to find Amelia safe and sound? That was what she wanted. That was what she prayed for—and had been doing so since she left home not thirty minutes ago. But something told her that she might not be so lucky as that.

The motherly instinct that she did not even know she had roared to life, and so she ran as if her life, as if Amelia’s, depended on it.

No idea how far away she was, it felt like she had been running through the forest for an age. Out of breath. Out of her mind. She called out, hoping to hear a response.

“Amelia!” she cried out as loud as she could. “Amelia! Are you there!”

“Hannah?!” a frightened voice echoed in the darkness. “Hannah! Help me!”

Somehow, Hannah’s pace increased. Through the brush she charged until she eventually came upon a small clearing that she recognized immediately, for she had been there once before.

Not a large clearing by any means, it was perhaps half the size of Frederick’s house. Tall trees stood like a barrier around the edges, allowing the mood to shine in full on the center. And at this center, spread to the edges of the clearing, was a pond. Placid and tranquil it sat, until her eyes swept over it, spotting in the middle a struggling, little girl desperate to keep her head above the water.

“Amelia!” Hannah cried and ran to the edge of the pond.

“Hannah!” The little girl thrashed in the middle of the pond, desperate and scared, her head barely above the water. “Please! Help! I’m—I’m stuck!”

It was hard to see what was happening exactly. Although there was nothing keeping Amelia where she was, the little girlthrashed and paddled desperately with her hands, her head bobbing, only to go down, only to emerge from the water again, followed by a scream. There must be something under the water, latching onto her dress, keeping her from swimming freely.

Again, that motherly instinct roared inside Hannah. Amelia was not her daughter, but at that moment, it felt as if she was, for Hannah knew there was nothing that she would not do to save her, even if it meant giving her own life. Such was the love she had for her.

“I’m coming!” Hannah cried out. She was quick to undo her dress, as keeping it on would only weigh her down. “I’m coming!”

The dress was off, and the cool night air whipped at her body. She wore a thin pelisse, barely a cover from the cold.

“Hurry! I can’t… I can’t… I—” And then the little girl was gone.

“Amelia!”

Hannah ran into the water without pause and dove headfirst into its depths, ignoring the cool spike that shot through her body like a knife, constricting her chest, knocking the breath out of her lungs, seeming to try and pull her down as if the water itself had a life of its own.

She kicked her feet and pushed with her arms until she came to where Amelia’s head had been moments before.

“Amelia!” she cried out, before taking a deep breath and diving beneath the surface at a straight angle.

It was too dark to see beneath the water, but she reached out with her hands and grabbed hold of the little girl. Then, still holding on tight, she pulled her to the surface, forcing her head out of the water so she could take a breath.

Amelia coughed and spluttered as she gasped for air. Her body still thrashed, kicking desperately to stay afloat. Hannah held onto her, her own legs now growing tired as she tried to kick them back to the surface. Only… the little girl refused to move.

“I’m stuck!” Amelia cried out through mouthfuls of water. “My dress! It—I can’t move!”

Hannah had her arms wrapped around the little girl. Her legs kicked powerfully, even though by now, they were sore and near useless. Her chest burned. Her body shook from the cold. But nothing, no force in this world, could stop her.

“Hold on!” Hannah shouted over the noise of Amelia’s screams. “Amelia!” she shouted, forcing the little girl to look at her. “Look at me! Amelia!”

It must have been something in her voice. A calm that washed over Amelia, for she managed to keep herself from panicking for long enough to look Hannah in the eyes. Oh, she was terrified, that was clear. But now there was something else, and understanding that so long as Hannah was there, everything would be alright.

“You need to stop kicking,” Hannah told her, still holding her tight. “Stay perfectly still.”

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