Page 89 of Taken By the Beastly Duke

"I’m certain," Anthony replied, his voice low but resolute. "Whoever wrote this… they wanted me to believe she had left me. But this is not Victoria’s doing. It can’t be. She’s not a coward, and she wouldn’t leave like this. Someone… someone must have taken her, or forced her to write this."

He felt a wave of anger and dread wash over him, the realization dawning that Victoria was in danger, and he had been too blinded by his own rage to see it.

His chest tightened with guilt as he thought of her, alone, possibly frightened, while he had wasted time brooding over a false letter.

"Then what are you still waiting for?"

ChapterTwenty-Four

For a good part of the ride, the only sound Victoria could hear was that of the carriage wheels thundering along the uneven road.

Her wrists were bound tightly with a coarse rope that chafed against her soft skin with every jolt of the vehicle and she was certain that they were going to be terribly bruised.

The carriage swayed again violently to the right as the horses galloped at full speed along a curve, their hooves pounding against the dirt road in the dead of night.

She could hear the wind howling through the cracks in the window, as well as smell the musty scent of damp earth and leaves.

It was already dark outside with the moon shining weakly through the thick clouds, casting faint, flickering shadows over the passing countryside.

Inside was dark except for a single low hanging lantern that kept swaying in tandem to the moving carriage.

It was under this flickering light that Theodore’s face was shown as he sat opposite Victoria, his expression a mixture of regret and stubbornness.

His posture was unnaturally calm, with his hands resting idly on his knees as though they were on a simple evening drive, rather than a desperate flight from her war worn husband.

The fine leather of the carriage seats creaked beneath them even as the crimson upholstery darkened in the low light. Every so often, the wheels hit a deep rut in the road, causing the entire vehicle to lurch, sending Victoria’s already tense body into the side of the carriage.

He sighed, as if trying to draw sympathy from her, his voice barely audible above the rattling of the wheels.

"Victoria, you must know that I am truly sorry for how I handled you earlier. For how you are tied up now. You know… I never intended to cause you pain or frighten you. I hope in time you’ll understand that I did this for your own good. That everything I’ve done- and I am doing- it's because I love you."

Victoria remained rigid, silent, her eyes burning with fury as she glared at him across the narrow space.

His words, nonsensical as they were only helped to fueled the anger raging inside her.

In response, she tugged futilely at her bound wrists, the rope digging deeper into her skin, as if to show how his feeble apology paled in contrast to her situation.

"I’ll never forgive you, Theodore," she said, her voice low and shaking with rage. "You are wrong… so terribly, terribly wrong. You think you are saving me… but you’ve taken me from the only man I’ve ever loved, and for that, I will never…never- forgive you."

His face twisted at her confession of love, his jaw tightening even as he forced a soft smile back on his face, as if he could smoothen away her fury with mere words.

"You are naive. He is the only man who has shown any interest in you and such you only think you love him, Victoria. You don't know what love actually is. A man like Anthony cannot truly love you. He is a beast, a screed monstrosity, completely undeserving of you. Can't you see that I am saving you from a life of misery, can’t you see that all I want is your happiness? No? I understand that you feel grieved but… in time, you will thank me for what I’ve done."

She let out a bitter laugh, her breath shaky and filled with disbelief.

"Thank you?!" She sneered "Thank you?! For this?" She looked pointedly at her bound wrists, raising them slightly as the rope bit into her flesh, leaving angry red marks. "For tying me up like a criminal? For dragging me away in the dead of night? What you’ve done, Theodore, is unforgivable. A terrible scandal! One that would ruin not just me, but Anthony. This is not love! And… you’re delusional if you think I will ever feel anything but disgust for you after this."

He flinched at her words but quickly masked his reaction even though a trace of hurt flickered in his eyes.

"I never wanted it to be like this," he muttered, almost to himself, his hands tightening into fists on his lap. "I had hoped… you would understand. I still hope that you will. That you would come to understand that I have only ever wanted to protect you."

Victoria looked away from him I disgust, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to steady her breath and unwilling to hear any more of his words.

The horses surged forward over another bump in the road causing the carriage jolt violently once again

Her body was thrown slightly to the right, almost sending her to the floor, but she managed to quickly right herself, refusing to show any sign of weakness.

She clenched her fists, the bindings cutting into her palms, as she stared blankly at the darkened countryside speeding past the small window.

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