Page 65 of His Abandoned Duchess

Throwing herself into it, the exit popped open, and Amelia tumbled to the ground in an uncoordinated roll. The grassy patches at the side of the road cushioned some of her descent. However, Amelia still hit the earth with terrible force, and her shoulder immediately cried out in protest.

“Damn you!”

Isaac’s scream behind her didn’t slow Amelia one bit, and she took off running. There was water somewhere in the distance; she could smell the salt in the air. Where had the Earl taken her? It didn’t matter right at this moment. The first order of business was to find a place to hide away so that Isaac would abandon her. Only then would she try to determine her location and get back to Richard.

There was a building not far from where she’d leaped from the carriage, and Amelia hurried in that direction. Sticking to the shadows would be her best bet, and she put her weight on the balls of her feet as she rushed forward, quieting her steps some.

It looked to be some type of industrial warehouse of sorts, and there were several crates and barrels parked out in front of it. Hiding behind them for a time seemed as good a plan as any, butshe didn’t dare take a direct route there, fearing that Isaac was right behind her.

Amelia dipped into the space between the larger building and another that stood nearby. The alley was dank and silent. Amelia had never been to this part of London before, and she had to assume that she was near the docks, going by the scent and type of establishments she was seeing.

Think, Amelia. You must outwit him somehow.

Along the side of the building were several windows, and she briefly entertained the notion of leaping inside through one. Unfortunately, they stood too tall off the ground, and she could not reach them. Continuing her path to the rear, Amelia found a door to the larger building. Getting inside would be even better, so she tried the lock.

Surprisingly, the door opened, and Amelia slipped inside. It was nearly pitch black, the only light from those windows she could not reach. The interior also held with it a strange smell, which Amelia placed as raw textiles when her eyes fully adjusted to the lack of light. Still, she crept through the empty space, looking for a place to stash herself.

In the distance from outside the warehouse, Amelia could hear the low horn of a vessel somewhere up ahead on the water. She was undoubtedly near the docks, which meant that returning to Heartwick would require a carriage. She had been stripped of her reticule, so Amelia was without money. While it would bepossible to lean on the weight of her title, this was not the area of town she wanted to be waving that around.

I’d be robbed if I had a pound on me. How can I get home?

There was a long workstation to her right as she got closer to the front of the building, where she might exit once the coast was clear. The impressive machine wove fabric, and between the crossing sets of thread, Amelia could make out a medium-sized box of sorts. Inspecting it closer, she realized it was the shuttle that carried the thread back and forth.

Over the years, Amelia had learned some of what Ethel knew about the world through her books, and the presence of a very sharp point at the end of the shuttle was happily one of them. Amelia reached her hand inside the dormant machinery and retrieved it. Using the device as a weapon sounded very appealing, and Amelia clutched it to her chest so as not to drop it.

With her little trinket in tow, the Duchess slipped further into the shadows and made her way closer to the front door. She didn’t wish to go outside just yet, but she was desperate to get her eyes on the situation. Where was Isaac? Did he follow her?

She was close now to the door, and Amelia’s heart beat furiously against her ribs. The pounding was nearly deafening, and her stomach had wound itself thoroughly into unruly knots.

“Just breathe, Amelia,” she whispered to herself.

Reaching for the door, she steadied herself, and it angled toward her with a low creak. As she peered out through the crack she’d created, Amelia saw no sign of the Earl or anyone else for that matter. It was not terribly late in the day when she’d gone into the gardens to get some fresh air. What time was it now?

She glanced up at the sky, overcast now and too thick with clouds to get a clear look at the sun. It was likely only just past noon, but it could have been evening for how oppressive the gloom in the sky was now.

With nothing else to go on, Amelia ducked back inside the building to wait. There was little more that she could do.

Backing up into the darkness with her eyes still trained forward on the door, Amelia stepped on something that crunched beneath her foot. The sound was too loud, and just as she made a move to rush to the other side of the building, a set of arms wrapped around her and yanked her backward.

“There you are, little cat.” Isaac’s voice was right at her ear, and Amelia thrashed against him, trying her hardest to pull herself free.

“Let go!”

She called out, but Isaac was a fair bit stronger than she was, and then before she could even get so much as a hand free, a handkerchief—smelling of the horrid sweetness—was clamped down around her mouth.

Her vision wavered as the fumes made their way into her nose, even as she tried to hold her breath. It was impossibly strong, and her head began to feel as if it was going to float right off. She wobbled on her feet.

“Now, now, Amelia. It’s like you can’t hold your drink. I should think a little chloroform would be a trifle.”

Isaac’s voice found her ears as though he were speaking to her through water, Amelia the one sinking into the dark abyss. Her feet were slipping out from under her. In a last-ditch effort to protect herself, Amelia arched her arm across her body, leveling the shuttle’s point with where she assumed Isaac’s jugular to be.

She was impressed by the strength she mustered, and the Earl screamed as the sharp tip penetrated his skin.

“You bloody bitch!”

Amelia fell to the floor as Isaac dropped her, and she pulled herself across the dusty surface toward the door. Her legs refused to work, and her arms were nearly useless as well. She had to get out of there, breathe in the fresh air and get this damned drug out of her blood.

Light from outside the warehouse called to her, but then footsteps approached from behind.

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