Page 81 of Her Wolf of a Duke

“Rosendale will be forced into hiding, and I will ensure that Sarah is brought to you. You may keep her here, and tell the Viscount whatever he needs to hear so that he will leave her be.”

“What if we just let them go?” she pleaded. “They will not be harming anyone by simply forging their own lives. They are giving up everything to be together. Why don’t we allow them to?”

“Because that is not how this works. You were never taught any of this, but this is what must happen. I will issue my challenge, and then it is in Rosendale’s hands what he chooses to do. If he has any wisdom at all, he will simply hand Sarah over to me.”

“And, if he does not, you will be willing to die over it. Is that how men are?”

“The good ones, yes.”

He gave her a tight embrace and promised one final time to return before leaving her behind. She followed him out of the door, but he motioned to the footman to block her exit. She called his name, but he did not turn back. He simply walked to his horse, climbed atop it, and rode away at great pace.

Emma felt her knees give way, and she fell down in the hallway. Two maids came to her at once, but she batted them away. She did not want to be helped, she wanted to help others. It was all that she had ever done, and now she could not, simply because the men in her life refused to listen to her.

Eventually, she pulled herself to her feet, running to her own room and dressing herself quickly. She was vaguely aware of her lady’s maid knocking, asking her if she needed any assistance, but she did not respond. She would have to do what needed to be done alone, so it was for the best that she started alone.

She wore her least favorite gown, an old and ill-fitting one, as it was the first she saw. It was too large, which would at least mean more comfort as she rode. Then, she went to the front door and tried to leave, only for yet more footmen to block her way again.

“My apologies, Your Grace,” one said, “but we cannot let you leave.”

“The Duke made it clear that you are to remain here. We cannot disobey him.”

She groaned, turning back and accepting defeat. For a moment. She did not have enough left in her to argue, not when she knew that she would be leaving one way or another. Thankfully, she had paid attention to the tour when she had arrived, and so she knew that there were other doors in the household and she knew precisely where they were, including one small one that was unmanned, as it was well-hidden by vines.

“Where are you off to?” Eloise asked, and Emma turned sharply to her.

“Oh! I was… well…”

“Is this something you would like me not to know?”

“It is.”

“Then I will not question it. How long shall I expect you to be gone?”

“I do not know. I am going to find Levi.”

“You could be a very long time then. My husband was always so good at remaining hidden, and you know how the saying goes. Like father…”

Eloise turned away and disappeared. Emma wondered for a moment if that was truly what was happening, and that she would be chasing a man for the rest of her life, but she shook the thought from her head. Levi was not the same as his father, no matter what he or his mother thought. He was his own man, one that was doing what was necessary for his family, albeit in a way that disappointed her greatly.

She found the door, and as she left through it the thorny vines scraped at her skin, drawing blood, but she did not care. She pretended not to notice how it stung and instead left for the stables. Levi had taken his prize stallion. She would not be able to reach him before Scotland, but she could meet him there if she left then and there.

And so, she chose another mount that she knew was capable, and left the grounds through another gate. She was as prepared as she could be; she knew the roads which led to Gretna Green, and she knew that she was a good rider, and so nothing was stopping her except time. She had to move, and quickly, if she had any hope of finding them before something tragic happened.

The ride was long, and by afternoon her body had started to ache. She had not eaten anything at all, and felt herself weaken, but she forced herself onward. Mercifully, she had chosen a very hardy horse, one with plenty of stamina that could tolerate the journey. She stroked him gently as they galloped, trying to thank him for what he was doing for her.

By nightfall, she had almost reached the border of Scotland, and she would have been proud of herself were she not so afraid. Thetime came when she knew she had a chance of finding either her sister and her betrothed, or her husband. Either way, it would mean that she could truly do something of worth, and so even though she was exhausted, she forced herself to move forward.

At her first inn, she slid down from her horse and entered tentatively. There was no sign of Levi’s stallion, but that did not mean Sarah was not there.

“Excuse me,” she said gently to the owner. “Pardon my asking, but has a young lady that looks similar to me come here tonight? She is with a gentleman.”

The owner looked her up and down, and Emma regretted wearing her gown. Sarah likely would have been wearing something nicer, given that she was on her way to a wedding.

“My apologies, ma’am, but no. There are a lot of inns ‘ere, too, so you may be in for a long night.”

Emma had a feeling that would be the case. With a sigh, she thanked him for his time and went on her way. It was harder to mount the horse when her legs ached the way they did, but she tried not to notice. She hauled herself into position, and continued. She would have to repeat it over and over, and so it was best that she chose not to mind the pain.

After she had searched four more inns, each one as disappointing as the last, she at last found what she had been searching for. There, in the stables of an inn, was Levi’s stallion. She took her own horse there in an instant, jumping downwith a newfound strength and running to the door, when out spilled three drunkards that eyed her in a way that she did not appreciate.

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