Page 17 of A Marquess' Season of Secrets
“It’s just after one o’clock. Everyone is sleeping, and I’ve managed to get the front door keys. You have to get up if you mean to make it to the next town by mid-morning tomorrow.”
Juliana felt a knot form in her belly as she got up and slid off the bed.
“Put your shoes on and come with me,” Kersey said. “I have put your food and water in a sack with a few other belongings you’ll need. My mother will take care of the rest.”
Juliana felt rather green as she followed the maid out of the room and down the stairs, but she swallowed it down. She didn’t have time to empty her stomach right now.
Kersey unlocked the front door noiselessly and held it open. “Godspeed, Milady. I shall surely miss you.”
“And I’ll miss you. Take care of yourself, Kersey. Do not let anyone find out that you helped me escape.”
“Do not worry about me, Milady. You take care on that road. Now, go get your horse and take the back entrance. No one will hear you.”
Juliana hugged her maid and rushed off, tears momentarily blurring her. There was no turning back now. She got to the stables and quietly led Lilibet outside before stepping on a tree stump and climbing on.
Juliana made the horse take a slow trot, but she tapped her sides to take off once they were outside the estate. Only when Juliana felt it was safe did she slow the horse down to a medium pace.
What am I doing? I’m on the road alone in the middle of the night. This is asking for trouble.
She prayed it wouldn’t suddenly become cloudy because she wouldn’t be able to see where she was going with the moon hidden behind the clouds. It was already a challenge not to think every shadow was a bandit waiting to lunge at her or a terrifying beast that one usually found in faerie tales.
What was it about the night that was so eerie? Juliana recognised sounds like owls calling each other, frogs croaking, and those tiny insects that made odd humming noises as though one’s ears were ringing. These noises would not be such a problem during the day, but they were frankly terrifying at night.
Perhaps she should hum to herself, but what if that made her deaf to oncoming danger? The horse appeared unbothered as she kept to the worn path, but she was an animal accustomed to being outside at night. Juliana was human and no match for whatever lay lurking in the darkness.
Stop scaring yourself, you foolish woman! You’ll die from fright if you keep up this narrative in your head.
Juliana needed to think about all the good that would happen once she reached her destination. She was on the road to freedom— she needed to remember that. Would she prefer a life with Ralph or spend a few hours in darkness? The answer was obvious. Soon, it would be daylight, and everything would seem happy and bright again. She just needed to hold on for a little while longer.
The animal noises, Lilibet’s hooves hitting the ground, and her gentle sway from side to side became a lullaby that Juliana had to fight against. She could not fall asleep!
She pulled her eyelids open and waved her hands in her face, but it was all in vain. Her eyes continued to droop as though they had a life of their own. Perhaps it wasn’t such a terrible idea to sleep ... No! Juliana straightened with a start, slapping her face. She could fall off her horse and break her neck— what was she thinking?
Pushing her horse into a faster gallop, Juliana allowed the jolting movements to keep her awake, but it wouldn’t be fair to the horse to keep this pace when they still had hours of travel ahead of them. They slowed down again, and before she knew it, her eyes were drooping again.
I am a light sleeper and should be able to detect if I am slipping off the horse.
Lilibet was intelligent enough to remain on the road without any assistance, so Juliana had nothing to fear. She only wished to sleep for a little while, just enough to keep her going.
She laid her head on her chest and gave in to the exhaustion, her senses dulled by fatigue. Something must have frightened Lilibet because Juliana woke up with a jolt on the galloping horse in time to see a low-hanging branch in front of her.
However, she wasn’t quick enough to avoid it. It hit her square in the centre of her head, knocking her off the horse and sending her to the ground. Juliana fell hard on her side, banging her head on a jutting rock and felt a brief, sharp pain before she knew no more.
Chapter 4
The visit to Aunt Roslyn had not been as successful as Nash had hoped, but he had enjoyed her company. The woman reminded him a lot of his mother, but fortunately, she didn’t have her sister’s adventurous spirit. The women even looked alike, giving Nash an idea of what his mother would have looked like if she had still been alive today.
“The trip wasn’t all you hoped it would be,” Johnson commented.
“No, it wasn’t. The women Aunt Roslyn chose were precisely what I wanted, but none of them appealed to me. Is that ridiculous?”
The valet smiled. “No, not at all, Your Grace. I believe your mind wants one thing, but your heart wants another.”
Nash frowned at the man. “What do you mean? My heart and mind are perfectly aligned. I am not at odds within myself.”
“Truly?”
Nash didn’t give an immediate answer. He didn’t want the valet to be right, but he was fair enough to consider the man’s words. Were the desires of his heart not the same as what he had planned in his mind?
