The day dawned bright and clear. A few clouds were scattered across the blue sky, the wind blowing gently through the thick trees, the temperature pleasantly warm for April. It was the perfect day for a picnic.

And the perfect day for Kalinna to take the next step in the plan for escape.

“Watch your step ma petite, the path is somewhat uneven around here,” Andre suddenly stated, quickly reminding Kalinna that she was not, unfortunately, alone.

“Thank you,” she demurely responded as she reluctantly took the hand he was offering her and allowed him to lead her on.

The two of them were on their way to the stables, where André’s extensive stock of horses was housed. He was going to show her his greatest pride and joy, and as promised, would allow her to pick a horse for herself. She was eagerly anticipating that particular event.

Kalinna’s step quickened as they drew closer and closer to the outer buildings of the property, which held the breeding areas, the training areas and so on. All this, the young woman expected to see. However, she was shocked to discover that her soon-to-be husband had not one, not two, but three stables of horses. Her mouth fell open. Andre chuckled at her reaction.

“Not what you expected ma petite?” he dryly questioned, one hand resting on the small of her back as he steadied her across the remaining few steps to the largest of the three stables.

“Indeed not,” she honestly responded, trying to take in everything at once, “I had not realized how extensive your interest in horses went until now.”

“Quite alright,” was all he replied with before the two of them lapsed into a somewhat comfortable silence.

They continued on in that way until they stood at the entrance to the largest of the three stables. Soon enough, however, they were being greeted by the head stableman, who began to show them around the first stable, which housed Andre’s most prized horses, and the winners of many races. Kalinna tried to pay attention as the stableman began to explain about bloodlines, breeding, and racing, but her mind was, not surprisingly, elsewhere. Andre immediately picked up on that fact.

“I’m sorry Jake, but I believe the lady is more interest in the horseflesh than what you are saying,” Andre dryly stated, Kalinna immediately blushed at his words, embarrassed at being caught, “Do not be embarrassed ma petite. Come, I will show you the best of my stock and then you may pick a mare for yourself.”

“But my lord, you and I know very well that the horses aren’t going to be…”Jake began, but was immediately silenced by a warning glare from his employer.

“We shall discuss this later Jake. Come ma petite, I shall lead you to the stable that houses the mares and you may choose one for yourself,” Andre stated, abruptly turning away from the stableman and leading the young woman out of that stable and in the direction of another, smaller one.

Wordlessly, Kalinna followed, wondering what on earth had transpired between her husband-to-be and Jake the stableman. She made a mental note to ask Adele if she knew of anything going on with her brother’s horses the next time the two ladies were alone together.

For now, she turned her attention to the horses, quite excited that one would soon belong to her, and solely to her. If she had felt any remorse of taking advantage of the marquis, for she knew very well that the horse she chose would be elemental in the escape of her and Adele, it had vanished long before. When she thought of her fiancé, she could not summon anything more than lukewarm acceptance. Nothing more.

Kalinna quietly followed after Andre as he droned on about the name of each horse, their bloodlines, who they would mate with and so forth. However, she had tuned him out ages ago, her somewhat expert eye roving over the horseflesh and sizing them up for strength, speed and agility.

Her mother had had a passion for horses. It was a passion that had come from her father, the late 7th Duke of Barclay, as Violet had mentioned shortly after Kalinna had arrived to stay with her newfound family. And Kalinna, in turn, had learned all she could in the years before her mother had passed on, so while she was not an expert on horseflesh, she knew a good specimen when she saw one.

While the mares she had seen so far were, without a doubt, of excellent breed, none caught her fancy. A soft whinny from the corner of the stable, however, quickly claimed the young woman’s attention. Without a word to her fiancé, she left his side and strode in that direction, her curiosity getting the better of her.

As she approached the pen where the noise had come from, the breath caught in her throat. Standing in the dim light of the stable was one of the most beautiful mares that Kalinna had ever set eyes on. Slowly, she crept forward, unsure how the animal would take to her.

The horse was a beautiful Arabian mare, as far as Kalinna could tell. She possessed a coat of fine light brown fur, a mane and tail both as black as night, and a rather striking patch of white fur on her forehead. All four legs were white halfway down, though dried mud almost made the young woman miss that fact.

Brown eyes were wide in what seemed like fear, and the horse’s nostrils flared as she let out a quick snort of air when Kalinna drew closer. The young woman frowned at the mare’s behavior and the fact that she did not seem to be well cared for.

Quietly, and slowly, Kalinna opened the latch of the stall and began to walk forward. Remembering all that her mother had taught her, Kalinna carefully held her hand out for the mare to inspect. The young woman was not going to take another step until she was sure the horse was comfortable in her presence.

Thankfully, after cautiously sniffing, the horse began to nuzzle Kalinna’s hand in search of a hidden treat. Giggling, the lady quickly dug into an apron pocket and produced a piece of carrot, which she offered to the animal. The horse greedily took it, looking for more as soon as it was gone. Kalinna forfeited another piece of carrot.

“You are such a beauty my sweet,” Kalinna softly whispered as she turned her attention to physically assess the mare, “Why have they stuck you back here in the corner of the stable?”

Gently, Kalinna ran her hands along the animal’s flanks, pleased to feel strong muscles which appeared to be, thankfully, uninjured. She was quite disgusted, however, when she encountered a great many burs stuck in the mare’s beautiful coat. Thus Kalinna knew, without a doubt, that her fears were confirmed; this horse had certainly been neglected for one reason or another. Which is what she intended to find out the moment her fiancé joined her.

“What are you doing ma petite?” Andre’s stern voice suddenly stated, breaking Kalinna out of her somewhat angry thoughts, “Come out of there, you may get hurt as that mare is quite unpredictable.”

“I am fine,” Kalinna stubbornly responded, not budging an inch, despite the fact that her husband-to-be’s eyes were spitting anger, “I have been around horses before and am perfectly capable of handling them.”

“Even my best grooms have been unable to care for that beast. She is a temperamental pain in the ass, a waste of my time, money and effort, and if I had it my way, she would be shot,” Andre roughly stated, causing anger and shock to quickly well up in Kalinna’s heart.

“You will do no such thing. That is cruel and inhumane punishment for such a magnificent specimen of horseflesh. This horse could most likely produce some of the finest fillies, and it is quite obvious, just by looking at her, that she is built for strength and speed,” Kalinna spat, her eyes flashing an emerald fire as she continued to deny the obnoxious man standing just outside the stall.

“Do not tell me what I can and cannot do,” Andre erupted, banging his fist against a wall of the stall, “This is my house, and damn it, you are my fiancée; you will bloody well obey me when I tell you to.”

“You sir, underestimate me. Just because I am promised to you in marriage, albeit by force, does not mean that I belong to you, or must abide such barbaric behavior,” the young woman acidly retorted, defiantly crossing her arms over her chest, her feet firmly planted within the stall and next to the horse she now desperately wanted as her own.

“You will do as I say this instant, Miss Davenport, or I shall be forced to take drastic measures,” Andre icily stated, resting his hands, which were clenched into fists, at his waist and looked down his nose at her in an attempt to get his temper under control.

Kalinna shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, quite aware that she was treading on some very dangerous ground. However, she would not let the care for this obviously beautiful animal go untended to, not while she was here. The mare sorely needed some attention, and if the young woman had it her way, she would be the one giving that attention.

She did not care how much Andre yelled at her, she was staying firm.

She was not some twittering female that became frightened of the first angry word thrown in her direction; no, she could certainly hold her own. After all, she had spent practically her entire life arguing with her father. So she found that it was not difficult to defy the man she was promised in marriage to, a man she was coming more and more to hate with each passing day.

However, since her fiancé appeared to be frightened of the beast, while she herself was quite comfortable around her, as long as she stayed in the stall, she had nothing to fear.

She had no doubt that if given the chance, Andre would haul her off back to the house and give her a severe tongue lashing…even if that meant embarrassing the both of them in front of servant and family alike. She had come to learn that he did not care about appearances to those he thought beneath him – which was practically everybody.

She, despite her hot temper, did not wish to cause a scene and bring more attention to herself than was necessary. After all, come Thursday evening, she and Adele would be long gone from this place, and there would be no wedding occurring. Not between Adele and her fiancé, and certainly not between her and Andre. So she had to make escape as easy as possible, which meant having the cooperation of the servants, a fact that would most likely not occur if they knew she was spurning their master.

“Good god my lady, come out of there at once! That horse is immensely dangerous and quite untamed,” the voice of the groomsman Jake suddenly stated, quickly pulling Kalinna’s attention back to the situation at hand.

“Do as he says,” Andre added, his eyes like steel, “As I mentioned before, I do not want to see you get hurt.” Kalinna wanted to laugh at that. It was more like he did not want her to be able to handle a horse that he could not.

“I believe, gentlemen, that I am quite capable of handling this horse. I grew up around horses, have been taught about pedigree and how to tame a new horse, so do not think that I am stupid enough to put myself in a dangerous situation. This horse only needs careful attention and patience on the part of her rider,” Kalinna stubbornly stated as she ran a hand along the mare’s coat, “And I certainly intend to give her that.”

The horse whinnied at the soft touch and quickly turned and began to nuzzle Kalinna’s shoulder for another treat. The young lady willing gave up another piece of carrot as she waited for one of the men to speak. Surprisingly, they both grew silent as they watched her with the mare.

“Why, I’ve never seen that horse behave that way before,” Jake softly stated in awe, as he watched the mare continue to lavish the young woman with obviously adoring attention, “My lady, what on earth did you use to calm Geneva?”

“Geneva?” the young woman questioned.

“That is the name my sister gave the horse when the mare first came here two years ago,” Andre quickly supplied, curious, “Now please, ma petite, answer Jake’s question.”

“Well I did nothing extraordinary to calm her, if that is what you mean. I merely allowed her to adjust to my presence, and when I was sure she was comfortable, I offered her my hand to inspect. She seems to have taken to me, but I am not sure if she likes me, or merely wants the treats I provide her with,” Kalinna ruefully stated, a small smile on her face.

“All that you mentioned has been tried before. Jake, you said that this beast was untamable and that I would be wise to sell it,” Andre shortly accused of his head groomsman, “I should hope that you were not lying to me.”

“My lord, I was not!” Jake cried, alarmed at the turn the conversation was taking, “I, and every other groomsman for that matter, have struggled to keep this beast under control. She was constantly rearing up and kicking her hind legs at anything and everything.”

“Then how is it that my fiancée was able to approach the horse and calm her and is yet unharmed? The lady is half of your size!” Andre cried, his eyes now flashing with annoyance, “You would have me believe that you did not try your best to successfully prepare this mare for riding and breeding?”

“My lord, there was nothing more I could do,” Jake responded, now fearful that the job he held would soon no longer be his, “I am sure if I worked with her now, we could quickly make up for the last two years that were lost.”

“I should hope you are right, or else you may find yourself working elsewhere,” Andre threatened, much to Kalinna’s surprise.

“My lord, I am sure that whatever could be done, Jake here did it,” the young woman protested, not wanting the head groomsman to loose his job just because the mare had taken to her and nobody else. The man would hate her for sure.

“Ma petite, do not make excuses for Jake. He is a grown man and can handle his own,” Andre shortly responded, his anger beginning to grow yet again from the stubborn temper his fiancée possessed.

“Maybe all the horse needed was a female’s touch,” Kalinna continued on, pretending she had not heard the threatening note in the Marquis’s voice.

“That is enough Kalinna,” Andre hissed, his patience for her just about gone at that moment. Wisely, the young woman held her tongue.

“My lady, I have been around horses practically my entire life. I shall have this mare in top shape for riding and breeding for you in no time at all,” Jake spoke up as he noticed the possessive and protective hand the marchioness-to-be rested on the horses back.

“Is she the horse you desire?” Andre questioned before he allowed his head groomsman to attempt to enter the stall where the mare stood, nervously stamping her feet as she eyed the two men.

“Yes,” she simply responded.

“Jake, see to it that you take all effort and care with the training and grooming of this mare. I will not have my fiancée riding a dangerous horse, is that understood?” Andre demanded, turning his full attention on the groomsman.

“Yes my lord.”

With that, Jake quickly stepped into the stall, intent on sizing the mare up to make sure her muscles were still in proper order as well as to see what needed to be done about her overall appearance. He did not, however, expect the mare to rear up on her hind legs, a warning that told him to back off. As quickly as he could, he got out of the stall and silently watched the young woman interacting with the stubborn horse. Slowly, Kalinna ran a soothing hand down the mare’s flanks in an attempt to calm her, unaware that she was, once again, alone in the stall with Geneva.

“Cállese mi dulce, es bien. Yo aquí le deberé proteger. Usted no será dañado,” the young lady whispered as she offered up another carrot piece and gently rubbed the mare between the eyes.

It was only a few moments later that the mare softly whinnied and began to nuzzle the young woman, her frayed nerves once again calmed. That feat accomplished, the young woman quickly turned her attention to the two men that stood outside the stall.

“You speak Spanish?” Andre questioned, surprise written on his face.

“Jake, give me your hand,” Kalinna instructed, ignoring the marquis completely. The groomsman immediately obeyed, though trepidation shown clearly from his eyes.

Kalinna gently took the groomsman’s hand and showed him exactly what she had done to calm the mare down. The horse whinnied, obviously jittery at the newcomer’s touch, yet she mad no move to rear up on her hind legs.

Softly, her voice at a comforting level, the young woman continued to instruct the groomsman on how to behave and treat the horse. All the while, she slowly backed out of the stall, crossing her fingers that this would work. She did not want to be responsible for Jake to get injured, yet at the same time, she very much wanted this horse to belong to her. And she certainly didn’t know enough to train an almost-wild mare.

Thankfully, the horse seemed to take to Jake, and Kalinna breathed a sigh of relief. She almost didn’t feel the arm her fiancé laid about her waist, yet she didn’t budge from her spot as she watched the groom continue to asses Geneva. Only when she was certain that the horse was fine did Kalinna turn to Andre.

“Come ma petite, let Jake do his job. You owe me an afternoon of picnicking and I intend to have it,” Andre strongly stated as he steered her away from the horse and out of the stable, obviously not taking no for an answer.

“If you insist,” was all Kalinna could manage, wishing she could get back to the main house and ask Andre’s sister a few questions about her brother’s horses.

“That I do,” Andre responded as he helped her up into the waiting curricle, a blanket and a basket situation near their feet, “There is much I would like to discuss with you before our marriage can take place.”

Kalinna felt her heart drop to her feet at those words. She knew very well that the Marquis was referring to her temper, which had obviously caught him off-guard. Well if he expected her to become some docile, unimposing female, he certainly had another thing coming. There was no way she was going to change who she was – especially when she was going to be out of his life in another couple days.

As long as things went as planned…

“Come along ma petite, I have a lovely picnic set up for us, just as I promised,” Andre stated as he helped her out of the curricle and began to walk with her down a well-worn path, tucking her arm within his as he went. She had no choice but to walk with him.

Truth be told, all Kalinna wanted was to turn tail and run straight back to the castle, and the safety of her room. Ever since they had arrived at this remote destination, on the edge of the marquis’s property, a feeling of dread had crept up her spine, refusing to leave. Despite being a perfect gentleman thus far, Kalinna still knew she couldn’t trust Andre – now more than ever since he was upset over her earlier temper.

“Here we are,” Andre stated as they arrived in a small clearing, where a picnic lunch had been set up for them under the shade and privacy of a couple weeping willow trees.

“I am quite hungry,” Kalinna commented, for lack of a better thing to say.

“As am I,” her companion agreed as he helped her settle onto the blanket before taking a seat on her right, where he promptly began to dole food out for the two of them.

Once the food had been doled out, the two of them sat in a somewhat stilted silence, consuming the food that had been prepared by the head chef at the marquis’s orders. Though it was all delicious, the young woman barely noticed, her mind racing with thoughts of her fiancé and the escape of her and Adele that would take place in three days time. Andre, surprisingly, kept silent as well, which just put Kalinna more on the edge, for he was never one to keep quiet, especially where she was concerned.

All too soon, the food was consumed and the two set aside their plates. With a sigh, Kalinna stretched her back, once again wishing for the safety and solidarity of her room back in the castle. Therefore, she was unprepared when Andre lunged in her direction, the weight of his body causing her to fall back on the blanket, completely helpless beneath his much larger frame.

The unexpected action made her cry out; however, she was quickly silenced as Andre roughly kissed her with a mix of passion and anger. One of his hands tangled in her hair while the other rested possessively at her slim waist. Kalinna felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest, her lungs seizing in terror for she was quite unaware of what her fiancé was capable of, and she was none too eager to find out.

The assault on her person continued, his hands roaming possessively over her body – and she was helpless to do anything. One hand squeezed a breast through her riding habit, and she felt tears pool in her eyes. A moment later, she felt her skirts being raised and she forcefully broke the kiss Andre was giving her to protest the travesty.

“I shall teach you to disobey me,” Andre roughly stated, his dark eyes blank and unseeing as he failed to notice the pain he was causing her.

“No,” Kalinna whispered as she tried to fend him off, knowing instinctively that he no longer seemed to be punishing her, but rather fighting an inner demon from the past.

“Isabelle, why couldn’t you love me?” the marquis practically sobbed out a moment later as he ran his hands along Kalinna’s bare legs, despite her every effort to wiggle free of his embrace, “What does Bastien have that I don’t?”

“Andre,” Kalinna forcefully stated in an attempt to break him out of his trance as well as get her tumultuous emotions under control.

But it was no use. She was silenced again by a forceful kiss she did not want as her fiancé continued to paw at her being. As soon as he began to try to unlace her dress, however, Kalinna panicked.

She struggled and squirmed as best she could. It didn’t work. She tried to kiss him to drag his attention away from what he was doing. No use. Finally, her hands groped wildly behind her, searching for something to defend herself with. She found a small rock – but it was big enough for what she intended to use it for.

With a small, whispered apology, she brought the rock down on the back of Andre’s head and he instantly fell unconscious, now a deadweight on Kalinna. She breathed a wobbly sigh of relief, willing the tears away and thanking god for stopping what had almost transpired.

Quickly, the young woman rolled the marquis off her. He made not a sound as he lay on his back, still unconscious to the world around him. Kalinna immediately began to straighten her dress and pack up their picnic – anything to keep her mind off what she had just experienced.

She knew she had to get them back to the castle. Andre needed to be tended to, just in case she had hit him harder than she thought, and she, well, she certainly needed some time to herself. Everything was progressing far faster than she had hoped, and now, more than ever, she wanted to escape this situation and return to her beloved England where her family and Justin waited.

Justin. She hadn’t thought of him all morning, but the moment his name crossed her mind, an image of him immediately popped up. Justin with his good looks and gentle hands. Justin who treated her like a princess and would never commit a sin such as Andre had just attempted. Justin whom she had given her heart and soul to – even though he did not return her feelings.

Kalinna sighed and quickly pushed away thoughts of the handsome young duke. She had to concentrate on the task at hand before she let her mind run away with thoughts of what her heart desperately wished for.

After struggling for a good ten minutes, Kalinna finally got her fiancé up into the curricle, his chin resting on his chest, still unaware of his surroundings. She hoped he stayed that way until they reached the castle, for she was in no mood and no state of mind to deal with his antics all over again. She wanted peace and quiet she that she could get a grip on herself.

So they left the clearing not moments later, Kalinna expertly holding to the reins and driving the two beautiful horses back in the direction of the castle. She was grateful that the beasts knew the way home for she had gotten quite lost on their way out to the picnic site earlier.

“What happened?” Jake, the groomsman, questioned as soon as he saw them pull up in the stable yard, his employer slumped unconscious on one side of the curricle. He threw a confused look in the young woman’s direction.

“He had an accident,” was all Kalinna replied with, not wanting to get the whole castle talking even more about her and Andre than they already were.

“Well I shall ride with you to one of the backdoors of the castle, where we may get the master up to his room and into his bed to sleep it off,” Jake promptly responded as he took hold of the situation. Kalinna was quite grateful.

It took two manservants to remove the marquis from the curricle to his lavish bedroom, where the housekeeper immediately began to tend to him. Once she was assured that her master was in no danger, she began to look Kalinna over, assessing for any injuries. Satisfied that the young woman had sustained none, the kind woman sent her straight to her room, with orders that a hot bath be drawn up for her so that she could soak before she took a nap.

Kalinna didn’t say a word in protest. A hot bath sounded wonderful to her, especially after all that she had endured this afternoon, and it would give her a chance to think things out. She would summon Adele to her chambers so the two women could discuss this latest development and decide what type of action must be done.

“Adele, where are you?” Kalinna whispered into the dark of her friend’s room three days later, the day of their planned escape.

“Over here,” the younger woman responded, pulling Kalinna’s eyes away from the empty, unmade bed Adele normally slept in.

“Is everything all set?” Kalinna asked, moving to where her friend stood, packing the few belongings she was planning on taking with her into a soft knapsack.

“Yes, the plan has already been set into motion,” Adele responded in a quiet voice, here eyes suddenly watering up with unshed tears.

“Are you alright?” Kalinna quickly questioned the moment she noticed this fact, “Has something happened? Have you changed your mind?” Adele couldn’t help the few sniffles that broke the silence of the dark room.

“I’m fine,” the Frenchwoman bravely stated as she gave her friend a wobbly smile, “Nothing has happened and I have not changed my mind. It is just that I have only been away from Westgate a few times, and I have never been outside of France. It’s like I’m leaving my whole life behind and that terrifies me.” Kalinna immediately pulled her friend in for a tight, reassuring hug.

“Everything is going to work out just fine, you have my word on that,” the Englishwoman said in a consoling tone, “Just think of what you’d have to look forward to if you stayed here. I know that is not what you want, and that is certainly not what I want for you.”

“I know you are right,” Adele said, straightening her shoulders and stepping out of her friend’s embrace, “We are sticking to the plan, so why don’t we get a move on?”

Kalinna smiled at Adele’s renewed strength and determination, knowing very well that her friend was putting a lot on the line in order to gain her freedom. Kalinna was just glad she was not in this alone. She vowed that once she and Adele reached England, she would do everything in her power to help the Frenchwoman find her brother. It was the least she could do after all that Adele had already done for her.

A knock on Adele’s door interrupted the silence that had descended over the two women. It was the signal they had been waiting for, which now meant there was no turning back. Kalinna determinedly squared her shoulders, excitement and anticipation creeping up her spine.

Adele quickly answered the door to find Marcus, one of the household servants, stand there, dressed all in black. Wordlessly, he entered the room, followed closely by Kalinna’s footman, Jeffrey. The two men were brothers.

“My ladies, everything is ready,” Marcus, the older of the pair, stated in a low voice.

“Very good then,” Adele concluded.

“Are you sure you two want to do this?” Kalinna questioned as s he noticed a hint of fear in Jeffrey’s eyes, “If you do this, you will be in danger until we reach the shores of England. And you will be forced to leave behind your homeland.”

“I am not afraid,” Jeffrey stated, his jaw set in a determined line and the fear gone from his expressive brown eyes.

“Jeffrey and I have family in England that we wish to join as soon as possible. They have been waiting for us for some time now,” Marcus explained, “Besides, I have been looking for a reason to leave this place behind for years.”

“You just gave us the perfect opportunity,” Jeffrey concluded grinning boyishly.

“Well as long as you are sure…” Kalinna trailed off.

“We are quite sure,” Marcus confirmed as he ushered them towards the door, “Now come my ladies, the night grows later and we’ve a long ride still ahead of us.”

Quietly, the two women gathered the belongings they were going to take with them and left the room, heading down the hallway to a secret passageway located behind a large wall painting. Adele, who had lived at Westgate her entire life, had revealed that this underground tunnel they were entering came up right beneath the largest of the three stables her brother owned. It would be the easiest way for the four of them to escape the castle undetected.

Their plan was really quite ingenious and simple, thanks to the four of them putting their heads together. It was a known fact that due to all the unrest in France because of the naming of the new king, roaming marauders were constantly attacking many towns and outlying farms, taking valuables, kidnapping women and causing chaos. They were going to use that fact to their advantage.

Adele had learned that her brother was dealing with a couple marauding bands from the north. Farm animals had gone missing, family heirlooms had been stolen, and a couple men had come back from their fields to find their wives kidnapped. Marcus and Jeffrey were going to act as the two women’s “kidnappers”, allowing a few of the stablehands to see them so that it actually seemed believable and Andre would be thrown of their real intent.

Their destination was a more northern port, close to the French monarchy and capitol city. Marcus and Jeffrey had a cousin, Becky, who worked in a large tavern as a barmaid where the four of them were going to get a job and stay low until they could secure passage to England. They had wigs and a change of clothing for both women so that the ladies would blend in and be able to pull off the plan.

It would be quite a change fro Kalinna and Adele, who were both not used to doing any work. But they didn’t have a choice. It was quite unlikely that Andre would venture that far north and he would most likely not think to look for his sister and fiancée working in a tavern. Plus, with the four of them working, they would be able to buy passage on a ship without having to sell some of Kalinna or Adele’s belongings and running the risk of alerting Andre to their whereabouts.

If they were unable to buy passage on a ship within a month, Kalinna would send off another note to Justin, asking for his help. The short message she had sent with Benedict, the pickpocket, had just been to reassure the duke that she was safe and tell of her whereabouts. She had also warned him not to come after her unless he received a second note from her. She could only hope that he would listen, for if he came to France, he would be in far more danger than she and that was not something she was willing to risk.

“We’re almost there,” Adele said in a quiet voice as she led them along, torch held high to illuminate the dark tunnel.

Quickly, as they came to a short flight of stairs, Marcus and Jeffrey pulled mask on to complete their disguises of all black and to hid their identities. Kalinna’s heart began to beat at a rapid pace within her chest as they doused the torch and crept quietly out of the tunnel and into the stable. The two men worked quietly saddling up the two horses they would take – Kalinna’s own Geneva, who was built for speed, and her equally fast brother, Gilliad, another of Andre’s horses.

Once everything was situated – the horses were taken care of and all their belongs were stowed in the saddlebags, Kalinna let out a loud scream. Their plan was now set into motion and there was no turning back for any of them…

It only took a few seconds for a couple of the stablehands, in different states of undress and alertness, to appear from their quarters. The four continued to play out their scenario, both women pretending to try to get away while their “captors” attempted to place them on the prepared horses. It only took a few more seconds for the stablemen to react to the scene that was going on before they reacted and a vigorous fight immediately ensued.

Thankfully, Marcus and Jeffrey proved to be better fighters than the four stablemen who had awoken. It was not five minutes later, their four foes lying unconscious on the stable floor, that the four escapees were flying north in the darkness of the night, leaving behind Westgate and Andre Carlton. Kalinna finally breathed a sigh of relief once the castle was out of view.

She had her freedom back…now she just had to find a way home to her family and the one man who held her heart without even knowing it…