A Rose Between the Thornes by Raven McAllan Read Free Book Online Page A

delay that delight until later. We are but minutes away from our destination, and I...I...” She heard a thud, and then all was silent.
    Sophia struggled to loosen her ties, without success. She had no idea what had happened, but the complete silence was unnerving. She found her voice, annoyed she hadn’t realized her vocal chords were not paralyzed. Why did being unsighted make her think she was also unvocal?
    “Hey,” she shouted, suddenly aware of the rumble of wheels on stones, which would effectively drown out her cries. Frustrated, she moved her legs—tied together— and thrust them repeatedly on the side of the carriage. How she wished she could reach the roof. The coach lurched, and came to a halt.
    She swallowed, as all of a sudden she wondered if letting whoever else was in on the plot know she was awake was a wise decision. Perhaps it would have been better to lie low ? However, she opined as it was too late now, she would have to be wary.
    There was the sound of the door opening. Sophia opened her mouth to shriek, speak—she had no idea which, and no time to find out—as a firm hand was placed over it.
    “Do not make a sound or I will silence you again,” she was warned. “What have you done to your companion?”
    How could she answer that, with a hand over her mouth, and oh my, a hand feathering over her cunt, ruffling her curls.
    “No fair, we share,” a faint voice reached her. She felt a rumble of what she thought was not a shudder, ripple through her captor. “I cannot participate, sadly,” the voice continued. “Not yet, therefore, do not steal a march on me.”
    To her relief, or perhaps disappointment, the pressure on her mound ceased as the hand moved and she realized she was no longer fixed in one position.
    “Harsh, but true. So my dear, as they say, anticipation is good for the soul.” A hand flexed over her mouth. “If I keep my hand away from you, will you stay silent? Wait to let me release your ties, move you from here, and see what ill you have given my b...compatriot? Nod if you agree.”
    She nodded. His hand moved a little.
    “Good, now love, we will begin to move somewhere more convenient for our activities.”
    “And your soul needs all the goodness it can get,” she said. “You and your conspirator should be shot.”
    “I was.” There was humor in the voice, and with a blinding flash of clarity, she knew.
    “I might have known! No one else would have the audacity to try such a trick except the Thorne’s. So who did I shoot and where? I can but hope it means I have curbed your excesses.” She heard a dry laugh.
    “Not really, love, just made our engagements a little more adventurous.”
    Why, why, had she not understood who was behind this earlier? Did her wits leave her along with her consciousness ? Another thought struck her. “My coachman and footman, what did you do to them?”
    “They are safe.” One of them, she thought it was Jasper, reassured her. “Nothing harmed except their dignity. They will already be sounding the alarm for you. Not that it will be of any use. We hide our tracks well; we have had plenty of practice.”
    Hmm, although they may well be practiced, his previous statement rings false. Her new coachmen’s faces flashed through her mind. They substituted my men. How I don’t know, but by god I will find out, and someone will suffer.
    “So, who did I hit and where?” she persisted. “Do untie me so I can see.”
    She found she could move forward, but not her arms or legs. Damn them; did they not trust her? With an inward smirk, she didn’t blame them. She would have moved, fast. Instead she leaned toward where she sensed someone was sitting? Standing? In her unsighted state she could not tell.
    “You hit my arm, luckily, not my cock, or my balls. They are still in good working order.”
    Even in her trussed up state she could not help but laugh. “Damn. My aim is not usually so poor. I aimed for your balls, Nathaniel,” she lied,