Ducal Encounters 02 - With the Duke's Approval by Wendy Soliman Read Free Book Online Page A

Unfortunately, he did not, and they reached the top of the wooden stairs without mishap. Anna heard a key turn in a lock, and she was carried into a room.
    “There’s a chair behind you,” the man said. “Sit.”
    Anna wanted to tell him she was not a dog. Instead, she sat, but only because her legs were too weak and too tightly bound for her to be able to stand. She wanted to tell the man that, but decided to save her breath. In fact, she decided not to speak to them at all. A dignified silence might well be the best course of action.
    “Now, I’m going to remove the bindings on your hands and wrists. When you hear the door lock behind me, you can remove the sack. If you do so before I leave, and get a look at me, it’s the last thing you’ll ever see, m’lady. Do you understand?”
    “Yes.”
    Anna saw no point in arguing. She could tell from his steely tone he meant what he said. Besides, she wanted the use of her hands and feet to be restored to her.
    “You can’t escape from here, so just be a good girl and make yourself comfortable. Someone will be along to speak to you later.”
    Anna showed no reaction when the man knelt to cut the bindings on her ankles, audaciously running a hand up one calf as he did so.
    “Very nice,” he muttered. “Such a shame we have orders not to touch you.”
    Orders? Orders from whom?
    Her hands sprang free when he cut the rope binding them. Anna circled her shoulders, tingles running down her arms as the blood flowed freely again and feeling came back to her limbs. Her wrists were sore, probably chafed, from where she had tried to free her hands. She could hear the man standing over her, breathing heavily, and she willed him to leave so she could remove the sack and assess her situation.
    Eventually, she heard his footsteps, heavy on the boarded floor. The door opened then closed behind him, and a heavy key turned in the lock. Anna reached for the sack, pulled it from her head, and threw it aside. She blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust to…to nothing. The room was in complete darkness. They hadn’t even left her a candle, and that was more frightening for Anna than her actual situation.
    ***
    The duchess had already been told by Frankie what had happened. She was understandably distressed, but also wise to the need for discretion.
    “This is most unfortunate,” she said. “I wish I knew what happened. How it happened, for that matter. I mean, how did people get into my grounds undetected and pluck a lady from the terrace?”
    “I have had people examining the garden,” Clarence replied. “We think they came over the wall at the side.”
    “That would make sense,” Winchester replied curtly. “They couldn’t risk taking her through the mews. The question is, where have they taken her, and why?”
    “I questioned some of the carriage drivers,” Vince said, joining the group. “One of them strolled round the side of the house just after midnight to…well, to answer a call of nature. He saw a small closed carriage there, which he thought was odd. Before he could investigate, it drove off.”
    “Does he know which direction it took?” Clarence asked.
    “Only one way he could go from there,” Winchester said, rubbing his chin, his expression thunderous. “He would have to join Grosvenor Street, and from there he could go anywhere.”
    “So, what do we do now?” Vince asked. “Presumably there will be a demand for cash in return for…for, damn it, for Anna.”
    “There’s nothing more we can do from here,” Winchester said. “I had half-hoped one of your servants might have colluded with the rogues, your grace, by giving them access to the grounds. We could have questioned him, and found out more that way. But if they came over the wall, then that cannot be the case.”
    “We had best get back to Sheridan House,” Nate said from the edge of the group. “Any communication will be sent there.”
    “At least we know they won’t harm Anna,”