“We’d do best to head west,” Hal called loudly, his voice just carrying over the sound of the loud pursuit.
“West!” Hestony agreed. That way, she seemed to remember, there were more roads. They had a better chance of reaching Westmore House in safety if they went that way.
“Hold on!” Hal shouted. “Let’s go!”
They shot down the road at a spine-jarring speed. Hestony gripped the reins, feeling raw terror as they gained speed. There was nothing she could do to stay safe, so she simply held on, unable to do anything else as they raced like lightning down the path.
“If we head off the road, we might be able to lie low and shake them off,” Hal shouted out.
“Yes!” Hestony called back. “But it will be useless if they have dogs with them.”
“No dogs!” Hal called. “Not yet.”
“Try it, then.”
They swerved sideways with horrible speed. Hestony felt herself falling and clung to the pommel and closed her eyes. If she fell off now, she would either die, trampled under the horse’s hoofs, or be captured again. She couldn’t do much to avoid either fate, except stay on.
Hal gripped her around the waist, and leaned back, encouraging their horse – overburdened and afraid – to slow. They came to a stop in the middle of an empty space, autumn leaves flying up under the horse’s hoofs.
Hestony felt herself thrown forward. She felt her stomach twist, and when Hal dismounted, she took his hand and slid off, being swiftly sick in the leaves.
“We’d better stay low,” Hal murmured. “They’ll come past quite soon.”
Hestony nodded and dropped to her knees, concealing herself behind some scrub. Hal led the horse between the trees and came to join her, dropping down beside her. She held onto him, feeling safer that way.
“I think they’ll be along any second,” Hal noted.
“I hope so,” Hestony whispered back. She felt herself shiver and bit her lip, knowing that she had to stay alert, at least until after they had come past.
The sound of hoofs tore the silence. Hestony shut her eyes, making herself as small as possible, hoping that the bush was compact enough to conceal her.
Hal held her hand.
The road was suddenly a cacophony of noise. Hestony felt the tremble of the earth as half a dozen horses rode past. Hestony stared down the path, pressing her lips to a clenched fist to try not to scream.
“They’re going on,” Hal whispered. He pressed her hand. Hestony closed her eyes and felt her heart thump in her chest. The cover they were crouching behind was fairly sparse – anybody could have seen them, had they stopped to look properly.
The sound of the hoofbeats died away. Hestony stayed where she was, crouched behind the bushes. She felt Hal’s hand squeeze her own.
“It’s alright, Hestony. They’ve gone.”
Hestony didn’t move. All the shock and horror of the last few days was building up inside her and she didn’t want to leave here. She simply wanted to roll into a ball and never come out.
“Hestony?” Hal gently squeezed her shoulder. “It’s safe.”
She turned to face him. Her eyes were full of tears and they trembled on her eyelids, blurring her vision.
“Hal,” she whispered. “How did you find me?”
“I almost didn’t,” Hal said bitterly. He looked at his hands. “I rode to your home, and they said you’d gone out riding, and then never came back. I would have gone back, but I thought that you might have lost the path in the mist. I asked a farm-laborer if he’d seen a young lady lost on the hillside, and he said that he’d seen one of your description, riding with a tall, dark-haired gentleman. He pointed up the path here and I thought, well…I thought you might be in danger.”
“Oh, Hal,” Hestony whispered. “I am so glad you came to find me. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if…” She shook her head. “Come on. We should go.”
Hal nodded. “The faster we go around the back, the more likely it is they won’t see us.” He led the horse forward. “He will answer for this, I promise you,” he added. His voice was dark and angry, utterly unlike she had ever heard him sound.
“Hal,” Hestony whispered, swiftly mounting up, though she trembled so much she could barely haul herself into the saddle. “Please don’t do anything. I just want to forget.”
The last thing she wanted was anything to do with violence, or Lord Osburne. All she wished for was a safe place and rest. And breakfast. She hadn’t realized how desperately hungry she was.
“I won’t do anything, if that’s what you wish me to do,” Hal promised. “But I wish I could break his neck!”
Hestony felt her heart give a small jump as he said it. She was deeply touched that he cared that much, but all the same, it wasn’t what she wanted. She just wanted a safe place to go. At the thought of going home, her stomach cramped painfully.
“Please, Hal…I don’t want to go home.”
“Of course,” Hal promised. He wrapped his arms around her and they rode back the way they’d come. “We can go anywhere we wish. As it happens, this road leads faster to Ellington Place.”
“It does?” Hestony felt a tingle of surprise. He meant them to go to his home?
“It does,” he confirmed.
Hestony felt her heart soar. It would be safe there! She shuddered, looking leftward as they passed Maverly. The sight of it turned her stomach. She turned her head and focused on the path before them. They went past at a trot, saving the horse’s strength.
Hestony was silent as they headed into the woods. Her horse, Princess, was still at the manor. She wanted to send somebody to fetch her, but the last thing she wanted was to have anything to do with the place.
Mama will never understand. What am I going to tell her?
The thought of her mother’s wish that she should court Lord Osburne sickened her. The sort of villain who would make her stay there under coercion and thinly-veiled threats!
“Hal?” Hestony whispered.
“Yes, sweetling?”
“Is Cousin Luke at home?”
“He will be,” Hal promised. “Hestony, my sweetling…anything you need will be there. I promise.”
Hestony closed her eyes, feeling weak with relief. “Thank you,” she whispered.
They didn’t see any riders as they approached the path. Hestony stiffened, hearing the distant sound of a hunting-horn. Lord Osburne was evidently still out looking for her.