Chapter 17

"Mmh," Arabella groaned as she started to regain consciousness and pain began to creep into her awareness.

She tried to move her hands to the sore spot that throbbed at the back of her head, but she found she couldn't move, as her hands had been tied behind her back. Her eyes popped open, barely registering the unfamiliar room as she flailed.

She tried to call for help, but her mouth was gagged too, so she could make any sounds.

After flailing helplessly, she decided to calm herself and understand what exactly had happened.

She remembered talking with Joana, and the next thing she knew, she'd felt a sharp blow to the back of her head, and before passing out, she'd seen Joana glaring down at her.

Could she have done this? But why?

She'd done nothing to the woman, so why hit her on the back of the head and kidnap her? It made no sense to think that Joana was capable of something so terrible.

It was only then that Arabella heard voices coming from the doorway. She recognized the room she was in as one of the least used rooms in the wing reserved for guests. She'd been placed on the floor in the bedroom, and the voices were coming from the sitting room.

She recognized the voices as those of a man and a woman, and as she strained her ears, she realized they belonged to Joana and… Peter.

What are they up to?

"You don't understand," she heard Joana say.

"I do understand. More than you know," Peter answered softly. "Let her go, and maybe she won't even know what you've done."

"No!" Joana yelled. "I cannot. You will take her once the men get here, Peter. Your absence won't be as noticeable as mine. As such, you're the perfect?—"

"I won't help you hurt the Duchess."

"She's not the real Duchess!" Joana hissed. "She was never meant to be the Duchess. She stole what was rightfully mine, and she must be punished."

Arabella frowned, wondering what they were talking about.

What did Joana mean by Arabella stealing what was rightfully hers? Did she perhaps?—

Oh.

The answer became so clear that it was almost frightening. Joana loved Edward and had hoped that he'd marry her.

Arabella thought back to every conversation they had, fear rising within her. She'd basically talked nonstop about her problems with Edward to a woman who was madly in love with him. It must have been such a painful experience for Joana.

Still, she frowned, wondering why Joana was dallying with Peter if she loved Edward.

"It was not her doing, Jo," Peter reasoned, his voice thick with emotion.

Arabella felt so sad for the man whose heart Joana had just shattered. He had been in love with her, risking his job and quite possibly his life for her, but she'd been using him to bide her time.

"It was!" Joana practically yelled. "She threw herself at him like a little harlot, and my darling Edward fell right into her trap. But I'll fix that mistake."

A cold shiver ran down Arabella's spine at the censure in the woman's words. Somehow in her love for Edward, Joana had developed an unhealthy obsession.

"Joana!" Peter yelled. Arabella didn't know what had happened, but she heard a yelp. "Snap out of it before it's too late. You do not have to be the Duchess to be happy. You can run away with me, and we could live happily together. I love you, Joana, and I will do all I can to make you happy."

"No. I only want to be with Edward," Joana snarled. "Run away with you, Peter? How do you think you can make me happy? You were only a temporary distraction to scratch an itch. I don't love you. I never have, and I never will. Edward will forever be the only man I love, and if I can't have him, then no one can."

Peter gasped. "You don't mean that," he pleaded. "You cannot mean that."

"I do," Joana snapped. Her voice was so cold that Arabella felt pity for the man. "Did you really think that I would ever settle for a peasant? This is real life and not one of those romance novels you love to read."

"You have hurt me with your words, Joana."

"That was my intention. Now, you either stand with me or against me. But I warn you, I never deal nicely with my enemies."

"I could never be your enemy, Joana, but I want to stop you from doing something you'd regret."

"I will never regret getting rid of her."

Joana's hatred was so palpable that it sent a shiver down Arabella's spine. She wondered how the woman was able to pretend to like her all this time.

"And if His Grace found out you had a hand in his wife's disappearance?"

"He'd never know I had a hand in it, and even if anyone told him, he would never believe it." Joana sounded so sure, but Arabella knew she wasn't wrong. Even she still found it hard to believe it was Joana speaking. "Who would believe that the proper Lady Joana was capable of such despicable behavior?"

"Joana."

"Enough, Peter," Joana snapped.

"I cannot stand with you."

"Then you leave me no choice," she warned. "I owe you one last bit of mercy because you were useful for a time. Be gone by the time I arrive, or you will meet the same end I have planned for her."

The sound of the door slamming shut alerted Arabella that Joana had probably stepped out of the room. If she wanted to escape, Peter was her best choice. So she struggled against her restraints, trying to move. If he heard the noise, then he would know she was awake and would try to free her. She heard his footsteps coming in her direction, and she almost sagged in relief.

"Oh. You're awake." He sounded scared, rushing over to her and helping her to sit. "Here, let me help you."

His hands shook as he tried to remove the gag in her mouth. She noticed the sheen of tears around his eyes and felt sad for him.

"I'm sorry about this, Your Grace. I?—"

"It's all right, Peter," she told him once he removed the gag. "It wasn't your fault."

"It was," he answered. "I should have tried…"

"Don't blame yourself, Peter," she insisted once her hands were free, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There was no way you could have known."

He smiled at her as he began to undo the rope around her feet, and she smiled back. She barely looked up when she noticed Joana rush inside and bury the knife she'd been holding in Peter's back, before pulling it out.

"I told you not to be here!" Joana yelled.

Arabella screamed as he cried out and fell to the floor, clapping her hands over her mouth. "Peter!"

"It wasn't enough that you stole my Edward, now you're trying to steal Peter from me, too," Joana spat out. "You're a right proper whore, Arabella. Tell me, have you also given yourself over to Peter? Have you?!"

She rushed towards her, knife still in hand and covered with blood.

"N-no, I have not," Arabella stammered out.

Palpable fear like nothing she'd experienced before filled her. Joana had a crazed look in her eyes, and Arabella knew at this point that the woman wasn't against killing her if she misbehaved.

"You're afraid of me now, aren't you, Arabella?" Joana cackled. "You had better be, because you haven't seen what I have in store for you. You'll learn never to steal anything of mine ever again."

She stood back and called to someone Arabella hadn't noticed before. Two men in matching dirty, worn-out tunics and breeches stepped into the room.

"This is the lady?" one of them asked with a gruff voice.

"Yes, it's her," Joana hissed. "Pick her up and let's move."

"Joana, please," Arabella cried. "Please, don't do this."

They ignored her. One of the men picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, as if she weighed nothing. He not only looked dirty but he smelled so foul that her eyes watered. She pounded on his back and swung her legs, but when he swatted her bottom, she stilled.

"Ye better behave, missy," he growled. "I ain't against teaching a lady some manners."

"I'd advise you to remain quiet, Ara mine," Joana cooed. "I'd hate for these men to kill you here."

Arabella shivered, knowing full well that it was possible.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, in case anyone was around to help her.

"It's a surprise." Joana smiled. "But I'm going to make sure you never come back to my castle again."

"Why are you doing this?" Arabella cried. "You could have told me you loved him."

"And then what?" Joana asked. "You'd have left him for me? Cry? You have no idea how much you sicken me. How much I have hated you. How tired I've been of your excessive whining about Edward, when you could have simply just left."

"I—"

"I do not want your cast-offs. He was mine from the beginning, and I'm going to make sure I get rid of you for good."

They stepped into the back garden now and were fast approaching the small gate leading outside the castle. The men seemed to know where they were going, and Arabella wondered how they knew their way around so well. It almost seemed like they'd visited several times and mapped out the entire place. She even wondered how Joana knew them. They looked like cutthroats and thieves, unlike the villagers she'd met, who seemed nice people and loved her husband.

"I mean, you wouldn't even die. I went through so much trouble poisoning those stupid snacks you love so much, but still, you came back with your hands around my Edward." Joana seethed. "My Edward."

"I don't know what's worse," she continued. "The fact that he doesn't want me or the fact he married someone as dumb as you. I mean, you were so desperate for sex that you threw yourself at a man you didn't know. But you must have known. You must have known how powerful he is. That was why you set up that trap. Yes, that's it. You must have known that he is rich and powerful, and you used his penchant for women to concoct your plan. But do not worry, I'll take care of him now."

"I did no such thing," Arabella protested.

"Oh?" Joana quirked an eyebrow. "But where's the proof, since you so willingly admitted it to me? That's why you kept it from the family too, so they wouldn't know what a whore you actually are. So that your dear mother-in-law and sister-in-law won't shun you. Isn't it? If you think properly about it, you should be thanking me. I'm saving you from true ruination by sending you away. Imagine how much shame you would bring upon your family if the truth comes out."

The man tossed Arabella into the back of a cart, before helping Joana in. Arabella's body felt bruised where she'd landed, and her feet itched where the ropes dug into them.

At least her hands were free, so she was able to sit up by herself. Joana was speaking with the men, so she looked around at the place she'd begun to think of as home. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, and in no time, night would be upon them soon. Would Edward be able to find her then?

A few moments later, they set off towards the west, she noted. She looked around, trying to memorize her location in case she was able to free herself.

Joana laughed darkly as the cart jostled them. "I can't believe that's exactly how you did it. That's the oldest trick in the book. Perhaps I should have thought of that myself."

"Joana, I promise you, I did no such?—"

"Do you think I believe you?" Joana sneered. "A lady from an impoverished family obviously looking to raise her family's social standing? I'm surprised Edward fell into your trap so easily. He's never been able to resist a pair of open legs, so I don't blame him. He's a man, after all."

Arabella cringed at her crude words. She couldn't believe the words were coming out of the mouth of a woman she'd started to think of as a sister.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall, but she attempted to blink them back.

"Don't tell me you're going to cry?" Joana laughed. "You're so weak, it's so annoying. What does he even see in you? You're just like all the brainless, spineless debutantes he droned on about, but in your case, it's just sad. Perhaps that's why you resorted to such desperate means to marry."

Arabella stayed silent, letting the acidic words roll over her. She had behaved wantonly, and that was what got her into this mess in the first place. She already knew she was to blame for their predicament.

"You know I'm right, don't you?" Joana mocked. "That's why you choose to keep silent. It's all right, your secret is safe with me. They'll probably only hate you for your desertion."

She turned back to discuss something with the men, and Arabella noticed her grip on her knife had loosened considerably.

She weighed the option of going for the knife, but she feared getting cut in the process. And if she did get the knife, what would be next? She shook her head. Once she'd successfully disarmed Joana, she could figure the rest out.

She watched and waited, looking away from her when they turned back to look at her, and when the opportunity presented itself, she lunged at Joana, pulling the knife out of her hands. She felt a sharp pain in her hand but didn't dwell on it.

Her hands shook as she pointed the knife at the woman and her companions.

The cart shook dangerously, and she nearly fell to the ground. The men turned back to look at them, grinning menacingly. The cart swayed again, but she managed to keep her balance. It was obvious now they were trying to make her lose her balance and fall, which made her all the more adamant about standing her ground.

"Give me the knife before you hurt yourself, Arabella," Joana scolded, not in the least bothered by the knife pointed at her. "Or at least don't jump off and die so foolishly. I'd hate to have to bury you here. I don't need a whore's blood on my hands."

"N-no," Arabella stuttered, her hands shaking violently.

She didn't have a plan even if she somehow managed to escape, but she wanted to try. Even if she had to hide in the woods, surely someone would pass by eventually.

The cart jostled again, throwing her back. The knife flew out of her hands, landing at Joana's feet.

Joana picked up the knife laughing. "See what I said?" She inched closer to Arabella and loomed over her. "You're absolutely stupid. What did you think you'd be able to do? Escape?"

Arabella didn't see the slap coming but felt the blow, the force of it throwing her head to the side. Her cheek throbbed, and her vision turned blurry.

"Don't ever do that again, Arabella. I'd hate to hurt you. I won't be able to sell you at a good price then." Joana laughed maniacally, pressing the knife to Arabella's throat. "Even if you managed to escape and run off, where would you go? Into these woods? You'll be dead by nightfall. A barely recognizable corpse once the animals are done with you. I'll hate to have poor Edward mourning over you too long. That's why I planted the letter telling him you'd left him, so he can hate you enough to forget you. Guess who'll be there to comfort him through the whole ordeal?"

Arabella didn't answer. She didn't even dare swallow. Not with the knife still pointed at her throat.

Joana laughed again, pulling back from her. "You're lucky I'm feeling gracious." She checked her reflection in the blade. "I packed your things and added some money for you to live on for a time. I even paid these two in advance to take you halfway. When that point comes… well, we'll see just how they would like their payment. You seem to be good at sharing your favors. Perhaps you'd suffice."

The men looked back at Arabella, flashing their yellow teeth, and she shivered, trying to suppress a shiver of disgust.

"We'll take good care of yer friend, Miss." One of them laughed.

"Aye." The other grinned, slapping his friend's shoulder. "We'll make her scream so good that she'll forget her husband."

"You wanted to experience a night of passion. Now you'll have more than enough to keep you warm this winter." Joana laughed. "And if you're good, they might keep you and not sell you to the nearest brothel."

Icy dread ran down Arabella's spine as she realized that these men looked like they meant what they said. She drew her knees to her chest and buried her face in them as she sniffled, sending a silent prayer.

Oh, Edward. Please come find me.

Joana had told her that she'd written a letter telling Edward how she was leaving him. What were the odds he'd believe it?

Arabella looked out at the greenery around them as it turned sinister with the waning light, nature seeming to reflect her mood. She wanted to cry at the fact that even her family would think her a deserter.

Oh, the shame Leonard would feel when he was finally informed. And Sarah. And Madeline.

A tear rolled down her cheek, and then two, and then she was fully crying, her knees muffling her sobs.

How could her life have turned out so miserable?

She had barely even had a taste of marital bliss before it had been snatched away from her, and now she'd never get to experience it if Joana had her way.

Oh, Edward. Would he hurt much?

To think she'd just confessed her feelings for him. He would think her a liar and probably hate her for treating him the way she had.

Please. Help him find me.