Chapter 1

Chapter One

"S top pulling at your sleeves," Mrs. Kendall scolded Diana.

Diana shifted in her seat in the carriage with a sigh. "This dress is far too small Mrs. Kendall. I cannot help it."

Besides being too small, the bright yellow did not suit her skin or honey blonde hair. She felt too pale and washed out, not ethereal or angelic as she supposed her parents had intended.

"Perhaps you should have avoided the tea cakes more, then," Mrs. Kendall jabbed at her.

Diana took a deep breath to avoid talking back to Mrs. Kendall. Diana knew she had a slim figure and the dress, which had been sent to Mrs. West's by her parents, was far too small. Unfortunately, it had only arrived the day before with a letter instructing her to come home at once. Mrs. Kendall had come along with Diana as her chaperone. Also, presumably, because Diana could not be trusted to make the short ride on her own.

"Baron Haversham will take one look at you and turn right around," Mrs. Kendall continued, oblivious to Diana's discomfort. "No man of status would want to marry a lady who cannot sit still in her seat."

"That does not sound like a terrible result," Diana muttered.

The dress and letter had come as a surprise. Her parents rarely wrote; she could count on one hand the number of times she had received correspondence from them. Mostly, they sent instructions to Mrs. West as to her care or education or simply the funds necessary for her maintenance. They had never mentioned wanting to arrange a marriage for her. Diana would have thought they would present her to society first and then try to make the most advantageous match.

"The Baron is a good match, especially for you," Mrs. Kendall droned on. "It is a miracle at all that your parents found someone willing at all."

Diana pursed her lips, wondering at Mrs. Kendall's particularly cruel mood. While Mrs. Kendall had not been the worst of her teachers, none of the teachers at Mrs. West's had ever been kind. Rulers, sticks, and paddles were often used, and when those were not available, their hands. Diana's parents had never come to visit, but even if they had, she doubted that they would condemn her treatment.

Her parents had sent her away to be rid of her. Just like now, they were ridding themselves of her with this marriage. Diana could only guess that they believed the Baron would be the only offer Diana would receive. The fact that he made an offer without courting her perhaps made him even more appealing to her parents.

"Do you truly think Baron Haversham will be pleased with this match?" Diana interrupted. She had no idea why she was arguing with Mrs. Kendall. "I have heard he prefers more… docile companions."

Mrs. Kendall paused, her eyes narrowing. "Are you questioning your parents' judgment, Lady Diana? They have secured a very advantageous match for you."

Diana bit her lip, her mind racing. "I just wonder if a man of his stature might find my… spirited nature unbecoming."

"Nonsense," Mrs. Kendall snapped. "A little spirit can be tamed. Where is this coming from?"

"Baron Haversham always leers at the girls at school," Diana protested gently in a soft way that she hoped would garner pity from Mrs. Kendall. "He is old enough to be my father. And he has been said to be quite violent when he drinks."

"Have you ever seen him have a drink?" Mrs. Kendall countered.

"No," Diana admitted weakly, knowing what was about to happen.

"Then that is just slander which is unladylike," Mrs. Kendall scolded, popping Diana's hand with her fan. Diana winced at the sharp rap on her knuckles. Though none of the teachers had qualms about physically punishing the girls, her method of smacking knuckles with her fan was one of the tamer methods. With no remorse, Mrs. Kendall turned back to the window, saying, "You will learn to adapt as all young ladies must. It is your duty."

Diana took a deep breath, deciding to take a risk. "And what of my happiness, Mrs. Kendall? Does it not matter at all in this arrangement?"

For a moment, Mrs. Kendall was silent, taken aback. "Your happiness is secondary to your duty, Lady Diana. You must learn that."

Diana felt a surge of defiance. "I believe happiness and duty should go hand in hand. My parents may have made this match, but I cannot see a future where I am content with Baron Haversham."

Mrs. Kendall's expression hardened. "Enough of this foolishness. You will marry the Baron, and you will make the best of it. Oh, look at those dark clouds. We had better make it to Thornbridge quickly."

Diana craned her neck to the window in an attempt to see, only to receive another rap on her knuckles. She sat back into her seat, fuming quietly, wishing Eliza, her best friend, had been allowed to accompany her home. Diana had asked as soon as she received her parents' letter, but the teachers declined the request.

As the carriage rattled on, Diana's thoughts wandered back to her childhood since that was the only time she had experienced the freedom, she now ached for. Her father, the Earl of Thornbridge, had tried to mold her into the perfect lady, but her heart yearned for adventure. She remembered the times she would sneak out of the manor to explore the surrounding woods. Those were the happiest moments of her life when she felt truly alive and unburdened by her parents' watchful eyes.

The trees blurred into a green haze, mirroring the confusion in her mind. She had never been one to conform, and the thought of being shackled to a man she did not love filled her with dread. Baron Haversham's lecherous gaze haunted her, and she shivered despite the warmth of the carriage.

When she first read the letter from her father, she had nearly fainted. Thankfully, Eliza was by her side as she read the words out loud alone in the garden.

Diana, clutching Eliza's hands tightly, had told her friend that she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen. Eliza, equally frantic, suggested Diana escape and promised to join her later.

As for her escape, Diana had imagined changing her name and becoming a governess to evade her parents. They had even calculated that the full-day carriage ride to Thornbridge, with its necessary stops, would provide Diana ample opportunity to sneak away.

The thought had made Diana surprisingly nervous at the time, the idea of running away. The girls at school had only ever spoken of running away as something scandalous, nothing a proper lady would do for fear of being ruined. Diana had never felt that same fear. Let me be ruined, she had thought many times. Yet, given the opportunity, the stakes felt too high. Either she successfully escaped or was married off to an older man who was rumored to beat his family.

Mrs. Kendall continued her monologue about the virtues of the Baron and the importance of making a good match.

"Your parents have done well to secure such a fine match for you," she prattled on. "You must remember your duty to your family. A good marriage will elevate your status and bring honor to your house. Imagine that: you, a baroness. You will have to make donations back to the school as thanks."

Diana barely heard her. If she had, she would have snorted with laughter. Her thoughts were miles away, lost in a world where she could live on her terms, free from the constraints of her aristocratic upbringing. She longed for a life where she could pursue her passions—gardening, reading, and perhaps even writing—without the constant pressure to conform.

As the carriage bounced along the rutted road, Diana's resolve hardened. She could not—would not—allow herself to be married off to Baron Haversham. There had to be another way. The thought of escape filled her with a mix of fear and excitement.

"How long until we reach Thornbridge?" Diana asked, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"Not long now," Mrs. Kendall replied absently, her attention still focused on the window. "We should be there before nightfall."

Diana's heart pounded in her chest. She had to act quickly. Their next stop would be her only chance. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.

The opportunity came sooner than she expected.

"Oh, my goodness!" Mrs. Kendall gasped loudly, pulling Diana away from her thoughts.

"Is it a highway robber?" Diana asked, almost excitedly.

"Lord heavens, no; look!" Mrs. Kendall exclaimed, straining toward the window. "Ghost orchids!"

Mrs. Kendall banged on the roof of the carriage. "Driver, stop!"

"What are you doing?" Diana wondered out loud, half expecting another rap on her knuckles for questioning a teacher, but Mrs. Kendall was too distracted as the driver slowed to a stop.

Mrs. Kendall slammed open the door of the carriage without waiting for the driver, climbing down as fast as her ample form allowed. Diana followed quickly behind her, not waiting to be told to stay in the carriage.

In the dark forest, Mrs. Kendall had somehow spotted something, but as Diana looked, she saw nothing in the dark green underbrush. The darkness of the forest seemed even deeper with the dark clouds overhead. Once outside, the trees seemed to close in around them, dark and foreboding. Diana followed Mrs. Kendall into the underbrush, her heart pounding with anticipation.

"I simply must have a specimen of these for my scrapbook," Mrs. Kendall explained, half to herself. "Quickly, now, Lady Diana, help me pick a couple. Come, before it starts raining!"

Too flabbergasted to protest, Diana followed Mrs. Kendall as she picked up her skirts to hurry into the forest, puffing away with flushed cheeks. Diana tried not to laugh at the scene and how unladylike Mrs. Kendall had become at the sight of mere flowers. She could only imagine the scolding the other teachers at Mrs. West's would come up with.

"I never knew you collected flowers," Diana observed, following Mrs. Kendall.

"There are many things that you do not know," Mrs. Kendall puffed.

"How did you see these from the road?"

"How could you not?" she countered, throwing a withering glance over her shoulder. "Just look! These are one of the rarest flowers in all of England, only found here in the dark forests where white is no common color to see."

However, once they reached the little patch, Diana could see why Mrs. Kendall had been so interested. The pale white flowers popped up out of the soft forest floor only a few inches, truly ghostly in their appearance. She had never seen anything like them. While they were indeed beautiful flowers, Diana could not stay focused on them.

"What are you doing just standing there?" Mrs. Kendall questioned, bending down to pluck the first one. No sooner had Diana bent down, grimacing as her dress dug into her skin, than the first raindrops began to fall.

"Hurry now!" Mrs. Kendall reminded her.

Diana stood, realizing that her opportunity had come. She stuttered a bit, saying, "Actually, I believe I must relieve myself before we get back on the road, especially with this storm. Do you mind?"

"Oh dear," she muttered in response, snatching the flowers Diana had picked from her hands. "Make it quick! I shall get back to the carriage. Do not dally; we would not want that pretty dress to be ruined!"

Diana wandered a small distance away, slowly, even as Mrs. Kendall frantically picked a few more flowers, wrapping them in her apron. Diana even made as though she was lifting her skirt and squatting, checking over her shoulder to ensure Mrs. Kendall was almost back to the carriage.

Once she felt as though she would have enough time to disappear into the woods, she stood, picked up her skirts, and ran. She crashed through the ferns and bramble, ducking under branches, feeling the thorns snagging on the fine voile of her dress.

"Diana!" She heard Mrs. Kendall call, too soon after she took off. Mrs. Kendall's voice became shriller as she shouted, "Diana, get back here this instance!"

"Lady Diana!" the driver echoed, his deeper voice carrying further than Mrs. Kendall's.

Diana panted, stumbling across the uneven ground and ducking between the bushes and trees. Knowing that she only had one chance, she pushed herself harder than she ever had, gasping for air. She knew Mrs. Kendall would not be able to catch her, but she did not know about the driver's level of fitness.

"Diana!" Mrs. Kendall called, her voice becoming fainter. "Diana!"

Heavy raindrops hit Diana's head, quickly running down her neck and shoulders. Despite the rain drenching her clothes and the thorns catching her skin, her soul felt lighter and lighter as she ran, as though her feet floated on clouds.

She was finally free .

Laughing with glee as she panted, she pushed her way under branches, down a ravine, deeper into the woods.

"Diana!" she heard one last time before a crush of thunder rolled overhead, grumbling like a giant, and the heavens opened, and the rain fell in torrents.

The forest swallowed her up as she ran, the rain soaking her clothes and the underbrush tearing at her skin. She ignored the pain, focusing only on putting as much distance as possible between herself and the carriage. She could hear Mrs. Kendall's shouts growing fainter behind her, but she did not dare look back.

Something about it all reminded her of how as a child she would run through the gardens and woods of Thornbridge. Even though she was in far more danger at that current moment, she almost felt like a child again. Almost better, she knew her mother or father would not be able to catch her ever again.

She stumbled over roots and rocks, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The rain fell harder, turning the ground to mud and making her progress even more difficult. But she did not stop. She could not stop. Her freedom depended on it.

Finally, she paused to catch her breath, leaning against a tree for support. She was soaked to the skin, her dress clinging to her wet parchment. Her thin shoes were soaked through to her feet, covered in mud. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she felt a thrill of exhilaration. She had done it. She had escaped.

But her relief was short-lived. She had no idea where she was or where she was going. The forest was vast and unfamiliar, and the storm showed no signs of letting up. She needed to find shelter and quickly.

Diana pushed on, deeper into the woods. The rain continued to fall in sheets, but she ignored it.

She was free, and that was all that mattered.