The portly man squinted at her. “I don’t give rides to unescorted women.”
“Please,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “I was abducted. I need to get home.”
He grunted. “Likely story. Do you have any money?”
“No. But?—”
The driver cut her off. “No money, no ride!”
“Wait!” she pleaded. “I am Lady Westmere. If you take me to Mayfair, you will be rewarded.”
He scoffed. “A lady? In your state? Do you expect me to believe such a tale?”
She looked down. Her once-elegant gown was ruined. Mud clung to her ripped hem. Her hands were scraped. She likely looked mad.
But she stood straighter. “I swear it. I give you my word.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment too long, and she thought he might turn her away. But at last, he jerked his head. “Get in. Before I change my mind.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, nearly sobbing with relief.
The interior of the hackney was vile—stained seats, a sour stench—but she barely noticed. As the carriage began to move, she huddled low. Two men rushed out of the tavern’s side entrance, scanning the street. Searching.
She ducked further.
Each jostle of the hackney felt like an eternity, but finally, blessedly, she recognized the familiar curve of their street. Their townhouse. Home.
Before the coach even rolled to a full stop, she flung the door open and stepped out. A footman rushed down the steps, but she ignored him.
She had made it.
Then—
“Olivia!”
She turned her head to see Evander step out of their crested coach. He sprinted towards her and she barely had time to breathe before his arms wrapped around her, pulling her tight against him.
She relaxed into him. “I’m all right,” she whispered, though she wasn’t sure she believed it. All she knew was that she was home. In his arms. Where she belonged.
A sharp voice came from behind them. “Lady, I don’t have all day!” the hackney driver declared.
Olivia leaned back and explained, “I promised him a reward if he brought me home.”
Without hesitation, Evander pulled a velvet pouch from his coat and tossed it up. The man caught it mid-air.
“All this for me?” he asked, eyes wide.
“Thank you for bringing my wife home… to me,” Evander said, his voice full of emotion.
The man nodded and flicked his reins, disappearing down the street.
Evander turned back to her. His eyes searched hers. “How are you here?”
“I escaped.”
“Yes, I gathered that,” he said. “How?”
“I climbed through a window and down a tree.”
