Page 1 of When the Duke Met His Match

Chapter One

ODETTE

Odette couldn’t shake the feeling she was being followed.

It began the moment she stepped into the packed marketplace, bustling with merchants and their goods, along with those who perused their stands.

Odette glanced over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowd, not staying in one place for too long. She had to keep going or risk being caught.

She dodged a cart full of flourishing cabbages, and the man pushing it gave her an irritated look. She gave him a sympathetic look, unable to offer an adequate apology for nearly knocking his merchandise over.

Odette's heart clenched as she caught a glimpse of blue fabric embroidered with delicate silver accents and adorned with shimmering gold ornaments that sparkled in the sunlight. Despite the rapid pounding of her heart, she urged herself to breathe steadily and steeled her nerves. With a determined step, she continued moving forward.

Pushing through the endless sea of people, Odette didn’t utter a single apology to any of them. There was no time, not while the English soldier was surely on her trail.

No matter how she pivoted or diverted from her original path, she couldn’t seem to shake him.

He’s a persistent one, she thought to herself as she swerved around a young woman with a child clung to her skirts, paying them no mind. With another look over her shoulder, Odette saw the soldier’s face—built hard like stone and stitched with determination.

Quickening her steps, Odette planned to lose him one way or another. She moved between two stands and hid behind a group of particularly tall men. Her shoes scuffed against the cobblestone and took her as fast as possible without causing too much alarm.

Hoping it had done the trick, Odette chanced another peek over her shoulder and gasped when the soldier advanced his pace too. He was much closer than she liked.

Urgently, Odette focused only on getting away. Her vision narrowed as if she were peering through a tunnel, not looking at the faces of those she squeezed through. She couldn’t spare even a second of her time.

Her pulse thundered in her ears, an alarm she could only hear. She wasn’t one to avoid all dangerous or compromising moments for her own sake, for grazing unlawful situations often gave her a thrill, yet that instance was more nerve-wracking than she bargained for.

With a thick wad of money carefully wrapped and hidden beneath the fabric of her modest dress, Odette needed to be careful. She couldn’t be caught, not when others were depending on her to make it.

Just a little farther, Odette reminded herself even as her lungs burned from forcing her unsteady legs onward.

If they managed to catch her, Odette could only imagine the horrid things they would do with her—a financier to a group of French rebel countrymen, and a woman no less.

Pictures of being captured for answers, sent away by ship to another continent and forever labeled a traitor, or even being strung up in the streets for all to see flashed in her mind, and Odette was determined to maintain her freedom. She needed to be careful.

She had taken the same route to the drop-off point countless times before, but something felt different now. The blue coat that lingered behind her wasn’t a coincidence. She was certainly being followed whether she could stomach it or not.

Odette broke into an open space in the street and released a shaky breath. She eyed her surroundings, only to find the same soldier hot on her trail.

“You there!”

Odette’s skin ran cold at the man’s voice, certain it was directed at her. Others turned to look at the scene, but there was no time. She had to save her skin before it was too late.

Keeping her head low, Odette abandoned all discretion and ran. She shoved through the busiest portion of the marketplace, not stopping despite how her body begged her to. While the extra fabric of her dress felt cumbersome, Odette never let it stop her.

“I command you to stop where you are!”

The voice felt like cold hands against the back of her neck, dragging Odette down to her eternal punishment. While it terrified her beyond belief, it only made her feet move faster, as swiftly as she could manage.

More voices carried across the marketplace, aware of Odette and the chase. She had been spotted, and stealth was beyond her then. She had no choice but to get away while she had the chance, even if the window of opportunity was closing quickly.

Sucking in a deep breath, Odette ran down the street, not caring who saw her. She turned corner after corner, head full of every fear that chased her like the soldier. She imagined more had gathered with him, after her like a pack of wolves.

Before long, she would run out of places to turn and need to rely on her quick wit. Weaving through the throngs of people with arms full of goods or their children’s hands in theirs, her eyes darted around the space, looking for any chance of getting away. She needed a strategy, even if everything was developing far faster than she could think.

Spotting a narrow alley shrouded with darkness, Odette knew her options were abysmal. Veering to the right, she cut through civilians approaching her, stirring a commotion. It had to work.

Her feet hammered down the alleyway, arms pumping as hard as she could. Her heart ran faster than it ever had, and she wondered how much more it could take before it gave out between the fear and exertion.