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Groaning, she let her head hang back down, endeavoring to appear as pathetic as she could. Sadly, it took very little effort.
“There now. Better.” The man sounded very satisfied. Lily lifted her head again, much more slowly, and peeked at her captor through thick lashes. The inside of the cottage was gloomy, and his back was to the only open window, which made him hard to see. The light coming in through the window was not very strong, as if the trees were blocking the sun, or perhaps clouds had rolled in front of it. Possibly both.
It appeared he was still wearing the hat and scarf, though he had pulled the scarf down to cover just under his chin and below. With the poor lighting, she could not see his face any better than she had when he’d accosted her carriage.
Keeping her movements slow, Lily looked around the room. The cottage was sparsely furnished and dusty but showed signs of use, not completely abandoned. A hunter’s cottage? There was a table and chairs by the window with drawn curtains, a small stove, cupboard and drawers, and even a bed. Lily turned away from the bed, her blood-chilling. So far, her kidnapper had shown no interest in actually ruining her, but she could hardly forget the possibility was there.
Moving to shelves along the far wall, the villain had his back turned to her while he opened a box. Lily immediately pulled at the ropes around her wrists, testing how much give they had. She mentally blessed Evie, who had prepared her friends for all sorts of eventualities. Not just boxing and shooting, but things they thought would never happen to them—like being tied up with rope.
The highwayman had only tied her wrists, and while it was tight enough, he’d used a thick rope that had more give than some she’d gotten out of in the past. It had been a while since she’d practiced, but she was sure she could work herself free if given a chance.
When he turned back around, she froze, watching him warily, but he did not glance up at her as he settled down at the table. In profile, when he was walking, she could see his hawkish nose and dark brows, but when he sat at the table, he did so with his back to the window, putting his entire face in shadow. It felt ominous, so she did her best to press her arms behind her back, pulling and stretching the ropes around her wrists without being obvious.
“Well, Miss Davies, I have a few questions for you.” He placed the items he’d gotten from the box on the shelf in front of him, smoothing his hands over the paper and setting the pen against it before looking up at her.
Lily froze as several pertinent facts hit home.
He knew her name.
He spoke like a nobleman.
He wanted her to answer questions.
And he was not writing a ransom note.
She might be in more dire straits than she’d realized.
ChapterFour
Nathan
The biggest problem with the road was all the damn trails that went off into the woods. Thankfully, after a previous mission, he knew which ones actually led to something useful and which ones did not, but that meant there were plenty of cottages and small shelters that would be the perfect spot to hide from notice. He had already checked two of them and was wondering if the continuous stops would bear fruit or if he was falling farther and farther behind Miss Davies.
The storm clouds were getting closer, and soon, he would soon be forced to stop and take shelter if that continued.
At the next path, he paused and stared down at the ground. The dirt on the path was stirred. The oncoming storm would wipe away any traces once it passed, but for now, he could see someone had gone down it. Recently.
Turning Merlin’s head, he followed the path into the woods. It was not a very long path, but the cottage was set back well away from the road. Overhead, the sky was becoming darker. Even if Miss Davies was not here, he would need to take shelter. Approaching the cottage, he could see a small, covered shelter off to the right, which served as a kind of stable. The doors were open, and a horse was inside, still saddled.
Nathan turned Merlin back. He would return for the horse, but right now, discretion was the most important thing. He needed to know what was happening in that cottage and who was inside before they were aware of his presence. Just in case. An overabundance of caution had never done him any harm.
Merlin whickered, unhappy to be left in the woods.
“Shh.” Nathan patted the stallion’s neck. “I will be back, and I promise you will get a reward for today’s work, regardless of how it turns out.”
As if he understood, Merlin made another noise, sounding a bit like a grumble. Nathan patted him again and took off through the woods, staying off the path in case anyone came out of the front door. Making his way around the cottage, he was aware of the skies darkening overhead, but he would rather be caught in a bit of rain than by the enemy.
* * *
Lily
“What do you know of the Earl of Devon?”
The line of questions the highwayman, if that was what he was, was taking her down did not make sense. On the other hand, none of them had seemed harmful. So far, he had wanted to know her relationship with the Marquess of Camden and his sons—they were neighbors, and her friend Josie was married to the eldest—and a list of her correspondents, as well as how often she wrote them. Then he suddenly veered to asking about the earl, which had nothing to do with anything.
“His Christian name is Lucas Beckett. He is a rogue with few marriage prospects despite his title and will likely need to marry for money, if and when he does wed.” The words slid off her tongue. Debutantes were supposed to know such things, though the only reason Lily had bothered to learn anything about the man was, at one time, he had been their suspect for the traitor they were hunting. “Close friend of the Marquess of Hartford and currently residing in France.”
“Have you had any communications with him?”
