by Aria Norton
Alba swept her skirts to the side as she left the room, feeling that nothing could stop her now. Half an hour later, she returned to see if Aurora had awakened, only to find the ropes lying where the woman had been. Alba let out a low scream, kicking a broken chair.
“Foolish, foolish woman! How dare she spoil my plan?”
She shouted for her henchman, hardly able to contain her anger. How had the woman escaped? Alba had guards stationed all over the property, for goodness sakes! Her men filed in, their eyes growing wide when they noticed the ropes sitting on their own.
“Where’s the girl?” Jeffrey asked, scratching his scraggly beard.
“What does it look like?” she hissed, watching them flinch. “I don’t care how she escaped; I just want her found right now, do you hear me? Have some of the men watch Lydia’s house; Aurora might try to go there.”
Her men nodded, tripping over themselves as they ran out of the room to do her bidding. Alba kicked another chair, muttering an expletive. Carlos was on his way, and his little wife was nowhere to be found. What was she supposed to do now?
“I need another plan if Aurora is not located soon. But what?”
Alba had to do damage control, and she had to do it fast.
Chapter 23
The minute his horse stepped outside London’s boundary, Carlos began searching for the abandoned building Alba had described. His aunt had not said much about it in the way that would make the building stand out to him, but how many abandoned buildings could there be?
“I could kick myself for not paying better attention to the area. What if there are several buildings? Will I have to go through each one until I find Aurora?”
If that’s what he had to do, then he would do it. He would be lucky if Alba made it easier for him by placing something that he would recognise outside the building, but he wasn’t holding his breath. It would be in keeping with her nature to make his search challenging. There was no assurance that Aurora would be where his aunt had indicated, but Carlos was fresh out of options.
“I’m at the mercy of my insane aunt and forced to follow her instructions in the hope that she keeps her word.”
Did diabolical murderers keep their word? Carlos had no idea. He had kept his word and sent a letter to his father the same day Aurora had been kidnapped. Carlos had no doubt that Alba would have seen it and known that he would be on his way to find Aurora the very next day.
He had opted out of taking the carriage or phaeton as they would have slowed him down and annoyed him.
“The servants were far too curious about my early departure, but I cannot blame them. Aurora didn’t return from her walk, and they have obviously noticed.”
Not wanting to go into any details for fear that it would jeopardise Aurora’s safety, Carlos had simply told them that he was going to fetch her and would be back later. He had even told them to prepare all her favourite dishes because she would be hungry.
“I doubt that Alba has fed her. She seems to enjoy inflicting pain on others.”
Carlos didn’t know if it was wise to bring Aurora back to the townhouse, but going home would be too far in her weakened and frightened state. As soon as she was well enough to travel, they would go back home and decide on their next move. He favoured leaving England and heading to South America for a year or so, but that would break the promise he had made to the baron.
“I can’t take her out of the country, which narrows our options down to almost nothing.”
Unless he hid his wife and mother away until he felt they were safe from Alba? But what kind of life would that be?
“No life at all. Lydia would likely want to confront Alba. It seems that her courage has grown with age, and if she finds out about what Alba did, then all hell will break loose.”
Unfortunately, Lydia was no match for Alba’s evilness. Carlos had to protect the women in his life at all cost, even if it meant going against them.
As he continued to have this conversation with himself, Carlos struggled to keep his fear at bay. It threatened to overwhelm him, but this was not the time to let his emotions cloud his thinking.
“I have never been this scared in my life! I can almost taste it.”
Or was that the bit of blood he had drawn when he had accidentally bitten his tongue after urging his horse into a manic pace? Either way, it was unpleasant.
About twenty minutes later, he noticed a derelict building to his left. It was the only one he could see, and it was the first one out of London. Could this be the one Alba had spoken of?
“Dear Lord, I hope so.”
Slowing the horse’s pace, Carlos drew up to the building, seeing that it was definitely abandoned. Surely, this had to be it? It fit the brief description from Alba’s note. He brought his horse to a stop, jumped down, and tied it to a nearby tree. No one seemed to be about, but they could all be inside waiting to ambush him. It had occurred to Carlos that this was a trap to get him alone and do away with him, but his gut had told him that Alba would not kill him. Yet.
Entering the building through the door-less entrance, Carlos kept a watchful eye for an ambush. He was fairly certain that Alba wouldn’t attack him, but one could never be confident in these situations. There was always some unpredictability to be prepared for, which was why he concealed a pistol in his inside pocket. You can never be too careful, not when walking into the lion’s den.
Doing a sweep of the area, Carlos found no one.
“Hello?”
Nothing. Was this the wrong building? He noticed two doors leading to other parts of the building and decided to look through them. The first door was hard to open, so Carlos had to nudge it with his shoulder before it gave way. Nearly toppling into the room, he found it filled to the brim with junk.
“Hello? Aurora?”
Carlos listened for any type of sound, even a muffle, but there was nothing. A sinking feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. Alba had said that the abandoned building was outside of London, and this was the first one Carlos had seen. Had the woman lied to him? There was still one more room to search, but he had a strong feeling that Aurora would not be there.
“Don’t lose hope yet,” he cautioned himself. “I could be in the wrong building, or maybe she’s asleep in the other room.”
Carlos hoped that the latter was true. He took his time getting to the second door, and instead of opening it, he stared at it.
“I’m losing precious time, but I’m afraid of what I’ll find behind this door. Will it be nothing? Will it be Aurora?”
It was amazing how fear could render a man useless. Carlos could now understand why some people panicked or froze in the face of fear.
“Open it, you fool! Aurora needs you.”
He jerked forward, his hand fumbling for the doorknob. It came away in his hand, but fortunately, the door opened slightly. Carlos pushed it, finding furniture in various stages of brokenness. His eyes searched the room, quickly falling on ropes lying on the floor. Nestled in the ropes was another note that looked like the one he had received yesterday. Carlos cupped his hands over his mouth, closing his eyes. Alba had obviously been here at one point, and so had Aurora. Why had they moved her? Dropping his arms to his sides, Carlos stared at the letter.
“What now? Is Alba doing this to torture me?”
There was only one way to find out. He took the note, cursing when he read its contents. Every word filled Carlos with hopelessness, dropping him to his knees.
Dearest Nephew,
As you would have guessed by now, I have changed my plans. You see, I do not feel that I can trust you. I have moved your wife to another location, but do not worry- she is safe.
Unfortunately, I do have to separate you since I am not confident that you will not try to contact your father once Aurora is safely in your arms again. I know it must be terrible being separated from your wife, but just think how I would have felt being separated from your father after nearly twenty-eight years of marriage.
I need y
ou to go home, take Lydia, and get out of the country. I do not care where you go, as long as you are nowhere near Tomas. Once I have received word that you have followed my instructions, I will return Aurora to her family. The poor dear has no notion of what is happening and will perhaps think that you have abandoned her. This is the price you have to pay for your foolishness.
Do not tarry in fulfilling my wishes. The sooner you leave, the sooner Aurora will be released.
Sincerely,
Your Dearest Aunt
A painful knot twisted within him, leaving Carlos gasping for air. Falling forward, he managed to put one hand out just in time to keep his face from hitting the old floorboards. His other hand gripped his belly, pushing against the gut-wrenching feeling tearing him apart. It was unlike anything Carlos had ever experienced. He was never going to see Aurora again, and it was all his fault.
Alba may have been the one to kidnap her, but the fact remained that he was the reason behind it all. Unable to handle it, Carlos let out a guttural shout, letting all his emotions out in that one cry until he grew hoarse. Spent, he sat back on his haunches, his eyes closed as he tilted his head back. One lone tear fell and trickled down his face as he conjured up the memory of Aurora’s face.
“I’m so sorry; I’m so sorry.”
She would never know how much he loved her, that he would gladly lay down his life for her just to see her happy and safe. The thought of leaving Aurora filled Carlos with dread, but there was nothing he could do.
“I have to set aside my needs and my desire to protect her.”
It had been his desires that had put her in this situation in the first place. Carlos knew that he could never forgive himself for all he had put Aurora through, but at least he knew that she would return to her childhood home and regain her freedom.
“I should have never taken her away.”
Carlos briefly wondered if Alba would keep her word, but she probably knew that if a hair on Aurora’s head was harmed, he would come after her. He rose to his feet with some difficulty, feeling as though there was lead in his legs. He needed to return to the townhouse, quickly set things in order, and go home before evening. What was he going to say to Lydia?
“I guess I’ll have the entire journey to figure that out.”
When Carlos returned home, he immediately went in search of Lydia. She would be the most challenging hurdle to overcome since she wasn’t so easily fooled. He found her sipping tea in the parlour and immediately a smile lit up her face.
“Carlos! I did not expect you back so soon. How was London?” His mother stood up, faltering when she took a step forward. She must have noticed the look of dread he had been unable to hide since discovering that he would never see his wife again. “Where is Aurora?” Lydia looked behind him, frowning. “Is she still in the carriage?”
Carlos decided to get to the point. “We need to leave, Mother. Please, pack your bags, but only the necessities. Whatever else you need, we’ll get later.”
“Leave? But where are we going? And where is Aurora?”
“We have to leave England.”
Confusion clouded her eyes. “You are not making sense, hijo. Why do we need to leave England? Where is your wife?”
The last question was said with such fear that Carlos’ emotions so hard to control threatened to surface. Swallowing hard, he fought for composure. I will have to lie to her, or she will never go with me. Knowing that he would never see Aurora again had just about killed him; he could not afford to lose his adoptive mother as well.
“Being in London proved to me that it would never work out between us. Aurora resents me for taking her freedom, and I am tired of doing all that I can to please her. I have sent her home to where she belongs.”
“You what?” Lydia screeched. “You cannot marry someone and then decide to put them away when things become challenging, Carlos. You need to fetch her right now.”
Carlos shook his head. “What’s done is done, Mother. Aurora is better off without me. There is nothing we can do about this matter now, yes? We must move on.”
“But–”
“Please,” he pleaded. “You are all I have left. Do not deny me this.”
Lydia looked at him for some time, her eyes searching his. Finally, she nodded. “I will pack. Where you go, I go.”
Relief lightened the darkness within him. “We leave at first light.”
The sooner they left, the sooner Aurora would be safe with her family.
Chapter 24
Aurora cried in relief when she saw Lydia’s house. She had been walking for hours and felt tired, dirty, and famished. Looking around, Aurora searched for the henchmen she knew were right on her heels. Escaping Alba had not been easy, but pure determination had given Aurora the strength and courage to get out of her kidnapper’s clutches. The countess had evidently not thought about where she had decided to put Aurora because there had been several sharp edges within her reach. While she had listened to the woman rant and rave while pretending to be still unconscious, she had been thinking about a way out.
“I never thought that learning to control my breathing would be so useful.”
Aurora had had to slow her breathing until it appeared that she was sleeping when in fact, she was wide awake and listening to every word the countess said.
“I never would have guessed that she was so evil. She seemed so nice.”
There were still some things that Aurora could not understand. One of those was Carlos’ link to the count. Alba had said that her husband was Carlos’ father and that she had killed his mother. Carlos had told her about his mother passing away soon after his birth and being raised by Lydia, but this story that Alba had spoken of seemed far-fetched.
“I suppose I will only know the truth once I speak to Carlos. Perhaps he can make better sense of it.”
As far as Aurora knew, Carlos was a commoner and not the son of a count. Surely he would have mentioned something this important?
“Not many people would want to hide such a thing, least of all him.”
Aurora knew that one of the reasons Carlos had married her was for the perks of her father’s social standing. There were other reasons that she had not yet figured out, but she believed that she would in time.
“I suppose I do not mind Carlos using my father’s influence to further himself. He must have his reasons. He has been a kind husband and has given me as much freedom as I wish.”
He had even shown her sincere concern, but she had thrown that back in his face, hadn’t she?
“And I was promptly kidnapped for it. Alba was clearly using me as leverage, but I cannot understand why.”
Her head still hurt from the hard blow she had suffered some days ago, and it had left her memory fuzzy. The countess had also been speaking in rapid Spanish, and while Aurora’s command of the language was excellent, she had struggled to understand everything the woman had been saying.
“I am confident Carlos will clear up any misunderstandings. The countess is probably mistaken in her thinking, although she did specifically mention Carlos and Lydia.”
Alba had even called Carlos her nephew, but how was that possible?
“Perhaps she has lost her mind.”
The evil deeds the woman had mentioned certainly made it seem that the countess was touched in her upperworks.
“Well, I managed to escape her and find a farmer willing to let me ride with him until the next town.”
