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  Sofia started panicking. She wanted to start screaming, but her voice came out as silent. She tried again, again, again, until her voice managed to come back.

  “He..lp.. help.. HELP!” Sofia shouted. She started pulling, screaming, fighting against her restraints.

  “That’s no use you know.”

  There was a man, who just entered the shack. The man who had murdered her father. He sat down on a chair, next to her bed, that leaned towards one shorter leg.

  Sofia scrambled as far away from this man as her bonds would allow.

  “Who are you? Why are you doing this?” was all she could choke out.

  “My name,” the man sat on the end of the bed, “is Matthew.”

  Matthew. Matthew. The name rang in her mind.

  “Your father owed a lot of money.” The man moved an inch forward, towards her.

  Sofia scrambled back, her back against the wooden wall, her knees to her chin.

  She pulled and tugged. All she wanted was to be able to put her arms in front of her.

  “There’s no use struggling, no one will ever be able to find you,” Matthew said.

  “If you try to run away, you’ll die in this forest,” Matthew said. “There’s no one for hundreds of acres.”

  Sofia had no idea what to say. She started crying, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

  Matthew’s flat brown hair moved as he shook his head, side to side.

  “I’m not a bad man, really,” Matthew said. “This is your father’s fault.”

  “What did he do?” Sofia cried. She couldn’t believe that this was all her father’s fault. He was always so loving and caring, providing for her.

  “He started playing poker at a little den in London” Matthew said, grinning. Sofia had no idea how anyone could be so happy, looking at a crying woman. She had read about men like these. Charming men who took advantage of less skilled card players. She couldn’t believe her father would bet such huge sums. How could he be such a fool?

  “Just, just, just take me back to the manor, I’ll pay you, I will,” Sofia had no idea how she would. The duke might agree to, perhaps. Five hundred dollars was a lot of money, but Sofia knew it was just a drop in an ocean for a duke.

  “Not a chance my dear, I’m sorry. We’ll be travelling to another part of the country where you’ll work off your debt,” Matthew said.

  “My debt?” Sofia shouted, “The debt was my father’s!”

  “Keep telling yourself that my dear," Matthew shook his head.

  Chapter 9

  Duke’s Dismay

  Devon woke to the sound of his butler announcing it would soon be breakfast. When his butler came in to dress him he had shouted at the man to come get him at breakfast. He hadn’t been able to sleep the night before very well, so when he was awoken he was slightly irritable. His butler dressed him, and he strode purposefully towards the dining room. Seated were his Mother, his Sister, but not Rebecca. He turned to his butler, to ask if she still wasn’t well. Smith seemed to preempt his question.

  “Rebecca is nowhere to be found, Your Grace. Nothing was taken.”

  Devon frowned at Smith, involuntarily. He was dumbstruck.

  Where could she have gone?

  Devon sat at the table as one of the maids served him hot eggs on toast and a crumpet. He wasn’t very hungry, however. He was heartbroken. How could Rebecca have just up and left? He excused himself from the table, going to his study to think. Sitting in his leather chair, he looked around the familiar room. He was angry and upset. Why did she leave? Did he upset her? Then, he remembered the strange acting young man.

  Devon decided to get to the bottom of all this mystery once and for all. He walked back to the dining room where his Mother and Sister were seated.

  “Smith, have them bring the horses and carriage around,” Devon ordered. He rubbed his eyes slowly.

  “I’m going to see the Principal Officers,” Devon told his mother and sister. Emily looked up, with a surprised look on her face.

  “Whatever for?” she said, a piece of crumpet falling off her fork. The maids and butlers gossiped, but it seemed no one had told them.

  “Rebecca is gone, I’m worried about her.” He said, simply. He expected his mother to make a snide comment at that, but she didn’t.

  “That’s terrible” Emily said, with a shocked face.

  Devon agreed.

  ***

  The drive to the Principal Officer’s office on Bow Street in London seemed to take a very long time. Devon urged his driver to go quicker, but the young man informed him he was going as fast as possible. Once they were finally there, Devon asked to see the older officer. He was a thick waisted man with grey hair and a large mustache. He had seen the man at charity dinners, and it seemed the man knew him.

  “Your Grace, how can I help you?”

  Devon walked forward, “there’s been an incident,” he said.

  “There usually is,” the officer said, smiling.

  Devon shook his head, trying to clear it.

  “A girl, she called herself Rebecca, she came to stay, in the night. She wouldn’t tell me where she lived or where she was from and she seemed really upset.”

  The officer nodded. Devon took that to mean he should continue.

  “A couple of days later a man showed up, and she fainted, from fear I think. I asked him to leave shortly after that. He gave me a bad feeling. That same night she disappeared.”

  The officer nodded once again.

  “Do you have any more information about this incident?” He asked.

  Devon nodded, “Yes, I heard from one of my butlers that the village was talking of a rumor of two dead men near my estate that were found after the girl came.”

  The officer nodded again.

  “The dead man near your estate was named Arthur Kershaw and his driver, we are searching for his daughter in relation to the incident.” The officer reached into a drawer, bringing out a drawn picture. It was unmistakably Rebecca. The same dark hair, pale skin and green eyes.

  “Her name is actually Sofia. Sofia Kershaw.”

  Devon nodded. Sofia. It was a name as beautiful as her. He couldn’t believe that a woman as sweet as her could have murdered anybody.

  “It must have been that man, the one that caused her to faint, that killed her father,” Devon said passionately to the officer. The Principal Officer looked at him, obviously unmoved. Devon moved his hand to his waist to remove his coin purse.

  “Please, I need to find her, I am terribly worried.” He took out some money and handed it to the man, thrusting it at him. The man looked at it, then nodded.

  “I will send some people out to seek more information,” he then said. “I will send a boy to you the moment I hear news.”

  Devon nodded and left.

  He was terrified for Sofia. Sofia. The name repeated in his head.

  ***

  In the carriage, all he could do was worry. He was upset that Sofia had lied to him about her name and story, but she was obviously just terrified. He was far more upset. As the seconds passed he became firmer in his belief that there was no way Sofia could have murdered her father. He wished she had felt that she could have told him the truth, however.

  When he arrived home, he thanked his driver and immediately went to his study. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sofia and where she was, what she was doing. He was worrying himself into a giant mess. He decided that he needed something to eat. He shouted for his butler and had him go and find some food. He said he didn’t care what. The resulting sandwiches tasted like ash and dirt. Sometime in the afternoon his butler returned, with a boy in tow.

  “There’s been news, Your Grace,” the lad said. Devon went and closed the study door, sitting down in his chair.

  “Whatever is it?” he asked, desperately. Hopefully Sofia had been found, safely somewhere.

  “It turns out Sir Kershaw owned a lot of money in gambling debts, to a man named Matthew Norman.” Devon nodded
, eager for any news.

  “He is described as a charming man who often cheats men out of their money, by cheating at cards.”

  “Can you describe this man?”

  “He is described as of moderate height, young with flat brown hair. He has a slight mole on his nose that is hardly noticeable.”

  Devon looked at the boy reading from the paper, then put his head in his hands. He breathed in deeply. He didn’t want to have to say these words but utter them he did.

  “That… that was the man. The one who came to my house, my own home, to seek shelter.”

  The boy nodded. Devon handed him a small coin as a tip.

  “Please come back as soon as you can with more information.”

  Devon watched as the boy opened the door and left, walking quickly.

  ***

  Devon spent the rest of the night in his study. He tried to write letters to various people. He re-wrote a letter to Sir. Robert Galloway three times due to accidentally writing out his worries about Sofia. He went downstairs for dinner, which he dreaded. The first dish was soup which he ate quietly. Emily and his mother were terribly silent. Finally, after several awfully loud sips of soup, his mother broke the silence.

  “Any news, Alexander?” She said, in a soft voice. He had only ever heard her use that voice when he was sick as a child.

  “Rebecca’s real name is Sofia,” he said, flatly. Emily’s spoon made a crashing sound as it hit the bowl.

  “Sorry, sorry, slippery pregnancy hands,” Emily said, picking up her spoon again.

  There were a few seconds of silence before Devon took a deep breath.

  “Her father was murdered in front of her, for gambling debts. The man who murdered him was that charming young man who needed a place to stay.”

  There was silence. Devon stared into his soup. They would have needed to be told, eventually. He still couldn’t raise his eyes to meet theirs. He didn’t want to see the pity there.

  “I knew something was off about that boy,” Devon heard his mother say. It was like she had spoken through a tube. The words seemed to echo through his ears.

  There was another pause.

  Devon took another deep breath and picked his spoon up. He put his spoon in the bowl, lifting the soup to his mouth. He didn’t want to eat. He wanted to run, he wanted to find Sofia. He wanted to fix this situation, he wanted to express his feelings to her. He wanted to propose. He wanted a lot of things. Things he couldn’t have.

  Devon barely slept the night from worry. His bed was the finest silk, and a newly made mattress, yet he tossed and turned. He slept perhaps an hour. When he woke he had dark under-eyes and a depressed manner. He gave up on sleeping, walking to the kitchen. His crumpet was ash, yet again.

  When would he be able to taste food again?

  He had no idea.

  His walk to the study felt like a dream. He wished he could tell where Sofia was. He wished he had some magical ability to find her. Shortly after breakfast, while he was in his study, the butler came again.

  “Yes?” Devon said, standing to attention like a military man.

  “There’s a young man here, from the Bow Street Runner’s office.” Devon walked like a woman at the altar. He could barely keep his composure. Smith seemed to sense his impatience. Devon knew the butler knew far more than he did, Smith seemed to know everything. Devon knew that he never had any secrets in this house.

  When they reached the boy, Devon had to refrain from grabbing him and shaking him.

  “Yes? What’s the news?”

  “Hello, Your Grace,” the young boy said. Devon internally steamed.

  “There’s been news that Sofia Kershaw has been seen travelling west of London, with the man Matthew Norman.”

  That time Devon did step forward, holding the boy’s shoulders.

  “Are you sure? Very sure?”

  The boys’ eyes widened. Devon felt awful, taking a step backwards.

  “Yes, I’m sure Your Grace.”

  That was all Devon needed.

  He started running for the front door when he heard a scream.

  Chapter 10

  Emily

  Being raised in the same household, Devon knew what that scream meant. He ran to his sister’s room, leaving the boy with the butler.

  “Emily?” He screamed. He found her in the dining room, sitting with her hands on her stomach.

  “Emily, no.”

  Everyone was scrambled, seemingly worried. His mother was kneeling next to Emily, imparting womanly wisdom Devon guessed.

  “It’s okay,” his Mother said, looking at him, “this is okay.”

  The doctor came running, the chubby man looked almost implausible.

  “Emily? Okay, Okay, we’re going to walk to your room between contractions,” he said, standing next to her.

  Devon was torn. Should he stay with his sister or go after Sofia?

  The doctor held Emily’s hand, walking her slowly to her chambers. Devon walked beside his mother.

  “Mother,” he started, swallowing, “I just heard, Sofia… she…”

  Devon’s mother looked at him with sharp calculating eyes. He dreaded her displeasure.

  “Yes?” She questioned, her brows down over her eyes.

  “I heard she was seen travelling west, with the strange man who asked to stay.”

  Devon’s mother’s brows went even lower, if that was possible.

  Devon couldn’t believe the next thing that came out of his mother’s mouth.

  “Go, Alexander, I believe in you.”

  His eyes widened. She wanted him to go. Better yet, she knew what he had wanted before he even had to ask. He went up to Emily, slowly. She was walking, ever so slowly, hands on her stomach.

  “Emily?" he said, softly.

  “I must go. Sofia… she’s in trouble,” Devon said this with apprehension. What if Emily wanted him to stay?

  “I… I understand,” she said, walking. Devon couldn’t believe it. His sister, growing up, had been so emotional. Now, she seemed understanding. Devon looked at her, her hair slick with sweat. She looked up at him, too. The doctor still held her elbow, slowly making their way to her bedroom. She had had two children before this, so surely, she was prepared. Perhaps mentally if not physically. Her smile was crooked but with it she sent all her love. Devon could see that.

  He smiled at her as he went to the door. Despite all the struggles he faced he always had his family. He ran to the stables. One of the boys was there, his pitchfork moving in and out of the hay.

  “Henry!” Devon shouted, loudly. The boy turned around, a frown on his face. He scrambled to drop the pitchfork.

  “Your Grace,” he said, looking at Devon with a shocked look on his face. Devon had met the boy a few times before, in the last few years.

  “I need to take this old girl,” he said, pointing at a very healthy young mare. He didn’t care if he ran the horse into the dirt, he needed to find Sofia. The boy was visibly shocked, which was fair enough. He ran to get the saddle and bridle, blonde hair flapping as he ran.

  Devon could barely compose himself. He walked in circles, waiting for Henry to return. When the boy finally did, pulling the saddle and bridle onto the horse, Devon jumped on eagerly. He paused, for a second, turning over his shoulder to shout at the boy.

  “I’ll be back hopefully tonight.”

  He rode and rode and rode.

  He went west, following the main road from his property. He tried not to run the horse too hard, but he couldn’t help himself. Hours and hours passed, he worried about every fork in the road he came to. He saw an Inn doing a bustling trade, with a derelict house next to it. He always slowed down when he passed a building, lest he see something that raise his suspicion. This time it was the derelict building next to the inn that raised his suspicion.

  He thought for a second if he should keep going before he thought better of it. Worst come to worse, he would waste a few seconds. His horses were very well trained, so
when he dropped the reins they just munched on the grass. He ran inside the derelict building, expecting a dark empty room. What he didn’t expect was a dark empty room with a woman tied to the bedhead.

  “S... Sofia,” he said, his eyes adjusting to the dark.

  The figure looked up, quickly.

  “Devon?” The figure said. It was Sofia.

  Chapter 11

  Sofia’s Savior

  Sofia shrugged, rolling her shoulders. The bonds that held her arms had rubbed off her skin. Her arms ached, and she hadn’t been able to move them for hours. Matthew, the horrible man who had kidnapped her, had disappeared.

  She had spent her last few hours crying, wishing she was safe, at home, in her townhouse in London. The townhouse that was now gone. How could her father have done this to her? How could he have left her to this fate? She saw no way out of her current situation either.

  She didn’t know where she was going and worrying about it only made her feel even worse. She hoped that it wouldn’t be overseas. That thought terrified her. She had spent the night still strapped to the bedhead, falling asleep from time to time. When her head hit her shoulder she woke, her arms aching behind her back.

  She had no idea where Matthew was, she just hoped he wouldn’t return. Well, not really, because then she’d die tied to a headboard. Or so she thought.

  Sofia saw, in the doorway a figure. The sun streamed through the hole in the roof, but there was no lighting in the far corner. The man looked taller than Matthew, however.

  She started screaming, what would a stranger do if he saw her tied up here?

  The man walked forward, into the light.

  "Devon!" Sofia shouted, struggling against her bonds.

  "Sofia," he said quietly. He knew her real name. Sofia's stomach twisted like a bag of worms.

  How did he find out? How did he find her?

  Devon moved forward quickly, going to untangle the bonds that tied Sofia to the bed. She looked at his gorgeous face and thought in that moment no one had ever looked so beautiful. She was nearly free from her bonds, Devon frowned at the knot. In that moment he was pulled backwards, sharply.