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She stiffened at the sound of his voice. He shoves a gag into her mouth. He drags her hands behind her back and started to tie them in place.

“You wouldn’t someone to hear us, now would you?”

“Why are you doing this?” she tried to ask around her gag, but the words were lost in the fabric.

“Do you have any idea how much you have humiliated me last night?” he snarled. “Who do you think you are to treat me like that after everything I’ve done for you?”

She felt herself start to tremble.

“Well, I’m going to get what I deserve from you one way or another, just you wait.”

She shook her head.

“Oh yes, if you’re precious William cares for you half as much as you seem to think he does, then he won’t hesitate to pay out a handsome ransom for you now will he?”

Disgust filled Rebecca. How could she be related, have been raised by such a wretched man?

How could someone be so despret for money that he could seel off his own daughter without hesitation.

Solomon let out a yell, hands releasing Rebecca so fast it was like they were never there in the first place.

She turned to see who was there and gasped.

CHAPTER 23

William was returning home just as his wife was leaving.

He frowned as he saw her slip from the house. There was something off about the way she was moving.

Not only that, but it didn’t seem like she was taking the carriage.

Unsure what else to do or why he had such a bad feeling when he saw her, William slipped into the crowd around her.

He followed her from a distance all the way to the park. As she made her way through the greenery he couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes seemed to scan the crowd for someone.

Then she stared moving with a purpose. She made her way over to the duck pond.

William thought about approaching her but hesitated. If she was in the middle of something, he didn’t want to interrupt her, but he couldn’t help the growing sense of wrongness he had as he watched her stand there.

After what felt like an eternity, she turned to go. William let out a sigh of relief, but before it could take root, something pulled her deep into the bushes.

“Rebecca!” he shouted, racing toward her.

The second he was close enough, he reached in, grabbing at whoever had forced her in there.

When he pulled the man out, rage filled him.

“I thought Rebecca told you we never wanted to see you again?” he snarled at Solomon. “Just what were you doing to her?”

Rebecca stumbled out of the bushes, pulling the fabric from her lips. “He was going to try and ransom me back to you,” she said.

“What kind of monster would do something like that to his own daughter?” he snapped before pulling back his fist and slamming it into his face.

The action drew the attention of other park goes.

Solomon was nothing if not resourceful. He took the opportunity to turn to the gathering crowd.

“Did you all see that? All I wanted was to protect my poor daughter from this awful man! I never should have agreed to this match. The way he mistreats her is too much to bear!”