Page 113 of Bound By the Duke

Inside the carriage, Aurelia, Hyacinth, and Nora held one another. Their skirts were tangled, and their hearts pounded with fear.

“God’s teeth,” Hyacinth muttered through clenched teeth, her eyes flashing. “The bastard dares?—”

But her anger only made the fear cling to them like the dew in the air. Fear of what these armed men could do to three helpless women.

The first rider jumped down, his boots hitting the ground with a loud thud. He was followed by another, and then another. As they moved closer, the leaves crunched louder.

Aurelia’s heart raced. She could hear her mother’s voice in her head, the countless lessons about dignity and composure. But there was no room for grace now.

There was only survival.

“We can’t stay inside,” she hissed. “We’ll be cornered.”

Hyacinth’s jaw tightened, but she nodded. “Then we fight.”

The carriage door burst open as the three women stumbled out. The air outside was cold. They backed up against the wall of the carriage, scanning their surroundings.

“Come quietly, ladies,” one of the men sneered. “You’ll make it easier for yourselves.”

“Easier?” Hyacinth spat, snatching up a fallen branch from the ground. “Takethis,you ox-headed brute!”

She swung with a force that surprised even herself, and the wood crashed against the man’s arm.

He cursed loudly, stumbling backward.

Aurelia looked around and reached for the first thing she saw. She yanked the iron lantern off the side of the carriage and flung it at one of the men. It missed his head by inches, crashing to the ground with a fiery spark.

“Stay back!” she shouted, her voice raw with desperation.

Nora was pale and shaking now. Still, she picked up a handful of stones and, with trembling hands, threw them one after the other. “Don’t touch us!”

The riders laughed mockingly, but every step they took was met with stones.

“I’ll make sure you limp back to your master, you pox-ridden dog,” Hyacinth spat as she made a quick bun with her hair.

Another rider laughed before reaching for Aurelia’s arms. She shrieked, tossing a rather sharp rock at him which caught him in the eye. He roared in pain, cradling his eye.

“You’ll regret that,” another snarled.

“Come closer,” Aurelia growled, fire blazing in her eyes. “And see if I don’t gouge your eyes out to match your friend’s.”

The woods erupted in chaos. The ladies fought the riders like cornered lionesses, swinging at them with every ounce of their strength.

Amid the confusion, Sir Edmund darted forward and wrapped his arm around Nora’s waist. She screamed, the sound splitting the air as he pulled her back against him.

Aurelia’s gaze snapped to them. “No!”

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

Hyacinth spun at the sight, but she was too late to stop him.

As Nora tried to kick and bite Sir Edmund to no avail, Aurelia’s vision blurred.

Not her. Not Nora. Not my sister.

A strangled scream tore from her throat, and she lunged at him. Her fist struck his jaw with startling force. “Let her go!”

The impact was so strong that his head snapped to the side. For one glorious moment, Aurelia believed she could yank her sister free.