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E vie was jostled awake. Opening her eyes produced a dull pain in her head.

“I’m glad you are back with us, Miss Spencer.”

The hideous masked face was swimming into view as Evie blinked several times to clear her vision.

“Who are you? What do you want with me?” she asked slowly, attempting to collect her scattered wits. “What was that vile stuff you pressed to my face?”

“Merely something to help you sleep.”

She couldn’t place his voice. Gruff. But then he was likely doing that so she didn’t recognize him.

“Now, you’ll forgive me for this, but needs must I’m afraid.”

“What are you—”

“We can’t have you taking in your surroundings,” he said, pressing a blindfold to her eyes. She couldn’t stop him, as her wrists were bound before her. Her wits may be slow, but her feet still worked. Evie lashed out with one and heard a satisfying grunt.

“Bitch!”

“Quiet!” a second voice said.

She was dragged out of the carriage and thrown over a shoulder. Then jostled as he walked. Nausea roiled around in her belly, and she could do nothing to stop the retching.

“Keep walking,” a voice said.

“She’s emptying her stomach down my back!”

Evie kept retching. She loathed being sick, but right then was rather happy to be doing so all over this horrid man.

She wasn’t sure how long they walked, but it felt like at least an hour.

Finally, Evie heard a sound, like a bolt being opened, and then the squeak of hinges.

More walking and then another bolt, and soon Evie felt herself falling.

She landed with a thud on something hard.

Someone then wrenched the blindfold from her eyes.

Leaping to her feet, Evie struck out with her bound hands.

Raising them, she connected with the man’s jaw, sending him backward.

Unfortunately, he stumbled back out through the open door.

“Close it!”

It slammed, and she heard someone secure the bolt.

Evie slammed her fists on the wood, which only resulted in them hurting and the door remaining shut.

“Damn you!” she roared. No one answered.

Her head felt clearer now, and her belly less queasy, likely due to the fact it had nothing in it, but the desperation clawed at her throat.

She had to get out of here, and back to Prue and their father. And Anthony.

Taking in her surroundings, Evie walked around the room. A narrow bed with a thick green coverlet. There was a dressing table with a hairbrush and ewer on top. A narrow wooden chair was pushed up to it.

Moving closer, Evie plunged her face into the water. The cold was a shock, but she needed that. Rising, she grabbed the drying cloth and blotted her face. Where was she?

There was a folded pile of clothing on a chair, and several shawls thrown over the back of it.

What was this place, and why did they bring her here?

Light coming through the window told her it was daylight, so she must have been in that carriage for some time.

Evie saw nothing but the sea below her. The Hampton estate had been a three-hour trip by carriage to the sea.

For those interested, there was a trip planned there for tomorrow. Prue had been so excited.

Evie pressed a hand to her mouth as she felt an overwhelming need to sit on the bed and weep. But there was no time for that now. She would give in to that later, when she had escaped.

Did anyone know by now that she was missing?

Anthony.

“No. I will not think about that cowardly man,” she said. But the pain of last night nearly dropped her to her knees. He’d touched her like she meant something to him. Held her as if she was made from spun glass and then pushed her away.

Damn you for a coward, Lord Hamilton.

The last words they’d spoken to each other were angry and hurtful. He would have to live with that, as would she… for as long as these people allowed her to.

No!

Even if Anthony was not brave enough to love her, she needed to survive this for Prue and their father. They relied on her, and she would not let them down. Her focus had to be on them.

The room wasn’t large, and she knew the man who’d carried her had walked for a while to reach where she was.

Think, Evie.

Pacing away, she walked slowly around the small room. Picking up the hairbrush she studied it. Silver with an intricate pattern, it had a long handle. Looking at the window again, Evie wondered if it would break the glass. But then if she made a noise, it may bring someone to investigate.

Moving closer she looked through the glass and saw water below. From her height Evie guessed there were likely cliffs beneath, and she would plunge to her death if she attempted to climb down them. But there could also be a ledge somewhere she could reach.

Grabbing two shawls, she went back to the window and lowered one onto the floor beneath.

The other she wrapped around the handle of the hairbrush.

Not easy work with her hands bound, but she was nothing if not determined.

She was about to strike at it with the handle when she heard footsteps.

Grabbing the shawls, she took them and the hairbrush back to the bed.

Sitting, Evie draped the shawls over her knees and dropped the hairbrush to the floor, kicking it with her heel under the bed.

The door swung open, and a man appeared in one of those terrifying masks.

“Miss Spencer, we thought you may be hungry after your trip.” He took a single step into the room, keeping his eyes on her. Wise man.

“Where am I? Why have you abducted me?”

He lowered the tray to the floor, just inside the door, and then backed away. Before he closed it again, he spoke once more.

“This will be your home for quite some time, Miss Spencer. I suggest you eat, as you will need your strength.” He then shut the door quietly, and she heard his laughter as he walked away.

She’d known, of course, that something nefarious was afoot. You didn’t steal someone away in the dead of night from a house party to make friends with them after all. But those words had a sinister threat behind them, she was sure of it.

“I’d rather die than be held against my will for the rest of my life,” Evie declared, getting off the bed.

But why did they want her? Did they think to ransom her and hope Anthony would pay well to get her back?

He would; she knew that. There was a good man under the cold facade. He’d shown that with the care he gave his aunts. Even if he was too much of a coward to come out of hiding and live with her.

Thinking about him hurt, so she pushed him aside again and dropped to her knees to look under the bed. The hairbrush had not gone too far thankfully. Hooking it out with her foot, she regained her feet. Her stomach then let out a loud rumble.

If she was to escape and find her way back to her family, then she must keep her strength up. Picking up the tray, Evie carried it back to the bed. There was something that looked like a beef stew and a slice of bread and jam. She ate the bread.

Evie then planned, which is what she did best. She worked through every option for escape, which, if she was honest, there weren’t many. When she was finished with the food and coming up with every scenario that may or may not happen, she took her supplies back to the window.

Wrapping the hairbrush, she then yelled “Let me out!” while smashing the handle into the window so no one heard. A crack formed, but it needed to be bigger if she was to look out and eventually climb through. Yelling again, this time she forced her elbow into the glass, and it shattered.

Taking one of the larger shards, Evie braced it between her knees, using it to saw through the ropes around her wrists.

It took time, and she nicked herself twice, but finally, her hands were free.

Tucking the glass into her bodice, she was about to clear away the glass from the sash, when she heard footsteps.

Dashing for the chair, she carried it back to the door.

Heart pounding, Evie watched it open, and a man stepped inside.

“What the—”

She raised the chair and swung at the back of his head. He crumpled to the floor.

Evie bent and began searching his pockets. Finding a large round ring holding keys, she pulled it out. She then pressed her fingers to his neck and felt his heartbeat. He may be a villain, but she had no wish for this man’s death to be on her hands.

Straightening, with her heart in her mouth, Evie walked to the door. Peering out, she saw no one. Stepping outside, she closed it softly. After trying several keys with trembling hands, she finally found the right one to lock it.

Looking to the right she saw a short hall and stairs. The left was a longer one with two more doors leading off it.

Which way should she go? She heard a sound then.

Was that someone weeping? Tiptoeing left, she reached the first door.

Someone inside that room was definitely crying.

Should she open it? Turning the handle slowly, Evie found it locked.

Did that mean whoever was behind this door was also being held against their will?

Evie couldn’t call out and risk someone hearing her, so she tried several keys in the lock until one fit. Pushing the door open, she looked inside.

Three young ladies were sitting, wide eyed and clearly terrified, on a bed, which was the only furniture in this room. Like hers had been, their hands were bound.

“Wh-who are you?” one of them asked.

“My name is Miss Evangeline Spencer. Are you being held here against your will?”

The girls nodded.

“What are your names?” Evie whispered moving closer.

“I’m Molly, and this is Hannah and Rachel.”

“Well, Molly, Hannah, and Rachel, I was being held against my will too, in the room next door. Now let’s get your hands untied so we can escape.

“How?” one girl asked.

“I don’t know, but we have to try. I, for one, refuse to simply sit about awaiting my fate.” She went to the one called Molly and worked on the ropes around her wrists. Then between them they got the other two free.

“Come along. We must make haste now.” Evie used her no-nonsense voice that rarely worked on Prue but that her father usually took note of.

“Are any of you hurt?” Evie asked as they got to their feet.

Molly shook her head. “They bring us food, but that’s it. I don’t know how many days I’ve been here,” she said.

“They’re planning something soon with us, but we don’t know what,” Hannah added. “We’ve heard chanting and other voices nearby. It’s right scary.”

“It matters not. We are leaving,” Evie said.

“You’re bleeding, miss,” Molly said. “Let me bind it.”

It was probably better not to leave a trail of blood, so she allowed Molly to tear strips off the hem of her undergarments and bind the cuts on her wrist. It took precious minutes, and Evie’s fear climbed. They had to leave before someone realized what she had done.

“Hurry,” she said, heading to the door when Molly had finished. “Follow me and walk as lightly as you can.”

“I can’t,” Rachel whispered. “What if—”

“Do you have family, Rachel?” She nodded tearfully. “And do you wish to see them again?” Evie asked.

“Y-yes.”

“Then you must be brave, because if you truly wish that, then we have to escape now.”

“She’s right,” Molly agreed.

Evie opened the door and walked left once more, hoping all three of the girls were following. Please, let this be the way out.

At the end of the hallway, there was another door. Evie tried several keys, each one making a noise that seemed loud in the enclosed space, until finally locating the right one.

“Brace yourselves to fight if need be.” Evie looked at the girls, and each nodded. “With everything you have,” she added. “Nails, feet, teeth, whatever you need, use it.” They nodded again, wide-eyed now. “We must escape, and this is our chance.”

Opening the door, she entered a large chamber. Holding up a hand, Evie searched and found no one in there, so she waved the girls inside, and locked the door behind them.

At one end of the room there was an altar.

Before that was a table with white candles on the floor ringing it.

She heard the girls gasp at the same time Evie realized this was some kind of place that people came to worship, and something was likely sacrificed on that table, because leather straps hung on either side.

“D-do you think this is where they would have brought us?” Molly whispered.

Evie did indeed think that, and the thought sent a chill down her spine. They would have suffered in many ways here, she realized.

“It’s evil I feel,” Hannah whispered.

“Come along.” Evie walked across the room to some steps. “We are leaving at once.” The staircase veered left and at the top she came to a narrow door. Searching again through the keys, she found the one that fit in the lock.

“Are you ready?” she whispered, and the girls all replied yes. Turning the key, she pushed the door open.

“I hear someone coming,” one of the girls whispered.

“Hurry!” Evie stepped through and ushered them behind her. She then shut and relocked the door.

“Run now, and don’t look back!”