Page 75 of The Duchess and the Beast
“No.” He shook his head intently. “Not like these...” Sebastian studied the tracks with the precision of a veteran soldier—observing their spacing, the depth of their indentations in the mud, and the direction they pointed. Every detail painted a picture only he could read clearly.
“I still contend we should inspect the house first. It is, by all accounts, the most secure structure—if your suspicions are founded, surely they will be holding her captive within its walls,” Prescott suggested.
Sebastian clicked his tongue in frustration, loath to divert time to explanations wheneverymoment counted. Yet, he understood the necessity of convincing his makeshift troop of his reasoning. They must see he was not leading them on a fool’s errand.
“Look here.” He beckoned Prescott closer, and then, noticing Justine hanging back, looking distinctly uncomfortable, Sebastian shot him a stern glare. It did little to get the man to join them, but Prescott would suffice for now. “Notice carriage tracks heading down that direction and another set returning. Fresh mud, soft, kicked up by hooves. Loose grass in the indents too. There are not many houses down this way, so leading to a stables or barn, perhaps?”
“Marvelous. Carriage tracks that may lead to a stables or barn. What are the chances?” Prescott added wryly. “Perhaps we’ll find a carriage or two to accompany them.”
Sebastian shot the lordling a glare. “Do you have any better ideas?” he hissed.
Prescott rolled his eyes, pointing a short distance away. “As I have stated innumerable times, we should check the house first.”
“A house that belongs to neither Wellington nor Ralph.”
“But seemingly the only structure in a five-hundred-yard radius. But no, instead, you would rather have us prancing about for the last three hours based on intuition, and the chance we may come across a—”
“Found it!” Justine’s voice abruptly perked up from a distance away.
Sebastian spun to face the man who had trodden a couple hundred yards or so ahead. “Found what?” he yelled back.
“The carriage. And a barn too!”
The two of them rushed to join the man, and indeed, as they turned a corner a little lengths away from the house, they came across a carriage and a diminutive barn.
“Perhaps you did not have us prancing about after all. Fresh footprints to the barn and the house…” Prescott whispered. Without a moment’s pause, Sebastian made to beeline straight for the structure, until the lordling hastened toward him and held him back at the last second. “Now hold on a moment. This could be a trap. Besides, if they indeed had Virtue with them, should there not be three sets of footprints to accompany the carriage?’
“By the carriage, there were three,” Sebastian explained impatiently, indicating behind him where the carriage had been abandoned. “But from the way the heather and gorse were flattened, it looks as if Virtue fell to the ground. That is where her trail ends. But here—” Again, he crouched as he gestured to the sets of footprints. “See how these sit lower in the mud than these. That implies one of two things. One, that whoever made them was larger than the other. Heavier—”
“And you deduced all that in a few moments?” Prescott murmured in awe.
“More or less.”
“Maybe he was?” Prescott added.
“Maybe hewaswhat?”
“Maybe the man was… heavier?”
“Wellington?” Sebastian scoffed. “No. The man was as slender as a sapling. The footprints match his size, but not the weight. My guess? He was carrying something heavy. Or someone...”
“Ah...” Lord Prescott nodded slowly, a flicker of realization crossing his face. “He carried Virtue to the barn?”
“It appears so. And if that is indeed the case… it would imply Ralph too is involved.” Sebastian pushed his hands into his knees and stood, turning his body to follow the tracks and pointing down the path. “Whether she remains there now, we shall soon discover. But he carried her there, I am certain of it.”
“So we skip the house then?” Justine asked nervously.
“No. The two of you should take the house, lest they have been camping out for us and set up a trap. A set of footprints lead there too. I’ll follow these tracks. We will cover muchmore ground that way and allow room for error.” A nod of confirmation. “And I’ll also see where the rest of these tracks lead. There is a chance that they go beyond the barn, into the surrounding forest. But somehow, I deem it unlikely.”
“And why would that be?”
“Know your enemy,” Sebastian replied with a steely tone. “Wellington and Ralph would prefer a secure location—a forest presents too many variables, too many chances for escape. It offers concealment and shelter, ideal for someone fleeing. No, they would choose the barn or the house. They are sheltered from the elements, secluded, with one-way exits, and suitable places to detain someone while they…” He swallowed the lump in his throat, not daring to finish the sentence. Not even wanting to think it.
“Right.” Lord Prescott drew his pistol with resolve, glancing at Justine. “To the house, then?”
“And for myself, the barn,” confirmed Sebastian, drawing his saber and fixing his gaze on Justine and Prescott.
But then, something happened. A flash of a memory. From a decade ago at war. Sebastian had been in this precise spot. He had scouted ahead alone. Only for everything to backfire as he found himself strolling headfirst into an enemy ambush. His gut twisted, and before Prescott and Justine could walk away, he heaved the men back. “No. No, something is off. Abandon the house. I will approach the stables from the front. Wait precisely two minutes, then follow. Be prepared for anything.”