“You need to stay off that ankle,” he replied. “Will you be alright for a minute? I want to see if I can catch up with that carriage.” Upon receiving her nod, he turned and vaulted into the saddle, but paused long enough to point one long finger at her. “Go inside and get warm. I will come back to help you get the boot off that foot. I shouldn’t be long.”
She opened her mouth to speak only to watch him wheel his horse around and race out of the driveway. With a sigh, she turned around and went inside.
Ben raced down the lane as fast as he dared given the wet conditions, and scoured the lanes surrounding the property for any sign of the black carriage. He stopped once or twice to listen, but couldn’t see, or hear, the reckless road user who had nearly claimed victims for the second time that day.
“Damn it to hell,” he growled when he had gone as far as he dared given the thunderstorm was now directly overhead. It was incredibly foolish to be outside still with the damned thing so close, and so turned and headed back to Beatrice’s house. He almost wished that the carriage would pass by again, because he knew that the cretin wouldn’t get away for a second time. Still, at least the thunderstorm, and Beatrice’s foot, gave him a perfect excuse to stay with her for a little while longer.
Although it was a struggle for Beatrice to get inside by herself, at least she only had to manage a few feet rather than nearly a mile. Still, she was panting heavily by the time she hopped and sidled through the front door into the blessedly dry interior of the house.
As the front door closed, a jagged streak of lightning lit the sky outside. She winced and hoped that Ben was alright, and Maud had the wisdom to remain at her friend’s house. It was something of a relief to be able to get home at last. However, now that she was here she was a little disconcerted at what she found.
Rather than being warm and welcoming as expected, the house felt incredibly cold and empty. She shivered and, in spite of it being soaked, drew her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she studied the darkened interior of the hallway. Logic told her that it was dark inside the house because of the thunderstorm that raged outside. Unfortunately, that didn’t help her control the feeling that the house felt as though it was waiting for something sinister to happen.
Don’t be a fool, there is nothing wrong. This is home, she chastised herself sternly as she shuffled and hopped her way into the sitting room to light the fire. It was difficult to kneel down to light it given that her ankle throbbed mercilessly but, if she didn’t get some warmth into the room, then her ankle was going to be the least of her problems.
It took too long to get her shaking hands to light the spill but she eventually managed it, and sat back to enjoy the warmth of the roaring flames for several moments while she contemplated whether to try to get upstairs to change her clothes.
Suddenly, a dull thud in the hallway broke the silence. Her heart leapt into her throat and she turned her head to stare in horror at the sitting room doorway. She wished now that she had taken a moment to light a candle out there because there were too many shadows for her liking.
“Hello?” Beatrice called. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when silence greeted her. “Who is there?”
Her stomach churned at the thought that she might not be alone in the house, and she silently pushed to her feet. She took a moment to carefully slide a heavy iron poker out of the pot beside the fire before she turned back around to face the hallway. Her ears were tuned to any sound of movement, but she could hear nothing except the frantic hammering of her own heart. Was she being foolish? Was her imagination running wild because of the fright she had earlier?
When she finally made it to the hallway, she studied the doors leading to various parts of the house, and hefted the poker higher while she listened for the strange noise again.
“Is anyone there?”
CHAPTER THREE
Several loud thumps suddenly landed on the front door. She screamed and clutched a hand to her racing heart while she stared in horror at the door and tried to decide what to do.
“Who is it?” She stood frozen in horror as she waited.
“It’s Ben. Beatrice? Are you alright?”
Beatrice quickly propped the poker against the wall, and stumbled awkwardly to the door where she yanked it open with such an overwhelming wave of relief that she almost wept.
“Thank heavens you are here,” she murmured fervently as she waved him inside.
“Are you alright darling? What is it? What’s wrong?” He frowned at the sight of the paleness in her cheeks and studied the empty hallway behind her in alarm.
“I just thought that I heard something, that’s all,” she replied, and felt rather foolish for being so skittish. The sight of him so tall and strong, even if soaking wet, was so wonderfully reassuring that she had to fight to keep the tears at bay as she closed the door behind him.
“I am sorry, I just –” She frowned down at the package he held in his hand. “What’s that?”
“I don’t know,” Ben replied and nodded to a spot just beside the door. “It was on the doorstep.”
“Here?” She glanced at him with a frown. “Are you sure?” The words were out before she could prevent them and she smiled ruefully when he threw her a teasing look.
“Maybe you missed it when you got here,” he suggested helpfully.
“I could have sworn it wasn’t there when I got here a few minutes ago,” she murmured. “I would have seen it, I am sure.”
“Maybe it was delivered between when you got home and I arrived?”
“Yes, maybe that’s it,” she replied doubtfully. She frowned down at the package he handed her and wondered if the noise she had heard had been someone’s half-hearted attempt to knock on the door. She jumped in alarm when a particularly loud rumble of thunder reverberated around the house. “I am sorry, please come on through. I am sure it is just me being silly because of everything that has happened this afternoon.”
She turned to lead the way into the sitting room, and only then remembered that her foot wasn’t able to hold her up. Her cry of pain remained locked in her throat when Ben immediately swept her off her feet. Within seconds she was being placed carefully on the sofa, and only then realised that she still held the package.