Read Taken by the Duke for Free Online

quiver with something akin to fear, though not like any she had ever felt before.
    This stop at the inn might be her only chance to help herself in this untenable situation. Although Rothcastle insisted the innkeeper and his wife would not help her, he also had not left her alone since their arrival, except to allow her to take her relief.
    Which made her wonder if the innkeeper’s silence was so well and truly bought after all.
    “I’d like to see about that horse we discussed,” Rothcastle said as he popped the last crust of bread on his plate into his mouth.
    “Of course,” the innkeeper replied, all bowing deference as he waved at a servant to take the duke’s empty dish away. “I will take you to him at once. He is a fine animal, and I’m sure he will suit your needs.”
    Rothcastle shot Ava a side-glance as he got to his feet. “We depart in fifteen minutes. Be ready.”
    He did not wait for her reply, but grasped his cane and limped out the door without looking back. When he had left the room, it seemed to have air again. Ava allowed herself a very long breath of it. Of course that action filled her lungs with the scent of the man who had just departed. The scent from his coat, still draped loosely around her shoulders. He smelled of clean pine and masculinity.
    Very distracting.
    Ava sipped her steaming tea before she glanced at the innkeeper’s wife, who was standing at the entryway between the kitchen and dining area, shifting her weight with great discomfort.
    “Is there anything I can get for you, miss?” the woman asked. “Anything you might need before you go?”
    Ava shrugged, and the weight of Rothcastle’s coat bore down on her shoulders. “Another wrap, I suppose. Since the duke seems bent on riding outside the carriage the rest of the way to wherever he is taking me, I assume he’ll require the return of his coat.”
    The woman nodded with the same overly meek deference her husband had shown to Rothcastle. “I will give you something from my own closet, though I doubt it will be as fine as what you are accustomed to.”
    Ava waved a hand. “If it is warm, I do not care if it is woven from straw, I assure you. Though I cannot promise its return. I will ask the duke, but as you can see, he has little regard for me.”
    Once again the innkeeper’s wife shifted, twisting her apron in her fist. She did not speak, but Ava guessed it was because she wasn’t certain how to respond in the face of a kidnapping victim.
    “You know I am not with him of my own volition, I suppose?” Ava asked, hoping her tone was calm and rational. “Don’t answer. I can see from your discomfort that you at least suspect I am here against my will. My true question is if you are willing to assist me.”
    The other woman swallowed, and the depth of her struggle was clear on her lined face. “The Duke of Rothcastle owns this land, miss. I—I could not put our livelihood at risk by defying him. He is unforgiving when crossed.”
    Ava laughed, though the sound was very hollow. “I, of all people, know that to be a fact. His unforgiving nature has been a part of my family for decades.”
    The woman tilted her head in confusion, and Ava waved off her own statement.
    “Never mind, it is a long story. The duke said you would not help me, but I would have been a fool not to ask, regardless.” She shifted, still looking for a way around this woman’s fear. “What if I were to leave a note behind, addressed to a friend? If you found it, could you assume it was left behind by some other guest and post it on my behalf?”
    The woman shook her head slowly. “I—I—”
    Ava’s heart sank. “Yes, I see.”
    “I am sorry,” she whispered. “I do not approve, but a woman in my position, a man in his…”
    Ava nodded. She felt no animosity toward her companion.
    “You are correct, of course. But perhaps if someone asks about me, asks about Ava or Windbury…perhaps you might point them in the direction we take when