I continued to peck at various rations, careful not to take enough from any item where anyone would notice a change. After a short meal of nuts, dried fruit, bread, and even a small taste of jam, I finally felt my stomach’s rage subside. The feeling of being full eased my entire body, allowing me to take a deep, calming breath. The noises from the kitchen had quieted slightly, and I imagined that it was nearing lunch hour.
The door had remained closed throughout my meal, so I lay down on the floor to peer under the crack between the floor and the door itself. There wasn’t much to see from that angle—only a few wandering feet tapping around the kitchen to even note. Since there wasn’t much to view, I pressed my ear to the door, in hopes of making out some bits of conversation.
“The masters are seated, bring out—”
The rest grew muffled as the sound carried toward the dining room. I pouted in annoyance at the lack of entertainment. How was a girl supposed to remain in a closet all day without at least a little chatter to keep her going? I glanced around the room for something else to entertain my thoughts, but only food and a few dishes kept me company. My eyes fell on a crystal glass that sat on an upper shelf.That’s it!
I swiped the glass and pressed the mouth of it against the door. Then I placed my ear to the bottom of the glass, and instantly, the sound amplified. Perfect! The voices were much louder now, though they were a bit garbled from the glass’s echo.
“Thank you, Gillian. It looks delicious.” A young man’s voice carried faintly to my ears. This must have been the son. I listened for Lord Oberon’s voice and heard a few muffled syllables. This was no good. He must have been too far back in the dining room. After the mumbles ceased, the son spoke up again.
“How long has she been missing? That sounds dreadful.” My eyes widened. He couldn’t possibly be talking about…
Curiosity sprouted courage inside me, and I slowly cracked the pantry door open. Two scullery maids faced away from me, leaning over the washbasin, scrubbing the used pots. I calmly walked behind them, still carrying the glass in my hand. Once again, no one paid me any mind. I turned out the side entrance, and seeing that no one seemed to be around, I relaxed. I thought back to my first exploration of the estate and recalled a closet in the front of the house to the east of the entry hall. The dining room and kitchen were both at the back eastern side of the home, while the parlors and entertaining spaces were in the west. If I could make it to the eastern closet, I should be able to hear any chatter from the dining room, along with the front hall.
I walked past the dining room doorway with quick steps and found the closet with the shared wall. A quick glance confirmed no eyes were on me as I opened it and stepped inside. A rack of hanging overcoats and cloaks fell over my face as I tunneled through them. Once I made it to the back wall, I pressed my glass to it and resumed my listening.
“Her family is quite distressed. I cannot blame them, though. After all, Elias, if you ever fled, I don’t know what I would do.” Lord Oberon’s voice was audible now, and so was his gossip. News of my disappearance had already spread throughout the court. While this wasn’t good, it had been expected.
“I wonder what drove her to run away.” The boy, Elias, spoke this time. The glass muffled his tone, but I could tell that he sounded much older than he looked, and his voice was much deeper than I had anticipated
“Rumor has it the girl was pledged to be married, to Lord Dugal’s son of all people,” his father returned.
Well, that was certainly a confirming statement. There was no doubt now that I was the topic of their lunch time chat. Oh, what I mess I have gotten myself into…
“The girl is either mad or a fool,” Lord Oberon snorted. I jolted back momentarily from his blunt rudeness. “The Dugal family is powerful and true. If the girl ran away because of the impending union, then I can only assume her parents spoiled her beyond repair.”
My cheeks burned with anger at the man’s oblivious judgment. There was more to life than power! It made me sick that people thought they could simply understand my situation from such an outward perspective. Did the rumors mention that I was only sixteen? Or that I had no say in the union at all? Certainly not, otherwise my parents would look like the bad guys instead of me. We couldn’t have that now, could we? I rolled my eyes in irritation as I turned my ears back into their chat.
“I would not assume so boldly,” Elias retorted. “We do not know the young lady’s motivations for leaving. As a member of the judicial court, you of all people should recognize that families withhold key details when spreading rumors.”
My jaw fell open at the son’s words. I couldn’t believe a random noble was actually considering my perspective. A sudden urge to rush out and hug the stranger flooded over me, but I remained in my position. Hugging a stranger whose home you’ve broken into is not a great manner of maintaining their favor.
“I suppose you are correct.” Lord Oberon’s voice was a tad icy—the shift just barely detectable through the pressed glass. “However, the background information does not change the girl’s actions. As a man of the law, I must uphold it, and the young lady is still her parents’ legal property until marriage or her eighteenth birthday. She should have known better than to just run away, leaving all the trouble for her family to deal with.”
I couldn’t hear the rest of what he said because my hand was shaking too much from rage.Legal property!?The law merely stated that any engagements had to be approved for a young lady if she was between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Where did it state that they completely owned me at all!? I huffed angrily, tempted to shatter the glass against the closet wall, but I wanted to hear more, even if I didn’t like it. I pressed my ear back to the glass again.
“A bounty hunter? Are you quite serious?” Elias’s question startled me. Had I missed something important when I leaned away? Perhaps they had already moved to a new topic.
“Unfortunately, I am,” his father confirmed. “It would seem the Lockly family has taken great offense to their daughter’s disappearance and don’t intend to spare any effort in retrieving her.”
A shiver rolled down my spine as my grip on the glass faltered causing my hand to readjust to avoid dropping it.What was he talking about…?
“That seems a tad excessive,” the boy replied in a vaguely puzzled tone. “I was under the impression that bounty hunters were reserved for catching criminals or wanted suspects.”
“Well, that is precisely why they hired one.” Lord Oberon’s calm voice made me nauseous. “The girl ran away from a legal contract of union. Henceforth, she is at fault for not following through on the arrangement. If her parents are unable to locate her, then they are responsible for any backlash of the situation. I believe seeking a bounty hunter was the right call. Now they have a chance to retrieve the girl before any damages can fully set in.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My parents put a bounty on my capture? Then hired a man to do the job? What in the realms were they trying to accomplish!? My marriage to Theodore couldn’t possibly have impacted the family business that much. Were they just trying to prevent me from escaping? Could they possibly be that angry that they wouldn’t even let me stay free?
Hot tears escaped from my eyes without warning. No sobs left my lips, yet the tears still came. They were powered by anger and frustration and, more than anything, the desire to be left alone. My family didn’t want me back, they wanted Lady Aurelia Lockly back. They wanted their perfect doll who would throw her life away just because her parents saidplease.
I dropped the glass, which broke instantly from the impact, scaring reality back into me. The sound of the shatter was muffled from inside the closet, but surely someone had heard it. This wasn’t good. If Lord Oberon caught me in his manor, he would have me back home by nightfall. Maybe if I begged him, he would take me to prison instead.
In reality, I didn’t like either option, so I burst out of the closet and ran toward the front door. It didn’t matter who saw me now. I just needed to gain as much distance between this house and myself as I possibly could. My eyes still blurred from the tears, so when a furry mountain of dog stood in my path, I collided straight into it.
My feet flew out from under me as my waist ran full force into the massive Bartholomew at the base of the stairs. I landed on my backside after promptly having all the air knocked out of my lungs. The furry black fluff ball looked completely unfazed by my appearance. I looked up at his dopey brown eyes just in time for him to give me a big, sloppy lick from my chin to my forehead.
“Now where are your manners?!” I scolded the dog in a hushed tone. “You cannot simply stand in the middle of a lady’s path like that. Not to mention that you just kissed a woman who is already betrothed.” I snickered lightly at my tease, causing Bartholomew to lean in for another lick. I caught his nose in my hands to prevent him from getting any more action.