He had only to endure another few days, Valentin told himself as he urged his lunging stallion onward with a sharp dig of his boot heels even as he heard alarmed shoutingbehind him.
Intuition gripped him, though he could not say why.
All he knew was that when he looked over his shoulder to see the courtiers and soldiers much further back, reining in their mounts and circling in confusion, his heart plummeted.
Where was Estelle?
***
“Oh, God, hang on, hang on!” Estelle cried out as she clung to her mount’s thick mane, the reins having slipped from herhands.
She hadn’t seen the rabbit dart in front of her until too late, the creature barely dodging out of the way as the gelding veered in surprise toward the trees, almost unseating her.
She could only hang on for dear life as her mount vaulted over a fallen log and surged into the forest at a breakneck pace.
The panicked animal careened around trees and snorted wildly while Estelle was certainshe would tumble to the ground at any instant and be trampled to death. As her last hope, she entwined her gloved fingers in the gelding’s mane and yanked with all her might in a desperate attempt to control him.
Relief flooded her as the heaving animal finally began to slow down, but it was a piercing whistle that made the gelding buck his head and finally stop.
Stunned, Estelle couldn’t movefor several moments and simply lay collapsed upon her mount’s lathered neck, struggling to catch her breath. Only when she heard the cracking of a branch did she lift her head, her eyes widening in surprise at the young man reaching for the dangling reins who looked so much like Valentin.
Blond hair, tall, and with similar features, but with a hardness in his expression that strangely chilledher, though she couldn’t imagine why. He was dressed so shabbily, too, she noticed now that she’d regained her composure, his coat threadbare with torn sleeves and streaked with dirt, his hair unkempt, and several days’ stubble shading his jaw. Yet what drew her gaze was the pistol shoved into his belt as he eyed her shrewdly.
“Lost in the woods, miss?”
He’d spoken to her in French, and sheshook her head, trying not to show the alarm rising inside her.
“My horse was startled by a rabbit. I’m sure my party is looking for me—”
“So you’re English.”
Estelle blinked at him, not surprised that her own imperfect French had given her away. She decided then and there it was best for this man to know exactly whom she was associated with so as to dissuade him from acting improperly towardher.
“Yes. I’m here for Valentin’s coronation—I mean, His Highness, Prince Valentin—”
“Valentin, is it?”
Spoken with an ugly sneer, Estelle felt cold fear suddenly clutch at her chest. Something in the manner in which he’d said Valentin’s name told her that the man must know him, but not in a good way at all. “Please, if you’ll just hand me the reins, I’d like to ride back toward the meadow.”
“Oh, I think not.”
He looked at her with such cruel appraisal that Estelle felt the blood drain from her face, though she fought to remain calm. “I-I don’t understand. I told you they’re surely looking for me—”
“Let them come. I’m sick of hiding in these damned woods and seeking bread and shelter from the few who don’t recognize me. You don’t know me either, do you?”
She shook her head, notliking at all that he’d drawn closer to her. “How could I? I only arrived from Cornwall a few days ago—”
“Cornwall. Just as I guessed. You’re the reason Valentin returned to Bratavia…you and your precious family. I can’t count the number of times he screamed your name when I used a hot poker to burn his skin—”
“Oh, God.” Convinced now that she was looking into the slate gray eyes of the devil,Estelle made a desperate lunge for the reins but he shoved her back atop the saddle, laughing.
An evil laugh as heartless as his gaze, his iron grip punishing on her arm.
“Such spirit, Estelle, I like it. Since we’re going to be spending so much time together, allow me to introduce myself. My father was Archduke Henri Chevalier, murdered by Valentin’s rescuers. I’m Gaston, his cousin.”
Estellesaid nothing, her mind racing at what he’d just revealed, her stomach pitching. Truly, she feared she was going to retch. Yet she’d no more than swallowed against the sickening sensation when Gaston suddenly threw the reins over the gelding’s head and then hoisted himself into the saddle behind her.
“I haven’t seen Valentin since April. This meeting should be quite entertaining.”
