Rapture Becomes Her Read Online Free Page A

“My sisters and Sam can only hold him for a few minutes. You have to leave. Now .”
    Emily hurriedly stuck her knife in her boot and started toward the lone window on the far side of the room. It was a two-story drop, but it was her only way out.
    Flora grabbed her arm and cried, “Not that way. Here. Open the wardrobe. There’s a hidden door at the back—you’ll be able to escape out the secret passageway. Hurry!”
    Hearing the shrieks from Flora’s sisters and the sounds of furniture crashing below her, Emily flung open the door to the massive wardrobe on the wall opposite the bed and dived inside. Hovering behind her, as Emily pawed her way through some quilts and odds and ends hanging inside the ancient oak wardrobe, Flora said, “Reach up to the top at the back. There’s a small lever. Pull it and the door opens away from you. Be careful you don’t fall down the stairs.”
    With shaking fingers, Emily found the lever and, despite Flora’s warning, nearly tumbled down the narrow stairs that appeared at her feet when the concealed door at the back of the wardrobe suddenly gave way.
    Both women stiffened as the sound of a desperate struggle came nearer. From the curses and noise, it was clear the fight had moved to the bottom of the stairs. They had only seconds.
    Flora fairly shoved Emily down the hidden staircase. “Go. Go! ” Flora hissed. “He must not find you here.” As Emily disappeared, Flora shut the concealed door and dragged the quilts back into place. With a practiced move that told Barnaby she had done this more than once, Flora fastened the outer door to the wardrobe.
    Flora’s sisters, with young Sam’s valiant assistance, had done their best, but they were no match for a full-grown, furious male, and Flora had hardly turned around when there was a thunderous banging on the door to the room.
    “Emily!” shouted a man’s angry voice. “I know you’re in there. Open up. Open up, I say.”
    Flora glanced at Barnaby. She placed a finger to her lips and at his nod she took a deep breath, straightened her muslin cap and walked calmly over to the door.
     
    Confronted by utter blackness, Emily wasn’t certain how she made it down the unfamiliar steps. Leaning against the rough wooden walls on either side of her, she half stumbled, half fell down the narrow, twisting staircase. Reaching the bottom, she stood indecisively for a second, not certain of her next move. As she fumbled around in complete darkness, the best she could tell was that she was in a very small space, hemmed in by three walls with the stairs at her back. Remembering how the door had worked in the wardrobe, she reached up and ran her hand along the top of the wall in front of her, her heart leaping when her fingers found the lever. She gave it a pull and nearly hit herself in the face when the door swung open.
    The full force of the storm buffeted her the instant she stepped outside. Rain lashed down on her and the wind screamed around her as she pulled the door shut. There was a click and the door locked behind her, leaving her alone in the dark.
    It took her a moment to find her position, but the faint light from the candles burning in the main room of the inn told her that she was at the side of the inn with the stables behind her. Fighting against the wind and the rain, she ran to the stables and a moment later was on one of The Crown’s horses on her way home.
    It was difficult going, the storm having turned the road to muddy slush, the darkness, wind and rain adding to the difficulty, but eventually Emily turned the lathered horse down the long, curving drive that led to her home, The Birches. Jumping from the horse, she tied the reins to the saddle and with a slap on the animal’s haunch sent it lumbering back in the direction of The Crown.
    Her cousin had replaced many of their old, trusted servants with men who were loyal to him, and upon meeting the new stableman, Kelsey, that he had installed several months ago,