The Husband Hunt Read Online Free Page B

both—prostitution?” she squawked as the word sank in.
    “Well, what did you think she meant about suitors and a doctor examining us?” Bet asked dryly. “It’s like that other book ye read to me. The one with the youngest daughter of that Baron who was kidnapped by a madam and forced to . . .” She paused, her eyes wide. “Dear God! We’re living that book right now, we are. Kidnapped and locked in a room, awaiting a man’s pleasure to come ravish us. Oh, Lord save us,” she breathed. “It’s like she read the book too.”
    “She probably did. She is the one who gave it to me,” Lisa said unhappily, her mind on the ravishing part. A suitor to ravish her . . . and she was the youngest daughter of a Baron. Dear Lord, it was like the writer was writing about her before it had happened. Seeing the alarm on Bet’s face, she forced her own disturbing thoughts away and straightened her shoulders. “We will escape.”
    “Aye,” Bet muttered and both of them began to work more quickly. Within moments they’d finished tearing their respective sheets into strips and started weaving and knotting the strips together to make one long slightly knobby makeshift rope.
    “The window,” Lisa said as soon as they tied on the last strip. She started to lead the way holding half the rope while Bet carried the other, but nearly fell flat on her face on the first step. Muttering under her breath, she shifted her part of the rope to one hand and bent to scoop up the heavy comforter with the other and toss it back onto the bed. Straightening, she then hurried to the window. Bet trailed her with the rest of the rope.
    “What’ll we tie it to?” Bet asked with concern.
    Lisa hesitated, but then glanced around the room. The only thing available was the bed. Mouth tightening, she hurried back to it, grateful it was close as she quickly knelt to tie one end around one foot of the bed.
    “Will it hold?” Bet asked uncertainly.
    “It shall have to.” Lisa straightened grimly and slowly unfurled the rope as she moved back to the window. Once there, she handed off the remainder of the rope to Bet. “Right, tie the end around your waist.”
    She waited just long enough to see Bet nod and begin to do as she’d ordered, and then turned to quickly open the window. Much to her relief, it slid silently up and stayed in place. By the time she turned back, Bet had finished tying the rope around herself.
    Lisa smiled encouragingly. “Now, sit on the ledge and swing your feet out, and then use the rope to lower yourself out the window. When you reach the ground, untie yourself and I shall pull the rope up to use myself.”
    Nodding, Bet settled on the ledge, but then frowned and said, “Maybe you should go first. Yer—”
    “You wouldn’t be here if not for me, Bet. Now just go. Quickly,” Lisa insisted, pushing on her arm gently.
    Bet didn’t look happy, but did shift her legs out the window and then ease herself out to hang from the ledge. Pausing there, she glanced to the ground below and muttered, “I hope there is enough rope.”
    So do I, Lisa thought, but didn’t say as much as she quickly threw the rest of the rope out the window. She then smiled encouragingly and waved at the maid to lower herself.
    Sighing, Bet removed one hand from the ledge to grasp the rope and then did the same with the other. There was immediately a loud scraping sounded behind Lisa as the bed began to slide across the floor under the sudden weight. She instinctively grabbed at the rope to keep the bed from moving further, then gasped, “Go, quickly.”
    “But what about you? How will you—”
    “I shall have to wait here while you fetch help,” Lisa interrupted, in a panic to get the girl going. If anyone had heard the shifting bed and came to investigate . . . “Just hurry, Bet.”
    “But who do I fetch?” Bet asked, eyes wide with horror. “Lady Christiana and Lady Suzette are out to tea, and—”
    “Go to Lord Langley’s.