Chapter 23: Lurking In The Dark
"But I did not.."
"Now Elara!" the voice made her shudder. Even when he had looked at her with hatred, he had never shouted at her. The notion of it made her afraid more than his voice did to her.
She held her dress tight to make sure that she did not cry in front of him. She knew that look too well, she had seen it in the eyes of her husband every day and every night. As if she was a disgusting whore.
She bit her lips and then turned to the knight who had called for him. When the man smirked she did not hesitate.
She slapped him hard enough to make sure the voice echoed in the whole room.
"You will regret this." After that, she left the halls with hurried steps. Her heart was thumping so hard in her chest that she did not hear any other voice around her.
She only stopped when she had reached the garden. Now it was too late for her to return to her room. And she did not want to return there.
Polly must be waiting there to insult her. She walked in the garden instead without a goal. Once, she had been so bright, so lively, so confident that her tongue was compared to swords.
She could wound a man with her lips and her hands equally but now… she could not even explain herself when the need arose. How low had she fallen? And he.. He did not trust her. It must have been that kiss.
She has always been wanton for him but now he had compared her with other women he had been with since she accepted his touch so easily. The thought of it burnt her. As if her skin had finally been stained by the filth. Her hands reached for her lips and she rubbed them hard again and again with rage burning her anew.
She only stopped when she had reached the stable. The thought of taking a horse and running away from her prison was so tempting that her hands reached for the mane of the dark horse.
It was the fastest. Her deceased father had gifted this to her husband in the marriage. It was the pride of their estate.
"My lady," the young stable boy came forward and bowed his head. "This is not the proper time to be here, my lady. If you are planning for a ride in the estate, it would be better that you return in the morning." he would have never said that in the past. But the eyes of Lenhart had warned him enough that he was looking for a chance to punish her.
And he would go to any length to find it. He was asking more about her than the duke. Even when he offered help in proving the treason he was not concerned about it.
He wanted to know more about Elara. The thought had unsettled him and now the lady was here.
"I am not here for a ride in the estate." she spoke in a harsh tone but then she paused. Why was she here then? The moment she tried to run, Lenhart would be behind her.
He would sniff her like a hound and drag her back to the depth of hell. He would not think twice before proving her guilty and sending her to fire.
It would only be his mercy if she went to Gallows.
"My lady, you should not entertain false hopes. I have seen the army sending the weapons for the team." the man spoke in a grim voice. The benefit of being at the stables all the time is that he sees and hears everything.
No party leaves without being at the stables. Her eyes widened and she understood the meaning behind it. They were planning a seizure and then she would be the official prisoner of the team.
"Then I must. I must try." she whispered only for the young man to sigh and shake his head.
"The lord must come for help. If not, you will give a statement against him and be their witness. Do what you must but run…" the man paused but she knew the words
"... is never a choice!" she nodded but her hands dsid not leave the mane of the horse. As if she could not let go of the thought.
"Perhaps a simple ride would help. As long as you do not ride it toward the boundaries. No one would have the right to question your choice!" she looked at him with a flicker of her eyes.
She had never been allowed to ride in the estate. Her husband thought that it was not a good idea to give her reins of the horse when she is so sharp tongued.
"He is not here to judge you, my lady." She knew controlling you was the first choice of the young boy. She smiled at his benevolence.
"Thank you, Allen, you are always kind." the young man bowed again and freed the horst from its bounds.
He adjusted the saddle for her and confirmed again and again the route she was going to take. Once assured that she would only take a small walk with the horse in the garden, he let her go.
She touched the skin of the horse as if just sitting on it was a luxury she had never dreamt to afford. She pulled the reins and the horse started to walk.
The cold breeze warmed her somehow and her smile grew, slowly the pain of being humiliated started to fade. She drove farther into the dark areas of the garden when she noticed two dark shadows covered with cloak.
"Who is there?" a mistake, she realized! But she had thought that they were only Lenhart's men. When they stirred and looked at her, her heart came to her throat and she held the reins tightly.
"Oh, so my wife is enjoying my absence already!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone