An uneasy feeling flourished in Blackmane’s chest. Despite his mare being fatigued, he pushed her into a slow canter for the final mile.

Maddock House sat on a gentle hill outside the main village. A soft glow came from it, making it visible from the road.

He stopped halfway up the gravel path that led to the house, listening. At that distance, he should have been able to hear the hum of conversation and tinkle of plates, but he was met with complete silence. His eyes went to the horses pacing the nearby fence line, tails raised like flags.

Something was wrong.

Lifting one arm, he waited. A few moments later, Margery came to land on him, but this time she did not make a sound.

‘Where is she?’ Blackmane whispered.

The eagle twitched in the dark, then flew off over the house. He dismounted and moved off the gravel path onto the grass, leaving the horse behind so no one would hear him coming. The warden had let him take the mare under the pretence that it was the quickest way for him to exit. She was a gift from a man who had no idea how to give.

Blackmane continued slowly and silently all the way to the front door, finding it locked. He crept to the window and peered through the shutters. The glow coming from the kitchen was intense, and the house was full of smoke, the smell seeping out to greet him.

That marked the end of his subtle approach.

He returned to the door and kicked it open, entering the house with a ready arrow. The smoke grew thicker as he neared the kitchen. When he reached it, he could barely see a thing, and the air was stifling hot. He fired an arrow at the window shutter, knocking it open. The smoke was sucked through it.

‘Unbelievable’ came Hodge’s voice through the smoke. ‘It seems I am not the only person watching you from afar, my beloved.’

Blackmane gauged the scene before him. He could now make out Hodge standing on the far side of the kitchen, a sword in one hand and a piece of burning wood in the other. It took Blackmane a moment to notice the body curled in a ball on the floor at the earl’s feet.

Belle.

‘Shoot me and this will land directly on top of her,’ Hodge said, holding the burning wood above her head.

Blackmane was still trying to figure out what was going on. ‘Belle,’ he called to her, trying to figure out if she was conscious.

Isabel opened her eyes and looked straight at him. The muscles in his chest relaxed.

‘Oh,’ Hodge said. ‘It is Belle now. How intimate.’

Blackmane glared in his direction. ‘What the hell have you done to her?’

Hodge wiped sweat from his brow. ‘Actually, I am being very patient given how dramatic she is being.’