Free A Duke in Shining Armor by Macy Barnes Page B

gathered her wits enough to run to the back of the house towards the stables.
    She flung open the stable door and made a quick whistle which set her stallion Fury into motion; she threw herself upon him bare back and charged out of the stables, running over one of the men in her getaway.  She heard screams as Fury’s great hooves fell upon his body. 
    She rode Fury harder than she had ever ridden him before, her destination unknown only seeking to escape from the horror she had just witnessed.  She finally slowed down and came to a stop when Fury’s breathing became ragged and she knew he would go lame without a reprieve.  She slid from his back and landed in a heap on the ground clutching her tattered clothes to her chest as heart wrenching sobs tore from her throat.  When she was finally spent, she rose and let Fury take the lead.  She knew he would lead her to water.
                  When they finally came upon a small creek she kneeled beside her horse and splashed her face with the cold water in an attempt to shock herself back into awareness.  She stroked Fury’s neck and placed her cheek to his back and tears silently trailed down her face.  She wept for her mother and her father.  She wept for all the servants at Moncrief Manor.  She doubted the men left behind any survivors. 
    She stood there for so long holding on to Fury that when she finally became aware of her surroundings, she realized that the sun was going down.  Nightfall was approaching, which usually meant hard freezes and could kill her and the horse.  She squared her shoulders and set out to find an acceptable spot to spend the night.
                  She came upon a half fallen tree canopied in snow that would make a place for them to sleep and ward off the frost.  She pulled Fury in and gave him one last pat before she lay down, curled up in a ball, and fell into a tortured sleep.
                  “Emily you ungrateful wretch where are you?” Emily jerked back from her memories at her aunt’s angry shrill voice.  The door swung open and her voluptuous aunt stood with her hands propped above her well rounded hips and glared at Emily.  “You march yourself right back outside and draw up some water to heat in the kitchen for my weekly bath. How dare you fill a tub of cold water for me to bathe in?”  Her aunt took steps toward her and Emily shied away.  “I should have known I would find you up her being lazy. I don’t know why Albert puts up with your nonsense I tell him on a daily basis how worthless his sister’s orphan daughter is!” 
    “I am sorry Aunt Evelyn; I will get your water at once.”   Emily rushed past her aunt and down the stairs without stopping for a shawl or covering and grabbed the water pail and went to the well.  Tears streamed down her face.  She painstakingly carried bucket after bucket upstairs earlier after heating them to only have her aunt take her time until the water got cold before trying to bathe.  Her muscles cramped and ached, but it would be nothing to the beating that she would take if her aunt didn’t have her hot bath.
    As she sniffled and drew the bucket up she heard someone approach from behind.  Her hand instantly went to the knife strapped at her thigh as she turned to see who stood behind her.  The kind eyes of Jed, the stable boy for the club looked upon her in pity.  At least when he took extra care of a fancy gentleman’s horses and such he would earn a shilling or too.  Emily never earned anything for her hard work.
                    “Here Emily, let me help you with that, I see the witch is up to her usual tricks.”  He carefully lifted the bucket up and started walking with Emily towards the kitchen so she could place the water over the fire.
    “Thank you, Jed to be honest I thought I might die from fatigue before I could carry all this water upstairs for the second time today.” She gave him an appreciative