Chapter 51

Avery stared blankly out the window of the carriage. She’d woken only an hour after Hendrick knocked her unconscious. Her body had healed itself from the blow to her head while she slept. She pulled at the ropes that bound her wrists together before peering out the window again.

It was nearly dark, and she imagined they would be stopping to set up camp in the next little while. The air was cold and smelled of snow and she shivered against the leather seat, thankful for the warm coat she was wearing when she went to the barn.

She wondered if there would be a way to escape once they set up camp. If she could convince Hendrick that she’d changed her mind and was eager to go with him, perhaps he would let his guard down and she could slip away in the night.

The carriage creaked to a halt and she stiffened slightly when the door opened and Hendrick climbed in. He banged the ceiling of the carriage twice and whistled piercingly, and the carriage started with a jolt.