Page 114 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

“I will handle this end,” he said, gesturing toward the bound men. “They will be delivered to the authorities. And I will ensure they are questioned thoroughly.” He paused. “And when they crack,” Ambrose added, almost casually, “they will give us everything we need. Enough to put Strachan in a position where even his influence won’t save him.”

Colin let out a slow breath. Jane’s shoulders eased a fraction more. Hector felt the weight of momentum shift. Ambrose clapped Hector once on the shoulder.

“Bring Evan back,” he said quietly. “Preferably alive. It would make the paperwork considerably easier.”

Hector huffed a short breath that might have been amusement. Ambrose stepped back.

“Go on then,” he said. “Before I change my mind and decide this is all far too entertaining to leave to you.”

He turned, already barking quiet instructions to his men as they secured the prisoners. The warehouse filled again with controlled movement. Order replacing chaos.

Hector watched it for a moment. Then he looked at Jane. She met his gaze without hesitation. And Colin, though still shaken, straightened slightly. Ready.

Hector exhaled once. “Then we proceed,” he said.

And for the first time since this had begun, the path ahead did not feel like guesswork. They were in pursuit now, rather than being pursued.

“I believe I know where Evan is,” Colin said.

“Where?” Hector demanded.

Jane put a hand on Hector’s arm to calm him. “We have already looked everywhere,” she said, thinking her brother might be feeling the aftereffects of being hit.

“No, there is one last place,” Colin said. “It is a small cottage out in the country. I can’t be certain he will be there, but if he hasn’t been found already, it is the place I imagine he has chosen to hide out.” He closed his eyes, exhausted but not defeated. “Your driver must take the Great North Road out of London, then turnoff at Baldock. The cottage lies another three miles beyond the village.”

Colin was fading quickly as Hector helped him into the carriage. The duke relayed his directions to his driver, and they were off.

The road out of London gave way slowly to quieter stretches of countryside, where the noise of the city thinned until it became something distant and almost imagined.

Hector rode in silence for most of it. Not because there was nothing to say, but because anything spoken too soon would have felt fragile, like it might fracture what they were trying to hold together.

Jane rode with determination that did not waver. Colin slept beside her at first, fatigue overwhelming him, but he’d woken as they’d traveled along the more winding lanes. He still looked as though he did not quite believe the world was real.

They did not speak about where they were going until the trees grew thicker and the road narrowed, turning away from the main route entirely. Even then, it was Colin who finally spoke, his voice rough from exhaustion and nervous anticipation.

“It’s just ahead.”

Jane turned slightly. “You’re certain?”

Colin nodded once. “Evan said it was somewhere no one would think to look if things ever went wrong.”

Hector’s gaze sharpened at that.

Colin continued, quieter now. “We used it… when we needed to disappear for a while. Before everything got so complicated.”

Jane did not press him further. She simply nodded.

The cottage appeared gradually, almost reluctant to reveal itself, half-hidden by overgrown hedges and the uneven rise of the land. It was small, weather-worn, and intentionally unremarkable. The kind of place that existed precisely so it would not be remembered.

Hector gestured for the driver to stop. He climbed out first, then helped Jane down. They both helped Colin out of the carriage, who moved more slowly, as if each movement required negotiation with his own body.

He stared at the cottage for a long moment. “This is it,” he said.

Hector said nothing. He simply assessed the structure, the windows, the door, and the lack of any visible movement. Quiet places like this were never truly empty in his experience. They only appeared that way.

Still, he followed as Colin moved toward the door. Jane stayed slightly behind them both, close enough to be part of the decision, but far enough away to observe.

Colin hesitated only once before lifting his hand and knocking. The sound was soft, almost wrong for the moment.