Excerpt of The Rake And The Recluse by Jenn LeBlanc

April, 1880

Madeleine ran as if the devil himself were on her. She looked back when she heard the hounds and tripped on some underbrush, scraping her hands as her head whipped forward, striking a tree root. She groaned, feeling the trail of blood marching slowly down her forehead, the coinciding beats in her skull growing with the advance. She scrambled forward, slowly at first, dirt caking the scrapes on her palms as she gathered up her skirts and got to her feet. He will never catch me, she thought. I will never go back, I will never be his, I will die first. The thought steeled her to her goal. She tried desperately to catch her breath as she stumbled wildly. Tears spilled cutting pale streaks in her dirt-stained cheeks as she fought the barrage of low- hung branches and high-reaching roots. Her hand shook as she leaned against a tree trunk to steady herself and yanked at her corset, trying to loosen it.

She heard the dogs spread to her right and concentrated on her bearing. This was her only chance. The earl was becoming more daring and devious with every sunset and she didn’t believe her fiancé intended to wait to pledge his troth before going further. She shifted direction to compensate for the chase and saw the bright sunlight of a break in the tangled woods. She knew it wasn’t far to the manor, but had no idea how she was to survive the run across open meadow with his hounds on her. Surely Lord Hepplewort will call them off before the Duke discovers his trespass, she thought, surely I will make it to safety.

She heard the rumble of a carriage and drove herself to it through the trees as one of the hounds tore at her skirts. The horns blew recalling them as she launched herself out of the protective cover— directly into the path of a team of startled horses.

"Ah— mon Dieu!" she screamed, feeling the words rip through her throat like a jagged knife as the large black horses reared with frightened neighs.

As she fell she saw the man at the rein stand and attempt to pull the horses away while endeavoring to stabilize the small black curricle, but it was too late on both counts. The horses came down, stomping about her, one hoof dispatching the hound at her feet as the curricle lost its ground and the driver leapt to safety. Madeleine attempted to shield her head with her arms as she gasped desperately for air.