#Chapter 46 - A Second Attempt

Eloise’s POV

My heart dropped to the floor after hearing what had happened to Belinda’s men. My nerves were on edge as I looked at Dylan’s somber expression.

“There has to be something I can do, Dylan!” I pleaded. “This is Lord Xavier’s mother we’re talking about. My mother-in-law!”

“I know, I know.” He tried to reassure me gently. “My men and I are combing through her room to see if there were any clues she might’ve left behind to tell us about her whereabouts.”

“The first thing is finding out when she left and where she went to. After that, we can just retrace her steps.”

I opened my mouth quickly to tell him what I knew. “About a month ago, Adrian told me that Mrs. Leonard had gone to take a small vacation to her private estate in a city just south of us. However, he didn’t say what the name was.”

Dylan tapped his foot on the ground in contemplation. After a few moments, his eyes lit up.

“Before I enlisted into the Academy, I was stationed at a small city just south of here for a little while. It’s a minor town called Lavender.”

He smiled and added. “The place is locally known for its beautiful flowers and herbs, the most popular of them being lavender, hence the name of the town.”

“That has to be the place,” I said.

“It’s a good first place to check,” Dylan nods.

“Well, there’s no time to waste! We have to go find Belinda and help her now! I’m sorry if I sound bossy but you or someone needs to go prepare a carriage for us now.”

Dylan let out a laugh. “Being bossed around by you was actually on my to-do list for the day. No worries, my Lady. Everything will be ready for you soon.”

“Come on, guys!” He called out to the 3 men that were in Belinda’s room. They all followed him immediately.

As I was heading back to my room to pack, I looked over at Nora who I noticed had been quiet the entire time. When we got back, I closed the door behind us.

“You’ve been so quiet, Nora. Is everything okay?”

Nora hesitated for a little while. “I… I don’t know. Something about this feels off to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t mean to sound mean, Eloise, but are you sure you can trust Knight Dylan and his men?”

Her question caught me off guard. “I mean, what other choice do I have?”

Nora shrugged her shoulders. “I know, I just… It just feels like more than just a coincidence for them to have already been at Belinda’s room and aware of her having gone missing before you.”

“Knight Dylan was one of the many other recruits that got assigned to guard duty of the town. Xavier probably also made sure to inform them of Mrs. Leonard’s return today so they could keep an eye out for her.” I reassured her.

Nora let out a sigh. “Maybe I’m just overreacting.”

I smiled. “No, I think you’re just going with your gut feeling. And gut feelings don’t usually lie.”

“But right now, I can’t afford to suspect the only person who can help me get to the bottom of finding Mrs. Leonard.” I explain.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Lady Eloise. I’m just worried is all. Even if Mrs. Belinda is so cruel and unjust towards you, she is still important to Lord Xavier.”

“Don’t be sorry! I understand completely.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “What matters is that we find Mrs. Leonard safe and sound so Lord Xavier doesn’t have to worry any more than he already does.”

“Just take care of the place while I’m gone. We’ll be back before you know it!” I hugged Nora.

Nora hugged me tightly. “Yes, my Lady! Be safe!”

The ride to Lavender town was a quiet one. Dylan was oddly quiet despite his flirtatious and talkative behavior before.

Every so often, I would take a glance at Dylan looking out of the window. The more I looked at him, the more I would notice how nervous he seemed.

His leg bounced a ton. He bit the corner of his lips.

When I cleared my throat, he snapped his head to me in a startling way.

“Are you okay, Dylan?” I asked calmly.

He nodded his head and smiled. “Yeah, I’m just nervous. It’s my first day on the job and the Lord’s mother is already missing. Not to mention those bodies in the other carriage messed me up a little.”

“I’m sorry, Dylan.” I gave him a reassuring smile. “Thank you for coming with me, though. I’m glad you’re here with me.”

Dylan’s grin widened as a pink dusted his cheeks. “Of course, my Lady. It’s bad enough that Mrs. Leonard has been apprehended and everything. She has to be so worried and scared...”

My heart skipped a beat at his words. “Wait, you know she’s been taken?”

“N-no,” Dylan stammered. “I mean, I just assumed she’s been taken, you know? I don’t know if she has been but I mean like, since she’s missing and all I just…”

Does Dylan know about what happened to Mrs. Leonard? Was Nora right about me not being able to trust him?

“I’m sorry for not making any sense. Like I said, I’m just really nervous.” Dylan lets out a nervous chuckle.

I tried to shrug off his odd behavior. “No, it’s okay. I understand. I’m nervous, too. I really hope that Mrs. Leonard is okay and that she’s not hurt.”

As soon we arrive at the town of Lavender, I notice that the streets are completely void of life. Flowers and even food litter the streets like the people were snatched away.

Where is everyone?

I scan up and down the streets as Dylan and I walk down the road. The lack of people out on the streets started to make me more nervous.

I had no idea what I would be able to do if this all ended up being a trap. What if Douglas’s men had gotten here before us? What if Adam’s here?

I shook the thoughts away. No, I need to focus on finding Mrs. Leonard!

We stop at the center of the town in front of a well surrounded by a few market stalls of flowers. Somehow, the place seems familiar to me.

When I look up the road leading away from us and up the hill, I spot a beautiful estate that’s nestled near the top. That’s when I realize why the place feels so familiar.

Mrs. Leonard had a painting of her estate in her room. The spot I was standing in had to have been where the artist stood so they could get a good view of the manor.

Instinctively, I grab Dylan’s arm and start racing for the manor. “Mrs. Leonard has to be up there! Come on!”

As we got closer to the estate, we noticed that there were a lot of belongings from within that were thrown and scattered across the road. There was even a new-looking carriage that appeared to be smashed.

There was also a small stable next to the estate but no horses were present. Their saddles remained, however. Did someone set them loose?

As I made my way up to the front door, Dylan grabbed my hand.

“Lady Eloise… I have a really bad feeling about this…”

“I do, too, but Mrs. Leonard could be in there and she needs our help. We can’t just abandon her now that we’re here.”

Dylan let out a heavy sigh, already knowing that there was no use in arguing with me. He nodded his head and followed me inside.

When we got inside the manor, I gasped in shock. The whole place was completely trashed and various expensive items were smashed on the floor.

As I searched for Mrs. Leonard, I was relieved to see that the place was free of any blood. Good… Maybe she’s not hurt after all.

When we got into her kitchen, we noticed another door. Upon opening it, we found a set of stairs that led to somewhere dark. Although my heart wouldn’t stop beating against my chest and my instincts were telling me to run, I knew that I had to completely make sure that Mrs. Leonard wasn’t down there.

Dylan took out a flashlight and we went down the stairs carefully. Once we got to the bottom, I was horrified to see Mrs. Leonard chained to a wall.

“Mrs. Leonard!” I yelled as I ran to her side.

I conjured a small flame to heat up my hand so I could melt the chains that bound Mrs. Leonard.

As I was pulling on the chains, Mrs. Leonard started to mumble something.

I leaned in closer. “It’s me, Eloise! Are you awake? Everything’s okay! Dylan and I are here to help you!”

After the words left my mouth I was immediately struck in the head with something heavy. I fell against the hard concrete floor as my vision started to blur.

A silhouette of a man bent down over me with a smirk on his face.

When I tried to look for Dylan, I saw him being held back by 4 other guys.

“Forgive me, Lady Eloise!” Dylan yelled out.

When I looked up at the man before me, he chuckled before hitting my head again causing me to blackout.