They Dared the Maid to Ride the Duke’s Wildest Stallion—She Shocked Everyone by Riding It Bareback
Chapter 9
That night, the manor changed.
Servants whispered.
Horses disappeared from the stable.
Doors opened and closed.
Eleanor remained awake.
Near midnight, she heard footsteps beneath her chamber.
She looked through the window.
Three men crossed the courtyard.
One carried a lantern.
Another carried a wooden chest.
Eleanor knew immediately.
She ran downstairs.
But before she reached the courtyard, someone grabbed her.
A cloth covered her mouth.
She fought.
The attacker dragged her toward the old storage room.
Then Thunder screamed.
The sound shook the entire stable.
The horse kicked the stall door repeatedly.
The attacker looked toward the noise.
Eleanor seized the moment.
She drove her elbow backward.
The man released her.
She ran.
Thunder’s stall door burst open.
The stallion charged into the courtyard.
The man fled.
Eleanor climbed onto Thunder’s back.
No saddle.
No bridle.
Only instinct.
“Take me to the village.”
Thunder raced through the gates.
Eleanor looked behind her.
The three men were chasing them on horseback.
She urged Thunder faster.
The road twisted through the forest.
Branches struck her shoulders.
Her hands burned from gripping his mane.
But Thunder knew the land.
He took a narrow path that the other horses could not follow.
At last, they reached the village chapel.
Eleanor dismounted and ran inside.
The priest opened the door.
“Miss Reed?”
“Please. I need paper and ink.”
“For what?”
“To write to the duke.”
The priest gave her both.
She wrote quickly.
She told Alexander everything.
Then she sealed the letter.
But before she could send it, a rider arrived.
It was one of Alexander’s trusted men.
He looked exhausted.
“Miss Reed.”
“Where is the duke?”
“He was ambushed.”
Her blood ran cold.
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“The old hunting lodge.”
Eleanor mounted Thunder again.
The rider stared.
“You intend to go there?”
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“No.”
She looked at Thunder.
“I have him.”
