Beautiful Stranger

Chapter 1 A dark haired woman was walking along a path in the woods enjoying the peace and quiet offered by nature. Since she arrived to Castle Combe everyday she went out and explored the pitoresque English village. She rented a cottage there under a fake name. She ran away from home a few days ago, far away from her father, the marquis Henri Belrose. It was his intention to marry her with a man she did not know. This man was twenty years older than her and rich. She did not care how rich he was, she was not going to marry him no matter what. After her father refused to listen to her she decided that the only way she could get out of this arranged marriage was to run away and hide. This way she would teach him a lesson. Who does he think he is? To make sure that her father would not find her she crossed the border from France to England. Under the cover of night she packed a few clothes and aided by her loyal maid she managed to get out of the castle without being seen. In the morning her father must have noticed she ran away but it was too late. Of course he will hire someone to track her down. That is why she thought it was best to cross the border to England and run as far away as possible. She spoke perfectly English and could hide away her accent. No one will ever know she came there from France. She managed to deceive the landlady when she rented the cottage and payed for three months in advance. She was not going to stay in the village forever just as long as it was necessary. Her real name is Irene Belrose but no one must know her true identity. She told the landlady that she was Clarissa Devon and that she came to Castle Combe for a few months on vacation alone. She was not married and she had no parents but her uncle had left her a small fortune. The landlady was surprised when Irene told her that she was 24 years old and single. A beautiful woman like her with long, black hair, blue eyes and a small fortune unmarried? There were a few men that proposed to her but she refused every single one of them because they were not the one. They were not her Prince Charming. Her father, tired of waiting, chose a husband for her. Today Irene decided to take a walk in the nearby forest. She was alone and she did not care. She was new in town and did not know anyone here. Anyway Irene was not interested in making new friends right now. She came here for a limited period of time. Sooner or later she will leave. As she was walking she suddenly heard the voices of two men. They were arguing and one was shouting at the other. They were a few metres away from where she was standing. Irene hid behind a tree with a large trunk and listened carefully. "I want my share now! I am finished with this! It has become too dangerous." "You cannot leave. I say so when you can and now it is not the time." "I made up my mind.I want out! Give me my money!" Two men dressed in black were standing near a carriage. There was a third man, the coachman, who did not interfere between the two. "What are you waiting for? Give me what I deserve. I am not going to wait here all day." "I think you are right, I will give you what you deserve." The man pulled a dagger with a blue sapphire on top from his right boot and stabbed the other man in cold blood in the heart killing him instantly. He pulled the dagger from the man's body and wiped it clean with a handkerchief. "The only way you can get out of this deal is by death! The coachman was not happy with this turn of events. "This is going to cost you extra." The woman's heart started to beat faster. She just witnessed a murder and was afraid that if the killer saw her he would kill her too. When she backed away she stepped on a twig which broke under her weight. The noise of the twig breaking made the man to look around but he did not see anything so he turned his attention to the carriage and talked to someone inside. There was another person there. A woman that she did not notice before. Irene did not what to stay any longer so she walked away and the coachman saw her. "My lord there was a woman here. She witnessed the whole thing." "You i***t, if she goes to the police you are finished!" The man ran after her. She looked back and saw him coming after her. Her heart beat like crazy in her chest as she ran faster. Irene ran until she had no where to run. She arrived at the edge of a ravine. She looked both ways, there was no place for her to hide. She was trapped. Now she had to decide if she stayed there and faced that man or go down the ravine. This was the better option. That man had a dagger and she had nothing to defend herself. Irene heard the man's footsteps he was coming closer. In any second now he will find her. Irenecsrated to climb down the ravine. On her way down she fell and hit her head on the ground loosing her consciousness. The man arrived at the edge of the ravine and saw her lying there on the ground. He assumed she was dead and left. Lord Eric Blake was riding his favourite black stalion, Demon, that morning. He always went horse riding early in the morning before breakfest. It was his favorite hobby. He enjoyed horseback riding on his lands. Since his father passed away a year ago he inherited the title and his estate. He was a wealthy man now and a good catch for any young lady that wanted to get married. Too bad Eric was not the marrying kind. He got off his horse and walked on foot for a few metres. Eric noticed on the ground carriage tire marks. Someone had beed on his property. Near those tire marks he saw footprints made by two different men no doubt. What were they doing on his property? As he walked around, Eric noticed another set of footprints a little further from those he saw a few minute ago and decided to follow them. It had rained the previous night and the ground was muddy. At the bottom of the ravine Eric saw the body of a young woman. As he climbed down he hoped he did not find her too late. He hoped she was still alive. He took her head in his arms and looked for a pulse. She was still breathing. Eric had no time to waste so he grabbed the woman and took her to his horse. He carefully put her up on the saddle and he sat behind her holding the reins. The horse trotted for 2 miles until they reached the Blake manor. The woman was still unconscious. Eric brought her inside the manor. His sister was in the parlour room enjoying a good book when Eric entered and put the woman on the sofa. "Oh my God, what happened?" "I do not know! I found her in the woods." Ruby, the house maid walked in the room. "You called me sir? " Yes, go and tell Jacob to bring doctor Thorpe right away. It is an emergency." "Yes, sir!" "I found her in the ravine. I think she slipped and fell. In the fall she must have hit her head." "Is it serious?" "Only doctor Thorpe can tell us that." "Poor thing!" "I am going to take her into one of the empty rooms. She is not comfortable here."