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With her wrists still tied together in front of her, she was able to remove the cloth from her mouth, and with quite a bit of struggle, she managed to get her skirts out of her way before sitting upright. The carriage slowed considerably at that moment, almost rolling to a stop. But Victoria wasn’t going to wait for someone to get inside. Lord only knew what had happened to her would-be rescuers, if they even were that.

So, she opened the door of the carriage, fully prepared to jump out of the still-moving vehicle. Before she could take a step into nothingness and jump, a firm grip wrapped around her waist, lifting her effortlessly. The next moment, she was dumped across the lap of a rider on horseback.

William.

Of course, it was William.

Who else would be brazen enough to steal her right out of the moving carriage? He urged the horse to a gallop and whisked her away, leaving the kidnappers lying on the ground and the carriage sitting on the side of the road.

A sob of relief tore out of her lungs as Victoria threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. She burrowed her nose in that comforting spot between his shoulder and neck and took in his sweet, masculine scent. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she held on tightly to her husband, her fingers biting into his back. It felt good, oh, so good—too good to confess out loud—to finally be in his arms again. As if feeling her turmoil, William slowed his mount until finally stopping at the side of the road. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands drawing soothing circles around her back.

“How do you feel, my sweet? Did they hurt you?” His voice was tender and slightly hoarse from emotion.

She shook her head and hugged him close.

“Shh,” William soothed her, whispering comforting nonsense in her ears.

When Victoria finally felt calm, she leaned back and looked into William’s eyes. “At first, I thought it was you,” she said, her voice still raw from crying. “But the things they said…” She shook her head, and William’s fingers tightened on the back of her dress.

His frown was fierce as he gritted, “What the devil did they say?”

Victoria bit her lip. “It doesn’t matter.”

He nodded, his tension melting away. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter. I am here now. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Victoria wiped her cheeks and swallowed hard. “I stood on the street, speaking to Lord Porter when these men appeared out of nowhere and whisked me away.”

William scoffed. “That coward Porter didn’t lift a finger to help you?”

Victoria shook her head.

“I told you he was a coward. And I guess I was giving him too much credit when I said he’d toss a shoe at the attackers. Instead, he just left you and ran.”

A flicker of doubt crept into Victoria’s mind, but she dismissed it. “Yes, he did run. But to be fair, anyone would.”

William puffed out his chest. “I wouldn’t. I would never leave you in harm’s way. And even the servants tried to help. Anyone has more mettle than Porter.”

Victoria disengaged from his arms, that flicker of doubt settling back. “How did you know that?”

William blinked. “Know what?”

“That the servants tried to help.”

“I just assumed—”

“How do you even know that any servants were in the vicinity?”

William cleared his throat. “It is obvious by your clothing that you were leaving a social function. It’s a logical leap.”

“I might have been having a liaison with Porter.”

His features darkened. “Were you?”

“No, but I could have!”

William touched her cheek. “Come now, sweetness. Let me get you home.”

But his reassurances weren’t enough anymore. Her mind raced, thoughts tumbling one over the other. “How did you find me so quickly? How did you even know I was taken?”