By the time all was said and done, she stood several feet from the stoop. That was when a sudden apprehension came over her. She was about to turn around when she felt strong arms clamp around her from behind. She gave a cry of surprise and fear, only for it to be cut short by a hand on her mouth. Luckily for her, it had made enough sound that they might hear it in the house, but it was short lived. The next thing she knew, she was being dumped in a carriage and the door was slammed shut. The carriage belonged to the Carringtons started to clatter away.

"Dear sister, allow me to congratulate you on your nuptials. I knew you'd show up eventually," said the voice of her second eldest brother in his feminine sounding tones. His prolonged "s" was almost snakelike. God, how she hated that prolonged "s." Her eyes narrowed at him as she pushed herself up.

"What do you want?"

"Why, to take you home, sister." And that was all he said before he brought the head of his cane crashing down against her skull. And then the world was dark.

"Little bitch," he muttered, his voice echoing yet dimming away as she lay crumpled on the floor of the carriage.