MASKED CHARADES

MASKED CHARADES: Prologue

PROLOGUE

ENGLAND 1832

It's half past midnight and leaves are rustling and hissing due to the blowing wind. The sound of crickets can be heard breaking the silence of night. On the outskirts of London, a carriage can be heard, horses' hooves making an impact on the almost silent road to London. More horses chase the carriage leading it to slow down its pace, and bringing it to stop a few miles before reaching London.

ROBERT CROOKE, the liard of highwaymen, stomps down from his horse, and starts moving towards the now halted carriage.Only at the age of thirty, he is chief of the highwaymen, deriving pleasure in killing innocent merchants and bypassers, relieving them of their belongings. Women are abducted and brutally raped, while men are forced to face a dreadful death.Crooke never grants mercy. He is tall and broad with cold blue eyes, and a wide jaw. It is well known that whomsoever sees Crooke, never get the chance to describe his features to anyone. Countless people are murdered by his men and now, the fate of these innocents in the carriage is at his mercy,a mercy he is known of never granting.

He opens the door to the carriage, eagerly holding his sword. To his knowledge, the Duke of Roxborough is travelling in this carriage with his family and many precious belongings. He is one of the richest Dukes in the country and, if Crooke's informer is correct, his pillaging of the Duke's treasures will be very successful.

Speaking in hard tone, he orders, "Everyone inside, get out, and don't try anything foolish." Hushed whispers can be heard from within and, in a few moments, a man in his middle age, broad and tall with a rigid demeanour gets out. He is followed by a lady, of almost the same age as him having dark, raven hair and a petite form. Finally, a girl emerges looking to be of three and ten with the same hair as lady, and eyes as green as man's.

Immediately surrounded by men accompanying Crooke, leaving no chance to escape, the Duke speaks up,"Take all the belongings you want, but let my wife and daughter leave." He keeps his chin high and holds onto his wife with one hand and daughter with the other.

Hearing this, all the men start laughing but Crooke brings his hand up to hush them. In a moment all the laughter pipes down, and he speaks,"My Lord, if you have heard anything of highwaymen then you must agree that they never part with their possessions, whether it be a Duke or not, making the request. Now keep quiet and don't move while my men take care of your belongings.. If you will oblige" he spits at Duke's feet, challenging him.

Men start loading all the suitcases and trunks from the carriage to their horses. The Duke and his family were in the meantime kept silent by two men holding swords to their necks. Suddenly, in the distance, horse hooves are heard, followed by a gunshot which leads to commotion amongst the men. Crooke takes his men to search in the darkness for the source of the sound, rustling heard from the bushes, distracting them.The Duke takes his chance, and pushes past the one man remaining by his side, tackling him to the ground and taking his sword. He lurches towards a nearby horse with sword in one hand, holding his daughter's arm in the other.

He saddles the girl on the horse, giving her the reigns, and tells her,"Keep riding until you reach London, seek help." Just as the horse moves, Crooke lunges forward and reaches for the Duke but its too late to take hold of the girl and she makes her escape.The horse takes flight and in no time is out of sight in falling darkness.

 The girl looks behind her and sees her father being given a merciless death, stabbed from behind by the sword of the brute highwayman.His last, agonising words are,"Run my dear, run far,until you reach my friend Duke of Cambridge, he will take care of you. Run my love!"

The girl screams and sobs, looking backwards into the darkness where she last saw her father lying. Another gunshot and faint scream follows her, echoing in her ears, reminding her of the fate, her beloved mother must be meeting. She never looks back,sobbing and riding as her father ordered, looking forward towards London.

She knows the first gunshot they heard was from her father's valet,shooting to distract the highwaymen in an attempt to let their carriage escape.The plan was in place for any situation such as this, the valet was alerted to, and to that end he had been following the carriage only a few miles behind them.

An hour later she reaches London, making it safely to the man who is considered as close as an uncle to her by her father, The Duke of Cambridge.She is left in his care now.She dismounts, leaving the horse and moves towards to doors of manor which, due to the early hour, are still closed.She lies down on the porch, all the energy drained from her from the trauma of this fateful night, a night which will haunt her memory in all days to come.She has lost her family, her beloved mother and father to one man's cruel brutality and animosity. She murmurs his name, and pictures his cold, blue eyes before passing out completely.One day he will pay for his sins. She will make sure of this.

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Picture on the side is our villain.. Tahmoh penikett... so that you guys can imagine him :) And he will come later ;)