Page 92 of Enslaved to the Seduction of a Lady
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Alison,” Luke cried as he clambered from the tumbled, crashed carriage.
He stood up and searched for her, having no idea where she might be. His blood sang with fear, his body shook with shock and terror. One horse lay bleeding on the floor, the other had bolted, and the coach looked like crumpled paper. His own body ached from the crash, and he could already feel the bruises blooming, but he was safe, at least. He was on his feet and moving. He feared Alison would not have been so lucky.
“Alison!” He screamed her name, louder this time, and in reply he heard a gentle mewling. He swung his head around in the direction of the sound, inhaling sharply, and scouring the dark night for her figure.
Then he saw her. She lay by a tree on the side of the road, curled into a ball, her body shaking with the effort of her sobs. He ran to her, sliding onto his knees as he approached.
“Alison,” he said, softer but quicker. “Alison, my Alison. Are you all right?”
He turned her carefully until she lay on her back, and she looked up at him with tear-swollen eyes.
Conscious, at least.
“Can you hear me, My Love?” Luke whispered, wiping hair away from her sticking face.
One side was covered in blood, although he couldn’t see where the wound was. The other was covered in dirt. Her gown was torn down the side, although it still covered her modesty. Still, he shrugged off his jacket and placed it over her.
“Yes,” she managed, her voice cracking.
“Thank goodness,” Luke said, gasping with gratitude. “Listen, the coach crashed. Noah is nowhere to be seen; the carriage is a wreck. I need to find someone to help us get you home.
“No,” she said, straining to cry out the word but only managing a whisper.
“It’s the only way,” Luke said, leaning down to kiss her softly on the forehead. “You are injured. You need a physician and you need rest. You stay here. I’m going to find someone to help. I promise I won’t be long, all right?”
She looked at him for a long moment, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, and then she nodded.
Luke leapt up and ran to the first house he saw, not far from the crash site. Already, a man stood in the doorway, lantern held high in the air, watching proceedings carefully.
“Please,” Luke said. “Can you help us? My… My Lady is injured. I need to return her to her home.”
“What happened, Lad?” the man asked. He was tall and altogether too slim, his frame nearly bent double as he spoke to Luke.
“I don’t know. The coach, it crashed. I—”
“Your footman ain’t very honorable, neither, is he?”
“What?” Luke took a slight step back, confused and panicked—he neither wanted this conversation nor did he have time for it.
“Saw ‘im un’itch that other horse and ride away on ‘im.”
“No,” Luke said, shaking his head, “that can’t be true.”
“’Tis.” The man looked at him with a straight and determined face, but he seemed unwilling to continue. Luke stared for a moment, his stomach roiling. He had no idea what to say, or why Noah might have behaved that way.
“Look, that doesn’t matter,” he said quickly, annoyed. “Lady Alison needs help. Will you assist us or not?”
“Where is her home?” the man asked. “I will send my son to fetch help.”
“Thank you,” Luke said, sighing with relief. “It’s Salsbury Manor, not too far from here. It’s—”
“I know it, lad. Get back to her. Young Johnny will get there, quick as anything.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Luke said, already turning to get back to Alison. “Thank you.”
Alison hadn’t moved while he was gone, but tears had begun to trickle down her cheeks, mingling with the blood and the dirt.
