Page 94 of Foolish Bride
He kissed the top of her head. “Just changing horses. You can go back to sleep.”
As Michael left the carriage to help with the horses, the warmth left with him. The cool dampness was raw against her skin, making her clothes clammy and uncomfortable.
She made a mental list of all the warm comfortable things she would enjoy once they reached Marlton, and Everett was safe and well. A roaring fire, a fur pelisse, maybe some hot soup, and Michael wrapped around her.
Michael returned to the carriage, face strained and clothes soaked.
“Something is wrong.”
His jaw tightened, and his lips pulled back in a straight line. He shook off the water and climbed in. “I cannot help thinking that this weather is perfect for an ambush.”
“Do you really think that Roxton would attack us by himself? His men are still in custody. How can he hurt us? He needed those muscle men just to kidnap me, with only two boys for protection. Now he is helpless against seven men.”
Frowning, he watched warily out the window as the carriage started forward. “I am sure you’re right.”
She knew he was only trying to ease her concerns. Her anxiety heightened, and she joined him in watching the pouring rain out the window. Between the heavy trees, dark clouds, and rain, it was impossible to see anything beyond a few feet. Elinor strained her eyes looking for shadows, but there was only rain and the rising fog. Soon she could see nothing at all and closed her eyes against the strain.
An hour after they’d changed horses, the fog closed in on them. “Why is it so quiet?” Elinor asked.
Michael stuck his head out the window. He did the same on the other side. “I do not see the others.”
“What do you mean? Where could they have gone?”
“I do not know. It’s foggy. That can sometimes dull sound and cause a party to separate.”
He knocked on the roof. “Wallace, do you see the others?”
No answer.
The carriage sped up.
Wet roads and speed created a rocking that tossed Elinor from side to side.
Michael lifted her and placed her on the carriage floor. “Hold on,” he commanded as he slipped through the door.
Elinor screamed his name but did not move from the floor. With the horses at a full run, the carriage tossed her back and forth. She braced her legs between the benches. They shook with the effort.
* * * *
The rain dwindled to a drizzle but the fog grew thicker, making it impossible to see the driver clearly. Michael climbed up to the top of the carriage, heading for the driver. After he told the man to stop, he would worry about finding the others. He was only inches from him when the carriage rumbled over something in the road. Michael clung to the roof, air whooshing from his lungs.
The driver turned. The face that looked back was Roxton’s. His initial shock transformed to a wicked smile as he tossed the reins aside. Roxton pulled out his sword, stood, and hacked madly at Michael.
As the sword came crashing down an inch from his neck, Michael rolled to one side, barely escaping the loss of his head
The carriage rocked wildly. Elinor screamed.
With no one directing them, the horses ran blindly into the fog.
Michael had little hope that he could survive a crash, but Elinor might make it safely home if he could toss Roxton from the roof.
Roxton took another wild swing with the sword.
Michael grabbed his legs. Off balance, Roxton fell forward on top of Michael, and together they crashed through the carriage roof.
Elinor screamed, rolling out of the way just in time. She curled up in a corner of the back seat.
Roxton kept chopping at Michael.
