Page 89 of Her Duke By Accident
The maid froze in her seat, the frantic rise and fall of her chest unable to be stopped. “Y–Your Grace,” she whispered, her voice quivering. “I?—”
Alicia clapped a hand over the girl’s mouth. “Quiet, now,” she muttered into the girl’s ear. “Not another sound.”
The sounds of the footmen jumping off the carriage echoed outside. Their feet hit the ground with a thud, and more silence carried through the compartment. Alicia kept her hand over Juliet’s mouth, feeling the girl’s hot breath fan against her skin uncomfortably. A million thoughts raced through her mind, onlythe image of Matthew’s face in the firelight the brightest in her head.
“Look, sirs,” one of the footmen said quickly, “we can get you money, if that’s what pleases you. Don’t do nothing rash now!”
The man on the left side of the carriage sighed loud enough for it to be heard where Alicia and Juliet hid in fear. “I’m afraid rash is all we do,sir,” the man said.
Bang! Bang!
Shots rang through the air, followed by the thuds of something heavy hitting the earth. Alicia released her hold on Juliet in surprise, clasping her own ears as the sound echoed into the carriage. The maid squealed, clutching at her head. A smell, one Alicia had never known, began to seep into the carriage. Footsteps moved around outside, the sound of something dragging across the ground. The compartment jostled and shook as the horses struggled to remain still in all the panic.
Alicia felt her breath come out jaggedly as she began to hyperventilate. To her right, Juliet pulled her knees up into her chest, almost becoming a tight little ball in the corner of the carriage. Terror laced the girl’s eyes as tears streamed down her face. In her place, Alicia imagined her sister, and Lucy. Reaching for her, Alicia grasped onto Juliet, pulling her till she could cover the girl’s petite frame with her own.
“Whatever happens,” Alicia whispered, her words barely a breath, “don’t stop running.”
Juliet looked at her with the widest eyes she had ever seen. “Alicia,” she cried, her lip quivering uncontrollably.
Wrapping an arm tightly around her, Alicia pressed a kiss into the girl’s raven colored hair. “I’ll protect you, Juliet.”
The footsteps grew louder outside of the carriage.
“Might we see what’s inside, boss?” one of the men said.
Another chuckled. “Hope it’s diamonds.”
“Don’t be daft,” the one on the carriage’s left said. “I hope it’s women.”
Alicia’s blood ran cold beneath her skin.
The left door directly beside Alicia was suddenly flung from its hinges. Alicia’s eyes squeezed shut at the sound, and she listened to the wood creaking and splintering as it smashed against the ground. Juliet was still within her grasp. For a moment, she wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps they had been saved.
Alicia willed herself to open her eyes.
The barrel of a rifle stared back at her.
All the air left Alicia’s throat as her body wished to scream. She could only stare at it, eyes widening as she tried to come to termswith the death that met her head on. There seemed to be a cavity within her, an echoing hole that ached for the duke to be there. Not for the obvious reasons of his protection against brigands, but rather, for Matthew to be there.
For the man she loved to be beside her when on death’s doorstep.
Alicia squeezed onto Juliet, holding the girl close as the barrel inched closer and closer. As the man placed a finger on the trigger, a devilish smile pulling back his lips to reveal yellowed and cracked teeth, Alicia kept her eyes open.
In these last moments, she would not allow herself to show fear.
Suddenly, a hand reached across the man’s face, grabbing onto the brigand’s collar before he could make another move. Out of Alicia’s view, she could only hear thethudof the man being dragged away, anothercrashas a fist made contact with his face. Within the moment, the brigand was unconscious on the ground, only his limp arm could be seen sprawling across the grassy floor.
Alicia breathed heavily, staring through the opened door, waiting for another brigand to reach in for her. A figure crossed over the threshold; only a silhouette against the bright afternoon light.
“Alicia.”
She blinked, trying to focus on the figure. “Who?”
The blurriness faded, and a gasp pulled itself out from between her lips.
Matthew watched her, his eyebrows furrowed together worryingly. He glanced between her and Juliet before he reached, extending his hand out to her. “Alicia,” he repeated, more firmly this time. “Don’t be afraid.”
Alicia shuddered, not able to hold up her strong exterior any longer. She jumped from the carriage, launching herself into his chest before he could say another word. The smell of Garvey filled her senses as she pressed her face into him: pine trees and roses. Alicia rubbed her face against his coats like a child who had lost its way, not wanting to lose the feeling she had right at that moment.
