Page 1 of Joy to the Earl
Chapter 1
Wednesday, 20 December 1809
The snow had been fallingin big fluffy flakes all afternoon, bringing a swift and deep twilight long before the usual time.Joy Whitfield gazed out the window of the carriage for hours, watching as the landscape changed from a barren grey-brown forest with scattered leaves dancing along the ground…to trees suddenly dusted white…to trees laden with velvety snow that gathered in the crooks of the branches and fell in soundless heaps onto the blankets of snow that had already thickened the ground.
She’d hoped to make it to Gloucester before nightfall, but it could only be four in the afternoon, and their progress had slowed so considerably that she doubted they would get more than a few miles further.
Without warning, the carriage lurched to one side, and she both heard and felt a sickening crack from below, surely a wheel now stuck on the frozen road.As Joy slid to one side of the tilting bench, she put her arms out to break her fall.Across the way, her maid, Wren, let out a little shriek of alarm.
All motion stopped.After a few moments, the driver came around to the door he could still reach.He peered in through the glass and then carefully turned the handle.
“Wren, you all right?”he asked the maid.
“I’m fine, Cullen.So is the mistress,” she added with a pointed look toward Joy.
“Oh, yes, sorry, ma’am.Glad no one got hurt.We’ve broken a wheel.Even if we hadn’t, the road is solid ice now, and I can’t see anything because of the way the snow has drifted.”
“What shall we do?”Wren asked.“We can’t possibly stay here overnight.It’s already freezing.”
“You must both ride on ahead.I’ll loose the horses from their harness and you each can ride one.You’ll be able to take a few bags along, and I’ll follow on foot once I get the carriage off the road.”
“Follow towhere?”Joy asked.“We’re in the middle of the forest.”
“There’s an inn not too far.A mile or two, no more.It’s called the Boar’s Head.When we set out this morning, I hoped it would be our stop for lunch, but you’ll be lucky to make it there for dinner.I pray there’ll be room at the inn, for we will not be able to travel further.”
As he spoke, Cullen helped both women out of the carriage, offering special attention to Wren, with whom he was madly in love.They then set about pulling their most important bags from the back, while Cullen handled the horses.Luckily, he had extra tack to saddle both, in case of a situation such as this.Cullen helped the women mount up, and then slung a couple of bags behind each saddle.
“The road goes due north here, so as long as you don’t wander into the trees, you won’t get lost.Look for the sign of the Boar’s Head.And if there be anyone who can be spared, let them know that the carriage is mired in the road and that I’ll be on foot.”
The women nodded and wasted no more time, for a cold wind whipped through the trees, blowing the snow almost sideways, hitting them both in the face with icy needles.
Joy pulled her cloak tight about her and Wren did the same.They rode at a steady pace northward.She didn’t dare speed up to even a trot, for the road was treacherous.Ruts that would be no more than an inconvenience in other months were now rigid gouges in the earth that could trip up luckless creatures.She certainly didn’t want to maim the horse, nor did she want to arrive even later because they had to walk the rest of the way.
Wren pointed.“Up there, ma’am!”
By the time Joy saw the creaking sign of a disembodied boar’s head swinging above the inn’s courtyard entry, she was chilled to the bone.Nevertheless, the lights coming from the windows on the ground floor were cheering, and she allowed herself to think that the worst was over.Yes, a good meal, a good night’s sleep, and surely tomorrow the carriage could either be repaired or she would find some other means of traveling to her destination.
A young boy hurried out of the snowy gloom to help them down and lead their horses into the sheltered stable.A great number of other animals already seemed to be in residence, to judge from the various snorts and the steam rising from the doorway.The lad directed both women to a door on the other side of the courtyard, where they would find the common room with a fireplace and something warm to drink.
Joy hooked her elbow around Wren’s to hurry her along, promising, “We shall both have hot tea, or perhaps something a little stronger.I’d say we’ve earned it.”
Inside was a haven of warmth.The innkeeper was a tiny, almost wizened man.They explained their plight, and he called out, “Amelia!”
A dark-haired young woman appeared.“Yes, Father?”
He passed on the news of a stranded carriage and she nodded once, knowing all she needed to direct a rescue of the coachman (if not the coach).Wren sighed in relief, knowing that her beau would not be left in the cold much longer.
The innkeeper was most accommodating concerning Joy’s inquiries for a hot meal and a hot beverage, but when she asked about rooms, his face took on a worried cast.
“I am afraid, ma’am, that there are no more rooms.With the weather, we’ve had many more travelers stop for the night than usual.”
“But surely there must be another woman who might be persuaded to make room for us?”Joy asked, dismayed at this news.
“Ordinarily, that may be so.But as it happens, tonight’s guests are all men.”
“What?A surfeit of men!That is absurd.Women must be traveling home for Christmas as well.”
“I am sure they are, ma’am.But they are not staying here.”
