Page 4 of Duke in Shining Armor
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They had been travellingfor three days, and Catherine was not looking forward to spending another day in the carriage. She did not rest well at the inns where they spent the night, for she always fell into fitful sleep, so she did not feel refreshed when she woke. On this day she felt lethargic, and there was no doubt that she was also affected by the emotional goodbyes. She reached for the book she’d been reading; however, after only a few pages her eyelids grew heavy.
If only….
Catherine was jerked awake by the sudden halt of the carriage. She did not realize she had fallen asleep. She took a moment to gather her thoughts as they came through a sleepy fog. She slowly moved the curtains aside, and she realized that hours had slipped by since they departed from that inn, and it was late afternoon.
“Who goes there?” the coachman shouted.
Catherine peered out the window to see the path was blocked by four men who looked to have escaped from penury at the workhouse. Such was their torn, bedraggled, and filthy clothes. They appeared not to have had a bath in the last decade. Catherine was nonplussed; her gaze fixed on the disheveled men.
“Ye be finin out soon enuff, matey,” the tall man said through rotting teeth as he snickered. “Ye be gittin off de carriage now.”
It was only then that Catherine realized these men waylaid the carriage, and there was a gun pointed at the coachman. She gasped and looked at her lady’s maid who was fast asleep. Catherine was unable to comprehend how these events were indeed unfolding.
“Helen,” she whispered, jolting her maid awake.
Catherine pressed a finger to her lips to indicate Helen should remain silent.
Her maid grasped the gravity of the situation immediately and straightened. “What is happening, my lady?” Catherine could see that her face was ashen.
“Do not fret. We are being robbed by highwaymen, but I have my derringer pistol and will not be afraid to use it. No harm will come to us,” Catherine said in a calm manner which belied her own anxiety. Inside, her heart pounded, for her derringer only had one shot and there were four men!
Good heavens, this is indeed a conundrum. What should I do?
She was adept at shooting, having practiced with Edward over the years, but never imagined there would be a need for her to point her pocket pistol at a man and fire. Dread gripped her, even so she was determined to survive this ordeal.
Catherine reached for her reticule, where her pistol was stored, and at that very moment the carriage suddenly lurched to the side of the road and gathered great speed.
Good heavens!
The side of the road was quite bumpy, and the carriage swerved from side to side as it bounced along. Catherine lost her balance and pitched forward.
“Oh, my word!” her lady’s maid exclaimed while she held her hand to her chest as if to stop her heart from racing.
Her lady’s maid shrieked as a shot rang out, and there was a loud thud. At the sound of the shot, the horses bolted, and at the speed at which they travelled, Catherine accepted the coachman was lost. The realization dawned upon her; it was now up to her to save them.
Catherine could feel perspiration dampening her forehead, her breath quickened, and her skin grew clammy. Though her heart pounded, she could not get a fit of the vapors and descend into hysteria. She eschewed this delicate countenance; it would not do. She had always held herself apart from ladies in thehaut tonso she would not deign to behave in this fashion even if the situation was terrifying. Catherine summoned her courage because there was no other way to get out of this conundrum. It was only this morning that she thought of being the lady that her parents wanted her to be … a refined lady with decorum who followed all etiquette. Just hours later her thoughts were filled with trepidation and the possibility of shooting a man.
Catherine tried to right herself, but the carriage swung and tossed her violently against the door.
“Be careful, milady,” Helen cried out, while trying to also brace herself.
Catherine held onto the handle and pulled herself upright so she could peer outside. She thought things could not get worse, but the horses gathered more speed as they were in full flight. She started to perspire even more, and there was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. As they rounded a corner, she realized that the carriage careened to the right of the horses, taking it completely off course, and they would collide with a tree.
Bloody hellwas her last thought before the world went black.
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James heardthe panicked whinnying of horses, and then a loud crash.
What the devil was that?
He slowed his mount and looked around to discern the direction the sound came from. James observed a pair of horses galloping away but decided not to pursue them. He urged his horse toward the sound, and he found a carriage that was smashed with its contents strewn about.Good God.There were two ladies lying on the ground, along with lady’s clothing and other miscellaneous items. The ladies did not appear to move. With urgency beating in his heart, James jumped from his horse and quickly made his way toward the first lady with dark-reddish blonde hair. She looked pale, but James could see that she was beautiful, even though all the color had left her cheeks.
“My lady, are you hurt?” James asked as he gently shook her shoulder.
When she did not reply, he had a heightened sense of panic. He gave her a firm slap on the cheek, and when she did not reply he gave her another. He lifted his head and raised his anxious gaze to the second woman who uttered a groan. At least he was assured she lived. He returned his attention to the blonde-haired lady and found himself staring into a pair of bold blue eyes, set in such a beautiful face with lush lips.
