Chapter 5

Chapter Five

C arswell stared into the most dazzling blue eyes he’d ever seen. Miss Haynes blinked and her frightened look faded to one of wonder. His back was against the door, his body cushioning what would have been a painful fall. He should know since his right shoulder throbbed with the force of the impact. Somehow, though, Miss Haynes’s gaze dulled the ache quite nicely.

Her fingers curled against his chest and the press of her form opened ideas in his mind that he’d never considered. He did not believe in love, but perhaps taking a wife would not be such an imposition. Eventually he’d have to do it, but until now it seemed like another duty to undertake rather than the pleasure he now contemplated.

“My apologies, Lord Bingham, but could you help me up? I cannot seem to untangle myself.”

Carswell knew it was the proper thing to do, but she fit so nicely in his arms. Then he caught sight of Kaye’s smirking face.

He was not sure how to right Miss Haynes in their current position, but the last thing he needed was for his former lieutenant to get matchmaking schemes in his head. Even if he did like the woman, Kaye would only bumble things for him. “How can I assist?”

She blushed. “If you could move your right leg I believe I can untangle my skirts.”

His chest grew hot with embarrassment as he realized how completely she sat in his lap, her skirts pinned against the door by his leg.

“Pardon me.” He moved so she could pull the fabric free. But her efforts only brought them closer together as she pressed completely into him. He should have been frustrated and far more uncomfortable with the situation, but her closeness only made him want to wrap his arms about her again and hold her until… until when? The postilion came and discovered their inappropriate position?

He cleared his throat. “Mr. Kaye, Miss Julianna, might you help us get ourselves righted?”

Kaye’s smug expression cleared and he helped a gawking Miss Julianna back to the bench. She leaned over and straightened her sister’s skirt as Carswell helped Miss Haynes grasp Kaye’s hand.

The door to the side of the carriage still held up by its wheels flew open and the driver helped Miss Julianna out. Kaye passed Miss Haynes’s hand to the man and she disappeared out the door. Using his left arm, he pushed against the tilted side of the coach until he could stand.

Once everyone was gathered out in the dreary cold he took stock of their surroundings. The ground was muddy and the trees bare. An overcast sky hung low, threatening to unload its burden on them. The Haynes’s coach was nowhere to be seen, which was just as he’d instructed. Regret at his rash decision nipped at his conscience.

“How close is the next inn?” he asked the driver.

“Not far. Bout a ‘alf mile on. I’ll take the ‘orses an’ bring back a carriage.”

Carswell nodded. After helping the ladies to the side of the road, he retrieved the carriage blankets to keep them warm. The temperature was dropping and he wondered if they might get snow. It was a wonder they’d made it this far north without even a sighting of the white powder.

“Well, this is quite the adventure,” Kaye said, a big smile on his face as he bounced to keep warm.

“I think you mean a catastrophe,” Carswell said flatly.

“Not so,” Miss Julianna said. “I have never been in a carriage accident. Just think how much fun it will be to tell my friends, and what a story we will have to tell our Aunt Waverly.”

“But we could have been injured.” Miss Haynes cast her sister a quelling glance.

“Yes, but since we were not, it is only a great lark.”

“Speak for yourself,” Carswell said, rubbing his shoulder.

“Were you hurt?” Miss Haynes pulled her hands out of her muff and handed it to her sister.

Stepping behind him, she inspected his shoulder. When she rubbed a hand along his back, he stiffened, not knowing what to do. In all his life he’d never had a woman so brazenly touch his back. It was disconcerting.

“Raise your arm,” she instructed, holding her hand on his back.

His pulse leapt, but he did as she directed. When it reached half the height of his body, he winced.

“Hmm… you have a bit of swelling about the shoulder and your pain indicates there is probably some bruising, but I do not think anything is broken.”

Her hand fell away and he missed the warmth almost immediately.

Kaye rubbed his hands together. “How can you tell?”

Miss Julianna handed back her sister's muff. “Papa hired an apothecary and a surgeon to give us a few lessons. He said we would best know what we were about since we’d be mothers one day. Truthfully, I think it was a reaction to not knowing how to help Mama when she died. He never could stand physicians, though. Said they were just gentlemen cavorting about, begging money off innocent sick people.”

“Might I surmise that it was a physician who attended your mother at the end?” Kaye asked.

“Correct,” Miss Julianna said with a grim smile.

The way she locked eyes with Kaye after the short interchange was peculiar, almost as if a silent conversation were happening between them. Carswell could only imagine what it was about.

It seemed he was not the only one a bit taken with one of the Haynes women. It should not have surprised him. Kaye often fancied one woman or another, then the admiration would fade after a few days or a week and he’d move on to the next woman.

Slender fingers lifted his right hand and he froze.

“This did not happen in the accident.”

Carswell pulled his hand out of Miss Haynes’s grasp. “No. I need to get my hat and gloves from the carriage.”

He stalked away from her without looking back so as not to see her disgust, or even worse her pity. Most people did not notice the unnatural curl of his hand, but it had been hard to disguise when he’d lifted his arm in the air. Then again, she’d probably noticed it at dinner and breakfast. Only her good manners and kind nature had kept her from mentioning his odd hand.

Opening the door of the carriage, he searched the interior. His and Kaye’s top hats lay at the far end, one significantly more crumpled than the other. It would be easier to retrieve them from the door on the other side.

He turned and nearly jumped out of his skin when he nearly collided with Miss Haynes.

“I wanted to apologize,” she said, not even acknowledging his fright. “I should not have questioned you on what is obviously a very private topic. Sometimes I forget myself.”

“No need for apologies, Miss Haynes. It is I who should apologize for my surliness. If you must know, I lost the use of most of my hand due to an injury sustained at war.”

“I see.” Her gaze traveled down his arm to the affected hand. “Fascinating. May I?” She indicated with a slightly outstretched palm.

He stared at her fingers in shock. There was no disgust or pity, simply curiosity. Who was this woman? Not quite knowing why, he slowly raised his arm so she could see the hand that bent in on itself like a claw. Perhaps it was her apparent lack of guile?

She placed her hand under his and gently pulled back each finger. “Does this hurt?”

“No. I can barely feel it.”

“Do you have sensation in any of your fingers?”

“Very little. There is more in my thumb and forefinger.”

She moved to those digits and gently moved them around. The soft touch of her hand was cushioned by her own thick gloves, but he still felt the warmth. It traveled from the tip of his thumb all the way up his arm and wiggled its way into all his senses.

A breeze picked up and the smell of rosewater wafted from Miss Haynes’s direction.

“I have never had the chance to see this sort of injury. I wonder if it is a tendon issue or if it is related to a nerve?”

“Nerve.”

“Yes, a string-like piece that travels through all the parts of our body.”

“It was not a question. I know what a nerve is. I had the opportunity to meet with a physician from Edinburgh that believed it was a nerve that was damaged.”

“Ah, that would explain the loss of sensation.”

Movement over her shoulder drew Carswell’s gaze and he saw both Kaye and Miss Julianna casting them furtive glances as they whispered back and forth. Kaye’s grin pushed him to remove his hand from Miss Haynes’s grasp.

“Pardon, but my hand still feels cold and I need to retrieve my gloves.”

“Of course.” She stepped back and ducked her head, her previous boldness retreating.

He was tempted to reach out and allow her to examine his hand again, if only to see the way she lit with curiosity from within. But a giggle from Miss Julianna and a smug smile from his not-so-helpful friend reminded him that they had an audience.

Rounding to the other side of the carriage, he saw his gloves through the window. One still lay on the bench, but the other peeked out from under his crushed hat. The door swung open easily and Kaye’s hat tumbled out before he could catch it.

“Careful,” Kaye called, coming around the back. “That is the only hat I’ve got.”

Carswell scooped it up and tried to dust the bit of mud that marred the top, only managing to smear it more. Kaye snatched it out of his hands and furrowed his brow.

“Did your mother teach you nothing? You will only do more damage by smearing it about like that. Best to let it dry and then it will brush off easily.”

“Sorry. It was up against the door and I thought I could catch it.” And he could have if he still had two working hands. Gritting his teeth, he reached in and retrieved his own misshapen hat. With a thrust of his right hand, he popped the top back up. It still held creases and would need some attention from his valet to reshape it, but it was better than having nothing to keep his head warm so he plopped it on his head.

“I suppose I should not complain,” Kaye said, eyeing Carswell’s hat.

“Yes, well if I’d left it on my head where it belonged maybe it would be in better condition.” Snatching up the glove that had been under the hat, he shoved his right hand into it, but when he reached for his other he realized his error. Without his valet it would be exceedingly difficult to cover his other hand.

Kaye had already crossed back over to where the ladies stood at the side of the road, but even if he had remained, Carswell could not bring himself to ask for his help. It was too humiliating. He tried to pinch the glove with his thumb and forefinger several times, but his grasp was never tight enough and the glove slipped from his fingers each time he tried to insert his other hand.

He decided to hold the glove. If he held his other hand in front of him and over the left it would at least be more covered than no glove at all.

As he approached, Miss Julianna asked, “How long before the postilion’s return, do you think?”

“Not long now. Maybe ten more minutes depending on if they had a team ready or not.”

“And what will they do with the broken wheel?”

Carswell glanced at the listing conveyance. “I assume he will bring back tools and someone to repair it.”

“Shall we play a game of questions while we wait?” Kaye’s eyes danced with mischief and Carswell was tempted to warn the ladies away from any game he suggested. But when both ladies quickly agreed to the idea he decided to go along. Besides, a few questions never harmed anyone.

“Very good.” Kaye clapped his gloved hands together. “Here is how we will play. Each person will tell three things about themselves, two true and one false. We each get to ask one question that the person answers with a yes or a no and then we guess which one is false.”

The ladies nodded in agreement.

Kaye did not even wait to see if Carswell agreed. “I will go first so you can see how it is done. First, I have never eaten a tomato. Second, I once saved an unlucky feline from being shot by enemy fire, and last, I once saw my captain sleeping with a sock full of tree bark.”

Carswell scowled at Kaye’s smiling face. This game might hurt someone after all if he did not learn to keep certain information to himself.