Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

L ucy sat in the dark carriage across from Mary on her way back to London . Mr . Currant , her father’s driver, wasn’t happy when she and Mary slipped out to the stable to tell him they were leaving at five o’clock in the morning. Unwilling to be deterred, she wanted to be gone well before Rowan awoke. Mary wasn’t happy either and, in subtle ways, made that known to Lucy . But Lucy couldn’t stay and pretend to be happy about another marriage that didn’t hold the promise of love.

Somehow , during those two days alone with him in his dilapidated manor home, where they cooked, talked, and read those letters…she had fallen for him. Head over heels. When they had been discovered without a chaperone, she knew he’d do the right thing and offer for her. But it wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair to him. He shouldn’t be shackled to someone he didn’t love. Nor was it fair to her. She couldn’t be in a marriage without being loved in return. Yes , there would be gossip. Horrible gossip. But she’d rather weather the gossip than a lifetime without love.

The moonlight brightened the landscape and created a soft glow, giving them ample light to see the road. Mr . Currant had warned about the bends in the road, made worse after the snowstorm. The snow and ice had churned into the mud and had frozen overnight, making the hilly areas that they would pass on their way back to London more treacherous for the horses and the carriage, but Lucy hadn’t heeded his warnings. She just couldn’t stay one more moment, knowing her heart was breaking.

“ It’ll be all right, won’t it, Ashe ?” she whispered, trying to swallow past the large lump in her throat. The small animal stood on her lap with his paws on the window and looked at the manor house growing smaller behind him. A soft whimper escaped him. Lucy wasn’t sure, but she thought he wasn’t in agreement with her decision, either.

“ I left the note you wrote for Lord Scarborough beneath his door and the ones you had written for Lady Latham , Miss Gowans , and Lady Soren beneath theirs,” Mary said softly. “ I made sure no one saw me, and I was quiet so as not to wake them up.”

“ Thank you, Mary . And I apologize to you. I hated to leave under such conditions and can’t really explain it to you, but suffice it to say this Christmas holiday hasn’t gone the way I would have wished.”

Ashe gave a soft cry, almost as if he protested her statement.

“ I didn’t mean you, Ashe . I know you’d not be with us had I not gone.”

Mary snorted. “ Your parents will be most unhappy with you, milady, when they find out about the broken engagement and your new pet.”

Normally , she would not take issue with Mary’s attitude, but for reasons she couldn’t define, she became irritated. “ I know you won’t be the person that tells them, though. They will find out soon enough from that Tattler rag. No one in London has ever spared a thought for me and what I want. Besides , I’m tired of giving in to whatever my parents want. I’m a widow. And I’ve earned the privileges that come with that title. For God’s sake, I married a jewel thief—by proxy, no less. And the man was shot and killed in the act of stealing.”

Mary smiled and shrugged. “ At least he died doing something he enjoyed, milady.”

A bubble of laughter rose in Lucy’s throat and escaped. Mary began to giggle, and Ashe seemed confused as he observed the two of them laughing as though he thought them daft.

“ Oh , Mary , I’m so glad for you. Thank you for putting up with everything. It gives me a most comforting way to look at Mr . Dirk Tenet .”

“ Milady , I will always be by your side, no matter what.”

Lucy blinked back tears and squeezed her maid’s hand.

As the carriage turned onto another road, the way became bumpy. Lucy looked out the window and could see the ruts up ahead. She had every faith in Mr . Currant . This was a well-traveled road, she reasoned. But deep inside, she began to worry she had made a rash decision. Mary’s eyes rounded in fear as the carriage hit a large bump. Somehow , they managed it without breaking an axle.

Ten minutes later, as the carriage was gaining speed going down an incline, she felt the carriage drive over an especially deep rut. Thank God she’d had the presence of mind to place Ashe back into the warm satchel a few minutes earlier. Instinctively , she clutched the bag tightly to her chest. A cry escaped Mary at the same time as a loud crack echoed around them, followed by a series of metallic, clanking noises as the carriage tilted to one side and began to slide. The horses screamed in terror, and she heard Mr . Currant’s loud curse before he screamed as well. Another loud snap sounded as the carriage broke away from the horses and smashed against a tree, tossing the three of them around in the carriage as it began to slide. Mary screamed, and Lucy did as well, still clutching the small fox against her chest.

Oh God ! This is it, then. This is how it’s going to end.

Why had she insisted on leaving under such conditions?

Damn , and blast my silly, stupid pride.

Lucy began to pray…and then cried out as a warming brick flew through the air and hit her in the head. The carriage skid and flipped, and snow, dirt, and debris flew as the carriage slammed into something hard and rolled before rocking back and landing on its side. Only the loud groaning of the carriage interrupted the fierce ringing in her ears. Her last thought was of Rowan’s tender eyes as he bent to kiss her before she felt herself slip into cold oblivion.

* * *

Conners pulled back the drapes, revealing a striking sunrise over the snowy grounds of Latham Manor . “ My lord, you asked me to make sure you awoke early. Lord Latham has plans to organize two groups to search for a Yule log this morning.”

“ Conners , you interrupted my dream,” he moaned. Rowan was enjoying the warmth of the bed and the imagined intimacy of his fiancée and didn’t want to leave any of it. Already , his dream of Lucy was beginning to fade.”

“ Yes , my lord. I have a warm bath ready for you. By the way, I found this beneath the door. It’s addressed to you. If I can be somewhat presumptive, it looks like a lady’s handwriting,” the valet said.

“ How would you know the difference between a man’s and a woman’s scrawl?” Rowan asked, his words muffled by the pillow he had thrown over his head. But why would he have a missive from a woman? Unless it was Lucy … Suddenly , he was wide awake, flinging the pillow aside and grabbing the note from Connor .

Dearest Rowan ,

I know you will be angry when you read this, but I feel strongly about my reasons. I am releasing you from your obligation. You are what every woman—even me—wishes to find and be able to call her knight in shining armor. A dream come true. You are an honorable man, but I cannot allow you to give up your life to marry me.

By the time you receive this, I will be halfway to London . I know you are a man of conviction, but please don’t come after me. It must be this way. I will be content to live the life I’ve been destined to live all along.

Thank you for helping me discover a part of myself that I had buried for so very long. I shall cherish those two days with you—and they were wonderful. Thank you for giving me my first kiss. The kiss of a lifetime. I shall never forget it. Never regret it. I shall keep the memory of our time together in my heart for the rest of my life.

With affection,

Lucy

PS . Please don’t worry about Ashe . I have taken him with me and will take good care of him.

Rowan cursed. What in the blazes was she talking about? He had done nothing but think of his good fortune ever since they had decided to marry. She was exactly who he needed. Her wit, intelligence, and heart had won him over, not to mention her luscious dark curls, and those gorgeous brandy-colored eyes and that beautiful smile had driven him mad from the first moment he’d lain eyes on her. Even more so when she was wearing those damn spectacles.

I have to find her. I have to.

“ No time for a bath, Conners . I must go,” Rowan said, throwing back the covers and bolting out of bed. He threw on his breeches and grabbed a shirt.

“ What about a cravat?” Connors asked, holding one up.

“ No damn cravat! There’s no time, man. I must find Lucy .”

“ I don’t understand, my lord…”

“ She left me.” He couldn’t lose her. He just couldn’t! Just saying it aloud cut like a knife.

As he flung open the door, he came face to face with Katie and Slice , Latham and Frankie , and Paula and Nelson . They shoved letters into his hand.

“ She’s gone. We must find her,” cried Katie . “ It’s my fault. I should have suspected something like this when she left the ballroom last night.”

He stared down at the three almost identical letters.

Dearest Frankie ,

Thank you and Thomas so much for the wonderful house party. It was so generous of you to celebrate my engagement. Unfortunately , I realized that I could not hold Lord Scarborough to such an expectation, especially when we wouldn’t have been in that position had I not stolen Ashe . Although , I cannot feign regret about that. I am returning home.

Sincerest thanks,

Lucy

“ What is she thinking?” Rowan shouted. “ How could she even consider going out in this weather? It’s the coldest it has been all year out there. The roads are completely frozen.”

“ And there’s the promise of more snow,” Frankie added, her voice threaded in alarm.

“ Honey , I don’t think another weather prediction will help,” Latham said, kissing her on the forehead.

“ I will find her and bring her back,” Rowan growled. “ Do you have any idea why she left?” he said, buttoning his coat as he looked from Katie to Paula to Frankie .

Frankie and Paula , in turn, looked at Katie .

“ She has convinced herself that you don’t love her, and she won’t marry again without love,” Katie blurted, swiping at the tears. “ I promise, had I any inkling she was thinking of doing this, I’d have slept next to her door to keep her from leaving. You have to find her. I can’t help but feel like something bad will happen to her. Lucy doesn’t have the best of luck…as we all know.”

“ I had rather thought that we had changed all that,” Rowan muttered. She’s wrong, so wrong , he thought. There was every chance they could have an affectionate marriage. He enjoyed her company. She was so beautiful and witty—and even if she could be argumentative, she was enjoyable to be around. He’d never met another woman like her in his life.

“ I’ll go with you,” Slice offered.

“ I will, too,” Latham said.

“ Count me in,” Nelson said.

“ They can’t have gotten far,” Rowan said. “ What time did they leave?”

“ I understand that they left around five this morning,” Frankie said. I checked with the staff. Cook said she gave her a basket of food.”

“ Why didn’t Cook alert us?” Latham asked, irritated.

“ I don’t think she knew. We didn’t know, how could they have known about this,” Frankie said, defending her staff.

“ I don’t have any more time for this. I have to go find her,” Rowan muttered. He sprinted down the stairs and headed out through the kitchen to the stable.

Rowan rode in silence with his friends as they headed toward London . He reasoned the carriage should be easier to spot now that it was daylight. It had started snowing again, but as they turned onto the main road to London , Rowan grew concerned.

The snow, mud, and traffic had made the road more rutted than usual. It was a half-hour into their journey when he spotted it—the wheels of a black carriage with its four horses nearby. A body had been flung from the carriage. The four of them galloped toward the scene of the accident.

“ Dear God !” Rowan slid off his horse and ran first to the man in the snow.

“ I’ll help him,” Latham said, leaving his horse. “ It’s the driver. He’s still alive,” he called out,” after checking the man’s neck for a pulse.

“ I’ll secure the horses,” Nelson said.

Rowan rushed to the carriage. “ Lucy …” he shouted. His throat was so clogged with emotion he could hardly push the words past. He reached the door of the carriage that was facing the sky, and with almost herculean strength, he yanked off the door and threw it aside. Luckily , the carriage was wedged between a tree and a rock—which was probably what had stopped it from continuing to roll down the hill. But it was the scene inside that nearly undid him. Mary , Lucy’s maid, was sitting up against what would have been the floor and the seat of the carriage.

Lucy was crumpled opposite her. The small fox had fashioned itself around Lucy’s neck, like a scarf, and was making small keening noises and licking her face as if trying to warm her and wake her. Blood ran from Lucy’s head, and he saw a bloodied, warming brick lying beside her. “ Mary , it’s Lord Scarborough , he said when the maid looked up at him. I’m here to help you. Stay still. I’m coming into the carriage. Hovering his body over the opened door, he slid into the carriage and braced his feet on the window lying flat on the ground.

Ashe made whimpering noises and continued to lick Lucy’s face.

“ Rowan ,” Slice called from outside. “ I’m climbing onto the side of the carriage and will help you lift them out. Latham said the carriage driver was awake. He was thrown away from the accident and seems mostly unhurt.”

Rowan got down, and after moving Ashe a little, he was able to hear Lucy breathing. Thank God ! He brushed a kiss on her lips. “ Lucy love, I’m going to get you out, but I have to help Mary first,” he whispered.

He turned to Mary and touched her shoulder.

“ I’m all right, I think, milord,” she said, her eyes still closed. “ Just very shaken up and very cold.”

“ I’m going to hand you up to Lords Soren and Latham ,” he said, glancing up at Slice and Latham , who had joined him on the topside of the carriage.

“ No , milord,” Mary protested, opening tearful eyes. “ Take milady first. She got hit by a brick, I think, and I haven’t heard a peep from her.”

“ Mary , you’re a generous lass, but I need to get you out first so I’ll have more room to help Lucy .”

The maid nodded.

“ Let me know if I hurt you. I’ll try my best not to,” he said.

“ I’m so cold, milord, I couldn’t feel anything if I tried,” she said as he lifted her through the opening where the door used to be. Latham and Slice eased her out, and Latham helped her off the carriage and carried her to where he’d left the driver—near Nelson , who was also watching the horses.

Once Mary was safely in Slice’s hands, Rowan squatted down next to Lucy and kissed her again. “ Sweetheart , it’s me, Rowan ,” he said, his voice clogged with emotion. “ Please , you’ve got to hang on for me,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “ We’re going to get you out of here. Please stay with me, love.” He kissed her again on the lips.

“ For God’s sake, man, you can kiss her all you want later,” Latham reprimanded.

Rowan threw him a scowl over his shoulder.

He turned back to Lucy . As much as he had hoped for it, there was no response. Gently , he lifted the small fox, who protested with a high-pitched chatter and accusatory eyes at leaving Lucy’s side. Rowan realized the fox had been trying to keep Lucy warm and safe. “ Ashe …little fellow, you’re a hero, but Lucy would have my hide if I didn’t see you safely out of here, so back in the satchel you go.” Ashe seemed to understand and climbed back into the bag. Suddenly , it occurred to Rowan what it was that Lucy loved about animals. Ashe had helped her without expecting anything in return, just as she had helped him. He turned back to Lucy and checked her pulse. It wasn’t as strong as he would have liked. “ She’s not conscious. A warming brick hit her head.”

“ The doctor will be at the house when we return if I know Frankie ,” Latham said.

“ Several footmen and horses arrived as well,” Slice said, joining them again. “ We bundled Mary and the driver up, and they’re on their way back to the manor.”

Rowan lifted Lucy and swiped off the frozen tears that he hadn’t realized had run down his face. “ What if she doesn’t wake up?” he asked himself.

“ I heard that,” Latham said. “ She’s a strong woman. She’ll survive this, Rowan . We will see you married yet.”

“ I hope so,” he heard himself say. As he carefully handed Lucy up to Slice and Latham . Taking the small satchel with the fox inside, he climbed out of the carriage.

“ We’ll return later to help the footmen recover the horses and the luggage,” Slice said, handing Lucy back to Rowan as they made their way up the hill where their horses were.

“ We’ll have to get the broken axle fixed before moving the carriage,” Nelson added.

Rowan nodded as he gently handed Lucy back to Slice so he could climb onto his horse. Slice lifted Lucy to him. Latham handed him a blanket, which Rowan slipped gently around Lucy as he tucked her head against his chest. With Ashe safely secured behind him, Rowan turned his horse towards Latham Manor . The four men moved as quickly as they dared go.

“ Lucy ,” he murmured into her ear as they rode. “ I love you. Please don’t leave me. Not when I’ve just found you. You are the most stubborn, brave, single-minded woman I’ve ever met. If you wake up, I promise, I’ll build you the best damn animal sanctuary in the world.”

To his surprise, her eyes fluttered open like a butterfly’s wings, and she looked up at him. Rowan fought to keep his eyes dry, but it was the most wonderful sight he’d ever seen in his life. “ Lucy , you’re awake. Are you hurt? I mean, I know you were hit by that blasted brick, but are there other places you hurt?” he began.

“ Shhh !” she said in a raspy voice, placing her finger on his lips. “ I want to hear what you told me… before .”

“ Before ?” he asked, puzzled. “ I said I’d build you a sanctuary.”

She closed her eyes. “ Before that,” she whispered.

“ I said you are the most stubborn, brave, single-minded woman I’ve ever met.”

She shook her head gently. “ No . I meant before that.”

He grinned. “ I said, I love you. Please don’t leave me. Not when I’ve just found you.”

“ That . Can you tell me again?”

His eyes moistened, and he pulled her closer. “ Lucy , I love you. Please promise me that you’ll marry me and make me the happiest of men. Never leave me again…not when I’ve finally found the woman with whom I want to spend my life.”

She breathed out a deep sigh. “ I love you, too, Rowan . And I’ll marry you. This time, I promise,” she said, beaming up at him. It was the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen.