no idea.”
He pushed himself off the seat with a curse, then leaned out the door and peered around the side of the carriage toward the team and front wheels.
“Dalton, how bad is it?” he demanded, calling up to the newly hired driver, still perched on top of the rig.
“Too bad fer us t’ push out, I’d say,” Dalton answered in a thick Yorkshire accent. “We’ll be needin’ a second team t’ haul ’er out, seh.”
“How far to the next inn?”
“Jus’ down th’ way a bit, couple o’ miles.”
Grey glanced down the road. “We can get there on foot?”
“Aye, seh. A’ hour’s walk o’ two, most like.”
Grey nodded grimly and dropped to the muddy ground. “We’ll walk from here, then.”
Emily peered out the door after him. A swamp had replaced the road. Mud came up past the horses’ fetlocks, and the entire surface was so slippery that the carriage had slid toward the edge of the road and into a muddy hole that was impossible to drive through. The front left wheel lay buried to the axle.
He gestured for Hedley. “I’ll need you to come with Mrs. Crenshaw and me. I want safety in numbers out on the road.”
“Aye, Major.”
He glanced up at the driver. “Dalton, you’ll wait here with the carriage, and Hedley will come back with a second team to pull you out.”
The man nodded. “Aye, seh.”
“Let’s go, then, Major.” Hedley glanced glumly at the gray-black sky as he tossed up a pistol to Dalton. “It ain’t gettin’ any sunnier.”
Thinking that Hedley’s comment might be the grandest understatement she’d ever heard given the dark storm clouds gathering on the horizon and the increasingly cold wind, Emily took Grey’s proffered hand and let him help her down from the leaning carriage.
When her feet touched the mud, she lost her footing and slipped. His hands instantly encircled her waist to catch her. He lifted her easily into his arms and carried her to the center of the peaked road where the mud was shallower. He released her to the ground, and she shivered as her breath clouded the cold air.
“Only an hour’s walk,” he assured her. He shrugged out of his greatcoat and held it open for her.
She shook her head. “I don’t need—”
“Put the damn thing on,” he growled.
Angrily, she shoved her hands into the sleeves. The coat covered her like a tent, from chin to toes.
“Thank you,” he muttered sarcastically. With a grimace of frustrated irritation, he buttoned up the coat, then dropped his hands away from her.
She swallowed down her frustration. Apparently, the gentleman had won after all, his restraint still firmly in place as the practical and protective hero set on saving her in spite of herself. Immediately, she missed the other Grey, the rake who’d looked at her as if he wanted to ravish her.
“Can you do this?” he demanded.
“Of course.” She jutted up her chin defiantly. She would never let this man think her weak, even if she had to crawl to the inn on her hands and knees.
“Come on, then.” He took her arm and led her down the road beside him, helping her find her unsteady way in the mud until she yanked her arm away from him and stomped on ahead by herself. He let her go. Driven on by mutual irritation and a desire to escape each other’s company when they finally reached the inn, they made good time.
Until the first drops of freezing rain began to fall.
* * *
Grey kicked open the door of the White Stag Inn and carried Emily inside, her body cold and limp in his arms from the freezing rain and cutting wind of the howling storm. Too damned stubborn to admit that the cold was overwhelming her, she’d collapsed, her frozen legs and feet unable to walk, and he’d carried her the last mile in his arms. “A room— now !”
Across the crowded common room, travelers who had already sought refuge for the night looked up in startled curiosity from where they gathered around tables laden with steaming bowls of stew and
He pushed himself off the seat with a curse, then leaned out the door and peered around the side of the carriage toward the team and front wheels.
“Dalton, how bad is it?” he demanded, calling up to the newly hired driver, still perched on top of the rig.
“Too bad fer us t’ push out, I’d say,” Dalton answered in a thick Yorkshire accent. “We’ll be needin’ a second team t’ haul ’er out, seh.”
“How far to the next inn?”
“Jus’ down th’ way a bit, couple o’ miles.”
Grey glanced down the road. “We can get there on foot?”
“Aye, seh. A’ hour’s walk o’ two, most like.”
Grey nodded grimly and dropped to the muddy ground. “We’ll walk from here, then.”
Emily peered out the door after him. A swamp had replaced the road. Mud came up past the horses’ fetlocks, and the entire surface was so slippery that the carriage had slid toward the edge of the road and into a muddy hole that was impossible to drive through. The front left wheel lay buried to the axle.
He gestured for Hedley. “I’ll need you to come with Mrs. Crenshaw and me. I want safety in numbers out on the road.”
“Aye, Major.”
He glanced up at the driver. “Dalton, you’ll wait here with the carriage, and Hedley will come back with a second team to pull you out.”
The man nodded. “Aye, seh.”
“Let’s go, then, Major.” Hedley glanced glumly at the gray-black sky as he tossed up a pistol to Dalton. “It ain’t gettin’ any sunnier.”
Thinking that Hedley’s comment might be the grandest understatement she’d ever heard given the dark storm clouds gathering on the horizon and the increasingly cold wind, Emily took Grey’s proffered hand and let him help her down from the leaning carriage.
When her feet touched the mud, she lost her footing and slipped. His hands instantly encircled her waist to catch her. He lifted her easily into his arms and carried her to the center of the peaked road where the mud was shallower. He released her to the ground, and she shivered as her breath clouded the cold air.
“Only an hour’s walk,” he assured her. He shrugged out of his greatcoat and held it open for her.
She shook her head. “I don’t need—”
“Put the damn thing on,” he growled.
Angrily, she shoved her hands into the sleeves. The coat covered her like a tent, from chin to toes.
“Thank you,” he muttered sarcastically. With a grimace of frustrated irritation, he buttoned up the coat, then dropped his hands away from her.
She swallowed down her frustration. Apparently, the gentleman had won after all, his restraint still firmly in place as the practical and protective hero set on saving her in spite of herself. Immediately, she missed the other Grey, the rake who’d looked at her as if he wanted to ravish her.
“Can you do this?” he demanded.
“Of course.” She jutted up her chin defiantly. She would never let this man think her weak, even if she had to crawl to the inn on her hands and knees.
“Come on, then.” He took her arm and led her down the road beside him, helping her find her unsteady way in the mud until she yanked her arm away from him and stomped on ahead by herself. He let her go. Driven on by mutual irritation and a desire to escape each other’s company when they finally reached the inn, they made good time.
Until the first drops of freezing rain began to fall.
* * *
Grey kicked open the door of the White Stag Inn and carried Emily inside, her body cold and limp in his arms from the freezing rain and cutting wind of the howling storm. Too damned stubborn to admit that the cold was overwhelming her, she’d collapsed, her frozen legs and feet unable to walk, and he’d carried her the last mile in his arms. “A room— now !”
Across the crowded common room, travelers who had already sought refuge for the night looked up in startled curiosity from where they gathered around tables laden with steaming bowls of stew and
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