Defying the Earl (26 page)

But what if he’d been thrown? Injured? The fleeting memory of her parents’ driver remained all too fresh. Her lungs seized with panic, not for her own safety, but for the man who’d captured her heart. She had no time to dwell on it though as relief replaced worry, the sound of Valerian’s deep timber slicing the storm’s anger.

“Wilhelmina, don’t move.”

A silence pursued, causing tears to refill her eyes.

“I’m climbing down.”

She released a shuddered breath and reclaimed her resolve. Strength and cooperation were most needed. Yet again, a rush of remembrance, the description of her parents’ accident and the days immediately after, as Livie was returned to the house, unconscious and clinging to life, suffocated her emotions with a constriction that threatened to stop her breathing altogether. Why had she behaved so terribly? If she had been in the coach with her family, she may have been able to help them…save them.

She forced shallow, even breaths and rallied enough air to answer Valerian. He would be reassured to hear she remained unharmed, although her call to him seemed lost in the gale of wind. Thank goodness she’d left a note for Livie explaining her absence due to matchmaking purposes; asking her sister to supply excuses to Aunt Kate if need be. A closed door and a headache complaint should suffice if Livie was forced to offer explanation.

Moments passed in eerie silence aside from the consistent thrum of rain against the walls. Perched at a precarious angle, any slight movement dared to worsen her plight and so she sat as motionless as possible, afraid she’d cause the coach to plummet further down the embankment by error of a deep breath.

She heard Valerian’s voice, hollering her name as he neared and a rush of hope took hold. How her sister must have suffered and endured the countless hours trapped under the weight of her parents, painfully paralyzed by fear and injury. Sobs of regret and unsettled guilt welled in her throat. She released a broken sob of dismay. Then, glad for the distraction, a knock on the side of the carriage that now served as the roof, pulled her focus to the present.

“Wilhelmina. Can you hear me? Are you well?”

His voice offered her the strength to push aside the past and grasp onto the present. “Yes. I am fine. Please help me, Valerian. I am afraid.”

“I will be there in a heartbeat, my love. I must decide on the best way to proceed. Be still and don’t worry.”

She smiled at his apt reassurance. A shadow passed over the sliver of window glass that remained unobstructed in the failing light. The coach had plummeted sideways, twisting in position so the door was flattened solidly against the ground. Even if she could fit through the window above, soil, branches and forest brush had fallen atop the carriage when it had settled and she wasn’t sure where or what Valerian intended. She waited, her heart thundering a tremendous beat.

“Just a moment longer, Whimsy. I’m nearly clear to reach you.”

She smiled at his desire to pacify her fear and in a moment of ridiculous vanity, touched her fingertips to her brow to scrub away the caked blood, unaware she smeared it across her forehead. Surely her hair was a tumbled mess. Even in the dim light, she could see her dress was soiled and torn. The debris that had fallen in through the broken window had dirtied her skirts while the lash of windblown rain whipping against her at a slant caused her clothing to transform into a grimy mess.

Would they forever find themselves in the mud?

The sudden thought caused a laugh to bubble over, a note of hysteria and amusement combined.

The carriage rocked as a solid thud permeated the interior. “Protect yourself, my love. I need to break away the remaining glass from the window. I will do so with care, but turn away and do your best to take cover.”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

The tinkling of falling glass added to the odd mixture of sounds present in the near darkness. How would Valerian assist her out without sending the carriage further down the embankment, dropping them both into danger? And then what? They were in the middle of the countryside miles from anyone. Nobody would be traveling the roadway in these conditions. A tremor of fear and futility groped at her better sense, but the dusky sight of Valerian’s face outside the window subdued the threat of emotion.

“There you are, love. We’ve gotten ourselves into a troublesome predicament, haven’t we?”

He smiled, and her heart ached. How much she needed him, his calm demeanor and playful teasing the balm to her fear. All she could do was nod her agreement.

“Arcadia has fled, the coward, so it seems I’m to play hero alone. Can you stand? Does your footing feel steady?”

With cautious apprehension, she rose from the corner, her boots planted firmly against the sideways banquette for better leverage. “Yes.”

Despite the diffused interior, she saw his eyes flare as she moved closer, the firm set of his jaw hard with determined strength.

“Your forehead, Whimsy. Does it pain you?”

“No. It’s nothing. Please, help me out of here so we can go home. I’m ashamed to confess I have far less fortitude than Livie.”

A flash of awareness made his brows rise and then understanding quickly replaced surprise. Perhaps in the chaos of the incident he hadn’t related what happened to her parents and sister two years ago, but the memory was ever present in Wilhelmina’s mind. Worse yet, within the secrets of her heart, she felt she needed to be punished; that this carriage accident constituted an unpaid debt at last come due.

“Take one careful step forward. The closer you advance, the easier it will be for me to pull you free.” With gentle precision, Valerian settled on his stomach so his face was visible in the window while his body’s weight kept anchor on the boot of the coach, the portion seemingly settled on land. He was drenched, his dark hair slicked away from his brow, his jaw dripping with raindrops and he never looked more handsome.

“I am here.” She’d ventured as close as she dared, considering each step caused the carriage to creak and groan in objection, the precarious teeter in competition with her resolve.

“Yes, you are.”

He didn’t immediately reach for her. Instead his eyes flitted across her face as if seeking proof she’d told him the truth and was indeed all right. The notion warmed her chilled spirit. Then his midnight eyes found hers in a heated gaze that could only intend to reassure.

“I love you, Wilhelmina.”

Her heart fluttered with his words.

“And I love you, Valerian.” Her whisper couldn’t be more sincere.

A flash of white teeth, his smile so broad, accompanied a brief chuckle. “Then we best get you out of there before we catch our deaths in this inconvenient rain.”

But she never reached him, never grasped his extended hand, covered with dried blood dark against the pale skin of his palm, because no sooner had he thrust his arm through the window, than the subtle shift in weight caused the carriage to plunge further down the hillside. The sharp fall knocked her against the interior with bone-jarring force before resettling; upside down, then sideways, the velvet banquette pressed to her ear and obliterating visibility. She couldn’t hear a sound beyond the storm’s anger and an unwelcome silence blanketed the dusk.

Dear God, what had happened to Valerian?

Chapter Twenty-Two

There was no way for her to know how much time passed while she waited, frozen with indecision. Minutes seemed like separate eternities, one following the next. If she tried to climb free, would she send the carriage further down the embankment? She couldn’t see the extent of her precarious situation in the murky darkness. Perhaps she had reached the bottom of the ditch now situated safely against the tree line or worse the slightest movement would leave her broken in the same manner as Livie. The frightening prospect kept her bolted to the corner.

And still Valerian hadn’t reached her, hadn’t spoken. The rain had ceased, the storm abated, followed all too swiftly by the annoying chirp of outspoken crickets in the chilling damp. The oppressive silence arrowed a message of dread straight through her heart. She needed to find him. What had happened when the carriage shifted? Was he injured? Unconscious? Had she caused harm to another person held dear in her heart? Or was the answer simpler, that he remained too far or too hindered by the darkness while he worked carefully to engineer a path to reach her?

She fought against a powerful surge of hysteria. Had her stomach not been empty, she might have wretched, her nerves too vigorous to allow peace. Still, indecision paralyzed action.

A hard knock to the top of the carriage, followed by a cascade of pebbles and debris snapped her attention upward where the left side of the coach had become the ceiling. And then the door opened.

“Let’s try this one more time.”

Valerian’s dark profile was barely visible, yet his voice brought with it such elation, surely her hands would cease trembling at last.

“Yes.” Her whisper rasped a response. “I was scared.”

“You are indeed all right, then.”

“I was worried about you, Valerian. Not myself.”

His rich laughter chased her stalwart pronouncement. “Then let’s get you out of there once and for all. At last we have a bit of luck. Step onto the banquette and raise your arms, Wilhelmina. I will help you climb through the door.”

She obeyed, not willing to hear his answer were she to ask what would happen were they to slip further, but her worry proved for naught. Even in the sketchy cloud cover, she could see the coach was on even ground once she poked her head through the doorway.

His hands spanned her waist and with quick agility and impressive strength, Valerian lifted her upward where she shimmied through the door and tumbled gracelessly from the coach and into his arms.

She hardly caught her breath before he kissed her, pulling her forward in a fierce embrace that spoke far more than their feeble conversation. She could feel his heart beating hard through their wet clothing.

“Good lord, I feared I’d never do that again.” He withdrew the slightest before pressing his lips to her temple, a second kiss placed on the dried cut at her brow.

She snuggled closer, looping her arms around his neck and fanning her fingers into his hair. She stalled as soon as she felt the knot at the back of his skull, wet with what she prayed was not blood.

“You’ve been hurt.” Her voice was more dismay than admonishment.

“Nothing but a little knock on the head. Why do you think it took me so long to help you?”

When she opened her mouth to pepper him with concerned questions, he anticipated her objection and, taking her hand firmly, ushered her away from the coach.

“I’ve created a narrow path free of debris. Despite the darkness, if you follow me closely you’ll be safe. It’s not nearly as far a climb as it felt watching the coach fall.”

She willingly obeyed and together they returned to the roadway.

Valerian wouldn’t dare confess the jolt that sent him backward rendered him unconscious. He suspected he’d awoken not much later, although obliterated in darkness there was no way to be sure. He’d lain there reclaiming his wits and reassembling the series of events before he’d attempted to stand. That poor decision had brought about a wave of dizziness causing the sensation it was
he
turning head over heels down the embankment instead of standing and holding firmly to the trunk of a nearby pine.

Eventually the world stopped spinning and he collected his bearings. Steady steps returned. He would not fall in love with Wilhelmina only to lose her a few hours later.

A snort in the darkness announced Arcadia’s return and, ignoring Wilhelmina’s outright objection, Val hauled her atop the horse after he’d mounted. They were wet and tired and it was the middle of the night. Without the carriage, they could make good time as they returned to Kirby Park. What he wouldn’t give for Macintosh’s greatcoat or the matchsticks Jasper believed were the future of science. Mayhap Valerian needed to adjust his thinking when it came to his brother’s new-fangled investments.

At last the heavens showed them kindness and the cloud cover parted, offering moonlight to guide them to Kirby Park. Yet it wasn’t the throb to the knock of his head that hindered their progress, reverberating as Arcadia’s hooves beat a steady rhythm, but the distracting rub of Wilhelmina’s backside against his groin. It was little wonder coupled with the darkness Valerian didn’t lead them straight down another ditch. He released a long-suffering breath and allowed Arcadia to take them home.

They entered to find Turner asleep in a foyer chair, the good-hearted butler concerned for their safety. Few words were exchanged before Valerian escorted Wilhelmina abovestairs. Knowing his bedroom was the warmest and only furnished option,
there was no way
in hell he would allow Wilhelmina to sleep in Jasper’s bed
, he hustled her closer to the hearth and insisted she drink the warm broth Turner had delivered with a generous supply of towels.

The events of the evening, confessions of the heart and now, proximity of his bedchamber, produced an unspoken agreement. Trust and desire coalesced with the security of knowing one was safe and soon to be comforted. Every glance suggested they wished for the same thing and when Wilhelmina’s gaze trailed to his four-poster bed, Valerian went completely hard.

“Take off those wet things and we’ll have you warm in no time.” He struggled to keep his tone light, as if they conversed about the most inconsequential matters, but in truth he worried she might catch a chill. At the same time, his traitorous body that should be fatigued and overwrought alerted to the suggestion of Wilhelmina undressing before his bedroom fireplace. A thrumming eager heat lit in the pit of his stomach and spread to his groin with insistence he pay fastidious attention.

She viewed him with a shy glance over her shoulder as the first few garments hit the floor. The firelight silhouetted her profile and with her hair tumbling down and her lids lowered, his breath caught in his chest.

Good lord, she was beautiful
.

His headache dissipated to be replaced with the solid thud of his heart while a carnal hunger took control of his appetite. He wanted nothing but to play big bad wolf and devour Wilhelmina straight from the woods, yet with a struggle he yielded to his civilized inclinations.