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She could hear the gasping sound of his sucking in one horrified breath, and then he choked out, "You can not mean to--"
"Yes, actually," she assured him calmly. "That is, of course, unless you'd care to stop so I might tend my needs in an alternate fashion . . . one that leaves us both dry."
Suzette caught her father's open alarmed eyes and winked. She then closed her eyes. Lord Madison got the message at once and closed his eyes again, feigning unconsciousness. The moment he did, she added, "Please make your decision quickly, my lord. I fear I cannot hold it much longer."
"All right, dammit!" Giving up on trying to remove her, he banged on the carriage wall, yelling, "Stop the carriage, Thompson. Stop at once, I say."
The moment the carriage began to slow, Danvers said, "There, we are stopping. Now get off me, woman."
"With pleasure," Suzette said dryly and moved to settle herself demurely back in her seat. A glance Danvers's way showed him peering at her as if she were a madwoman or some unclean creature. She smiled sweetly in response. "I cannot wait until we are wed."
When Danvers's eyes dilated with a sort of horror, she chuckled softly, which brought a scowl to his face.
"Get out," he snapped, waving the pistol toward the door the moment the carriage stopped.
Suzette got out, and glanced back to see him eyeing her father grimly. Apparently deciding it was safe enough to leave the seemingly unconscious man, he muttered under his breath and followed her out, and then scowled when he saw her waiting for him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get to it."
"Here in the middle of nowhere?" she asked with feigned surprise.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Get to it or we shall continue and you can wet yourself, alone. I shall ride on the top . . . where I can shoot your father if the two of you should try to jump out," he added dryly when she considered his words.
Grimacing, Suzette sighed and turned toward the trees, muttering, "Very well."
"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked
"Where do you think?" she asked sarcastically, continuing forward. "I am hardly going to tend matters here in front of you and your driver."
Much to Suzette's relief, he released a frustrated growl, but otherwise didn't protest. Not that it would have prevented her carrying her plan forward, but he could have made things difficult. She continued to walk for several feet until she found a nice wide stretch of bush for coverage. Suzettte considered it briefly and then glanced around to survey the area before hunkering down. Once assured she was out of sight, she called, "Sing or something."
"What?" Jeremy asked with amazement.
"Sing or recite a poem or something," Suzette ordered. "I cannot go if I know you are listening."
"Oh, for the love of--"
"It shall speed things along," she promised him.
Suzette heard him mutter a string of oaths and then Jeremy shouted, "You sing or speak then."
"I will not be able to concentrate on what I am doing if I am trying to sing or recite. Besides, I might grunt in the middle of it, and that would be as embarrassing as--"
"Oh, very well," Jeremy snapped, interrupting her. Apparently, he didn't have the stomach to want to hear exactly what she was claiming to be doing. In the next moment, Danvers began to recite the Lord's prayer, which was rather sacrilegious to her mind considering that she suspected he'd burst into flames if he dared enter a church, but she wasn't going to complain. Staying hunkered down, she moved to the side under the cover of the bushes until she reached a line of trees, then she raised to a half crouch and moved more quickly, weaving her way toward the lane, using the trees and bushes as cover. She continued forward until she was almost at the edge of the trees behind the carriage. Suzette then paused and glanced back, waiting for him to grow tired of reciting. She didn't have long to wait.
"Are you not done yet?" Jeremy bellowed impatiently after the third recitation.
She remained silent.
"Suzette?" he called, suspicion entering his voice. When silence was his answer, he cursed in a most impious way and started trudging forward into the woods. "Dammit! Where are you?"
She watched silently as he stomped up to where she had been and began to search the area, not surprised when he turned back toward the carriage and bellowed, "Thompson! Get over here and help me find the little bitch."
A slow smile spread Suzette's lips, the first she'd enjoyed since receiving the letter she'd thought was from Daniel. Jeremy was doing exactly as she'd expected. She watched the driver climb down from the carriage and tramp through the high grass until he reached the trees and then she caught up her skirts and sidled closer to the edge of the trees offering her cover. The moment the man had joined his employer, Suzette slid out of the woods, hurried around the carriage and climbed quickly up onto the driver's perch from the far side of the vehicle. She hadn't even settled on the seat before she had the reins in hand, then Suzette grabbed up the driver's whip and cracked it over the horses' heads.
The horses burst forward at once, nearly sending her flying backward off her perch. She managed to keep her seat, and slapped the reins now. The horses immediately began to pick up more speed. Suzette glanced around then, not surprised to see Jeremy and his driver running toward the road. Knowing they would never catch up, she wasn't concerned . . . until Jeremy suddenly stopped and aimed his pistol. She immediately ducked down, trying to make herself as small a target as she could.
At first, when Suzette heard the weapon's report and felt nothing, she thought Jeremy had missed, but then she saw the horse on the side closest to Jeremy stumble and slam into the horse on the left as he fell. In the next moment, both horses were going down and pulling the carriage to the side with them. Suzette didn't have time to think, she simply pushed herself up from the seat as the vehicle started to turn and threw herself away from it. She hit the ground with a bone-jarring crash and then, afraid she hadn't thrown herself far enough and the carriage would crash down on top of her, she instinctively rolled several times before stopping.
Suzette raised her head then to glance around. She couldn't see Jeremy and his driver, but the carriage had come to rest on its side several feet away. Ignoring the aches and pains assaulting her, she pushed herself to her feet and staggered back to the carriage, her only concern for her father. Still tied up, he would have been helpless to protect himself as the vehicle had rolled. Worry eating at her, she reached the carriage and--using the spare fifth wheel, coachman's step and seat irons--managed to climb up onto the upturned side of the carriage. Once there she could see Jeremy and his driver rushing toward her, but ignored them and crawled to the carriage door to pull it up and open.
It was nearly dark now
, but was darker still in the carriage, and at first she couldn't make out much; but then Suzette began to be able to distinguish her father's form crumpled against the door on the ground. Her breath caught in her throat as she noted how still he was, and for one moment, she feared he was dead.
"Father?" she breathed, not wanting to believe she'd killed him with her escape attempt. Much to her relief his dark shape shifted as if he were trying to turn and look at her and Suzette breathed a heartfelt, "Thank God."
In the next moment she was grabbed from behind and dragged away from the opening. Danvers spoke, his breath brushing her cheek as he snapped, "Get the old man out of there, Thompson."
Suzette glanced back to see the driver moving to kneel at the opening and survey the situation inside the cab of the carriage, and then Danvers was throwing her off the side of the overturned carriage . . . literally. He tossed her to the ground like she was a sack of waste. It wasn't a far fall, perhaps six to eight feet, but even so it was painful. Suzette knew she no doubt had more new bruises on her body, which was already carrying several from her first hard landing. She was slower to rise this time and had to bite her tongue to keep from groaning as she became aware of her body's complaints over its recent rough handling. It seemed to her it was worse now than the first time she'd got up, but supposed her worry for her father had raised her blood enough to keep her from noticing then.
"Get up," Jeremy ordered grimly, but then grabbed her arm to jerk her up without waiting to see if she'd obey. He then gave her a shake with his grip on her arm and roared, "I ought to kill you right now."
"My lord?"
Jeremy glared at her for another moment, and then turned to raise an eyebrow at his servant. "What?"
"He's tied up," the man said uncertainly with a nod toward the open carriage door.
Jeremy's jaw tightened and he asked sharply, "Is that a problem?"
The man considered the question, and then tilted his head and said cagily, "Not if you were planning to give me a bonus or something . . . a permanent raise, say."
Jeremy's eyes narrowed grimly. "Very well. Now, get him out."
The driver nodded and then lowered himself down through the open carriage door.
