“Boo!” came an excited cry as Iris popped up.
Her excitement startled a scream out of Lydia which unfortunately also startled Jezabell, who reared wildly. Iris shrieked, and Lydia grabbed for the child, holding her close while the Phaeton jerked forwards, twisting wildly.
“Hold tight to me, Iris,” Lydia screamed as they were flung from the carriage and into a snowbank. All she could think was to protect the child, and then her head hit something hard, and the world went dark.
“Auntie? Auntie? Are you awake? Please wake up Auntie.” The sound of Iris’s voice roused Lydia.
“Iris? What happened?” Lydia’s tongue felt thick in her mouth.
“I’m sorry, Auntie. I thought it would be fun to surprise you and…” Iris sniffled, and Lydia made soothing noises.
“Perhaps best to avoid surprises in the carriages, Iris.” Lydia’s head swum as she opened her eyes, trying to acclimatize to the world around her.
Iris nodded. “You’re bleeding.”
“Am I?” Lydia winced as she touched her forehead and felt her fingers come away wet.
Lydia tried to get up, but she swayed uncertainly. Iris’ eyes widened, and Lydia forced herself to put on a brave face. “At least, we are not too far from the house.”
For a moment, Lydia debated whether she should try and retrieve the horse, but before she could come to any sort of a decision, she thought she saw figures on the horizon. Unfortunately, so did Iris.
“Look!” Iris shrieked excitedly. “I can fix this! I can get help!”
With Lydia’s sluggish reactions, Iris easily darted away from her, but to Lydia’s horror, she made a beeline towards the shapes on the horizon, not towards the safer path. “No, Iris! Not that way. I have no idea how close we are to the riv—” The words died in Lydia’s mouth as a crack echoed around them.
The world seemed to slow down around her. Lydia hurtled herself towards Iris, watching as the girl’s eyes widened and cracks began to form around her. Iris had not gone far, but it was clear she was close to the middle of the river.
The cracks were widening, and Iris began to scramble back, arms outstretched towards Lydia. She thought she heard voices yelling. There was no time.
Lydia flung herself towards Iris and used the momentum of her body to carry the girl further across the river. They landed with a thud on the ice, only a few feet from the bank.
“Crawl, Iris, do not stand. Stay on your belly, but move quickly.”
“But—”
“Go!” Lydia shoved the girl hard, and the force sent Iris sprawling, but it also carried the girl to safety.
She let out a sigh of relief. The ice gave way below her. The cold water drove all the air from her lungs as she was pulled beneath the surface. She could hear screaming. It sounded like Iris and then a man’s voice…Archer?
She fought to get to the surface. The ice had broken up enough that she should be able to do it, but her skirts were heavy. And she was so cold. And it was so dark.
She felt death’s strong arms wrap themselves around her, and she stopped her fighting.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Are you not tired of your pity party, Dash?” Cora jerked open the curtains of his study, letting the harsh winter sunlight stream in as she picked up the empty bottles around him.
Archer glowered at his sister who simply arched an eyebrow at him and continued about her business.
“You really should shower. You reek. No woman is going to want to come near you looking like that.” Cora gave him a frank look, her nose wrinkled in distaste.
“Perhaps that is the point.” Archer shrugged.
Cora sighed and then gagged, holding her nose. “Good lord, Dash, I have been to barns that smell less bad than you.”
“What on Earth have you been doing in barns?” He frowned at her.
Her cheeks coloured but only slightly. “Never you mind. This is not about me; it is about you.”
