by Lucy Langton
“Fine,” Kitty said as she started to make her way down the path and back towards the street. She walked ahead of Hugh, and he did his best to stay close in case there might be any unsightly characters hiding right around the corner. But all seemed to be still in the night as they made their way back to the street.
At the carriage, Hugh opened the door for Kitty and helped her inside. He gave orders to his coachman to take Kitty straight home without any delay.
“Are you going to be alright?” Hugh asked before he shut the door. He didn’t want to part from Kitty but knew that now was not the time to discuss anything further. She would need some time to understand all of this, and Hugh needed to return to his own townhouse to ensure that the constable was receiving the full story from Miss Talbot.
“I’m sure I’ll recover, eventually,” Kitty replied as she looked into Hugh’s eyes. Hugh wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and kiss her soundly. It took all that he had to simply nod in reply and close the door. Once he stepped back onto the street, he gave the signal to the driver to head off. The cracking of the whip sounded and soon the horses were off once more. Hugh stood on the street and watched as his carriage faded from sight. Turning, he made his way up the street to return to his own townhouse.
As he started walking, another carriage passed him at an alarming rate. He stopped to look at it and see who on Earth could possibly be needing to travel that fast so late at night. Hugh surmised that it had to be some sort of emergency. But as Hugh started on his way once more, a chill of fear ran through him. He wasn’t sure where the feeling had come from. He simply had a bad feeling in his gut as he made his way home.
~*~
Kitty leaned back against the carriage, trying to take deep breaths as the carriage travelled through town. She was shaking from all the emotions that swam through her body. She’d been so angry at Hugh and overcome with grief that when he did take the time to find her and explain the situation, all she could feel now was numbness. She was still taking it all in that Lord Harding and Miss Talbot had been the culprits that had worked so hard to ruin her and Hugh’s relationship.
Kitty drew the blinds on the carriage, not wanting to see any more of Town. A part of her wanted to leave first thing in the morning for her country estate so she could finally get some peace and quiet. Before, she had been excited about all the upcoming social events. But now she only wanted to be alone and far from the reach of people who wanted to harm her, or those who could potential hurt her. She still felt foolish for giving her heart over to someone once more, and though she understood that Hugh wasn’t to blame, she couldn’t help thinking his past actions had led to all of this.
The thunder of carriage wheels came into Kitty’s ears, making her focus more on the sound than her wandering thoughts. She listened as a carriage overtook the one she was currently riding in, causing the horses to scare and quickly bolt. Kitty cried out in surprise and clung to the sides of the carriage till the driver could get control over the horses once more.
“Dear God, I can’t take much more of this,” Kitty said as she tried to settle her nerves once more. It was reckless to be racing carriages so late at night, and she longed to return to her townhouse so she could be safe in her room once more and away from the world for at least a few more hours. In the morning, she knew that she’d need to tell her aunt all that had happened. It would be good to talk to someone who really cared for her as she tried to sort out her thoughts.
Kitty couldn’t fathom why Lord Harding and Miss Talbot would go through the trouble of trying to ruin Hugh. She could see that Lord Harding was jealous and was trying to appeal more to her by making her see Hugh in such a bad light. But what did Miss Talbot have to gain from doing this?
Perhaps she had strong feelings for Lord Harding and was willing to do anything for him? And then to think that Hugh had been telling the truth and she’d treated him so poorly. Not only was her heart broken, but she now began to fear that she’d lost all chances with Hugh. She wasn’t sure how he felt about her now, but she’d be willing to give him the rest of the week to continue pursuing her.
After all she’d been through tonight, she realised that the only reason she’d been so upset was because she truly did love Hugh. It had been that thought of never being able to love him that truly had devastated her. It was why her heart had been broken so.
Kitty wasn’t sure why she had denied it for so long and thought that perhaps after all she was always destined to be with Hugh since they were young. She knew that she must tell Hugh her feelings in the morning and hope that he’d still be willing to accept her even though she did not at first believe him.
Kitty was thinking of all the ways she wanted to tell Hugh her deepest feelings when a large crack sounded into the night. It sounded like the sound of wood splitting, and before Kitty could pull open the blinds to see what was happening, something heavy came down hard on the carriage. The carriage was crushed as the heavy object settled on top of the carriage. Kitty cried out in pain as she tried to push the encroaching carriage away from her. It groaned under the pressure and eventually was rolled over as the horses tried to dart from the fright of the crash.
As the carriage fell over with Kitty inside of it, she hit her head hard against the sides. She tried to cry for help but felt immediately exhausted from all the pain that was spreading over her body. In a sea of darkness, Kitty was brought down into her subconscious as chaos continued to erupt around her.
~*~
Hugh finally made it back to his townhouse just as the constable was walking towards the front door. Hugh stepped inside his home and almost ran into the man who quickly stepped back and apologised.
“Forgive me, Your Grace,” the constable said as he bowed. He was an older man, tall and slim. In his hand he held out a lantern while the other carried a piece of writing paper that appeared to be completely covered in notes.
“I hope that Miss Talbot was detailed in her report,” Hugh said as he looked at the man once he straightened his posture once more.
“Miss Talbot did confess many details, Your Grace. To include admitting to drug you and agreeing to appear in an intimate position when Miss Worthington came into the house,” the constable explained. “I’ll have my men locate Lord Harding and prepare him for trial at once.”
“Make sure to send your report straight to the Royal Magistrate as well. He’s been following Lord Harding for some time and will find this information useful as well,” Hugh said. The constable’s eyes grew wide at the news, but he nodded his head nonetheless.
“Of course, Your Grace. I’ll be sure to do so,” the constable said as he gestured towards the door. “I must be on my way then.” Hugh moved out of the man’s way as he quickly left the townhouse. Once the door was closed, Hugh went down the hallway to see what condition Miss Talbot was currently in.
As he passed the sitting room, he saw that a few of his servants were scrubbing the carpet clean. He made a mental note to repay them in the morning for rising in the middle of the night to clean up after him. Hugh wanted all signs of that scene washed away from his mind and hoped that by morning he could finally have some peace and quiet.
As Hugh stepped into the drawing room, he saw Miss Talbot in a dreadful mess. Her face was tear stained, and her eyes were red from crying. Her blush she’d been wearing on her checks had been smeared across her face, giving her a disturbing appearance.
Turning to Portlock, he asked, “Did she tell the full story?”
“And much more, Your Grace,” Portlock informed him. “Seems there is nothing left to tell.”
“Then have a petty cab summoned to take her home,” Hugh ordered. “And if I find out that you are hiding any more details, I’ll make sure to ruin your parents as well.” Hugh pointed his finger at Miss Talbot, causing her to recoil from him. She whimpered in response, and Hugh thought if he never saw the woman again, he’d live a very long and happy life.
Hugh left the drawing roo
m then, needing to finally rest. He was exhausted from the events of the day, from speaking all day with his godfather, to rushing home only to find out that he was being tricked. He dearly needed to rest and therefore made his way back upstairs to his bedchamber.
Hugh didn’t even bother with summoning a footman to help him undress. He felt bad enough for having woken his entire household to the chaos Lord Harding had brought to his home. Hugh discarded his clothing on the floor of his bedchamber and slid underneath the covers of his bed, burying his face in his pillow.
He didn’t know how long he’d been resting. It could have been a few minutes or a few hours, but someone came crashing through his bedchamber door at such a rate that the doors smacked against the walls, causing Hugh to jump.
“Hugh, get up,” Portlock said in a worried voice as he came into the room in a hurry, the candlestick shaking in his hand. “Hugh, the coachman just returned to the house and said a tree had fallen on top of the carriage.”
“Dear God, is Kitty alright?” Hugh asked as he quickly got out of bed and pulled on his trousers. It was as though he was waking to his worst nightmare.
“She’s still trapped inside,” Portlock explained. “I’m gathering all the men, but you need to go now, Hugh. The coachman is ready out front to show you the way with the horses he was able to gather after they were scared off.” Hugh pulled on a muslin shirt before pulling his boots on. He didn’t bother taking the candle Portlock tried to hand him. He ran from the room and down the stairs, his heart beating with fear.
Portlock had only called him by his informal name once before and that had been when the death of his parents had been announced. Now Hugh silently prayed to anyone listening that Kitty would not be taken from him as well.
“This way, Your Grace,” the coachman said as he wrung his hat in his hands. He looked bruised and battered, a faint line of blood dripping from his head. But he moved quickly as Hugh joined him and quickly led him to the horses outside. “I have no idea how it happened, Your Grace, but a tree fell down on the carriage just as we went by it. Knocked us all to the ground and injured a few of the horses. I couldn’t get to Miss Worthington and ran for help.”
“Good man,” Hugh said, trying to reassure the coachman that he’d done the right thing. They quickly mounted the horses, which seemed worse for wear, but they still went away from the townhouse at a neck-breaking pace in order to reach the accident.
Hugh listened to the horses’ hooves rattle against the cobblestones as the beasts breathed from exertion. A part of him felt bad for the horses after all they’d been through, but the other side that was much stronger dearly needed to see Kitty and see her alive at all costs. But as they approached the scene of the crime, Hugh’s eyes filled with tears as he saw the massive oak tree that had fallen on the carriage, pinning it completely to the ground as the base of the trunk laid upon it. The sides of the carriage had caved in around the carriage, making Hugh worry that Kitty would ever be retrieved.
“Dear Lord,” Hugh managed to say as he pulled his horse to a stop and quickly dismounted. A few men had appeared and had started to hack at the oak tree with axes in an effort to move it away. Hugh rolled up his sleeves and got to work clearing away broken tree limbs and anything he could to get the carriage uncovered. He felt like it was going to be an impossible task but knew he would never give up until he could see Kitty’s face once more, whether she be alive or dead.
“The tree had been cut!” someone called. Hugh looked up to see a few men around the base of the tree. He quickly joined them, wanting to understand the cause of all of this. As they all looked at the base of the tree, it was clearly seen that the oak tree had been cut at the base in an effort to make the tree fall on purpose.
“Why would anyone do such a thing?” a young man asked. Hugh didn’t have to say a word to know who had done it. He remembered the carriage that had passed him at an alarming rate and the chill of fear that had passed over him. It had been his intuition warning him of impending danger, only the harm had come to Kitty instead of him. He was certain that Lord Harding had gone after his carriage and had made sure this oak tree fell upon it. But did he know that Kitty would be inside instead of him?
For now, Hugh couldn’t worry about the details. He knew that the constable was after Lord Harding, and Hugh could add this to the list of charges the Earl would be responsible for. In the meantime, Hugh needed to get this tree off the carriage so he could rescue Kitty.
As time went on, more men started to arrive. A spare axe was given to Hugh, and he began to chop at the tree for all that he was worth. Every passing minute seemed like an eternity to Hugh. He knew that as a duke he should have been giving the orders instead of doing any of the work himself, but he didn’t care how he looked or who would see him doing the labour. He didn’t care what it took to free Kitty, but he was sure he’d continue to work until she was rescued.
Chapter 16
The rescue effort continued late into the night and in the beginning of the morning. Though he was completely exhausted, Hugh continued to hack at the trunk of the tree, hoping the carriage would be free of it soon. But after a while, it seemed like none of the workers were making any progress. At one point, someone said that it would be impossible until someone came with a large block and tackle to winch the tree off the carriage in the daylight when they could all see better.
Hugh could hardly believe his ears. He couldn’t imagine stopping now and felt like if they all kept working together then soon Kitty would be free from the tangled mess of the carriage. Hugh continued to hack away at the oak tree even though he wasn’t sure anymore that the axe was actually making a dent in the side of the trunk. Nonetheless, he couldn’t give up.
“Come, Your Grace,” said a man as he rested his hand on Hugh’s shoulder, causing him to stop. “Let us rest and wait for more help to come. There is nothing more to be done right now.”
“I can’t just stop now,” Hugh said, his voice filled with anguish. “Miss Worthington is trapped inside, and I will not let her die.” The man looked at him with much sympathy as sweat dripped down his face. They were all exhausted and quite spent, but none of them had the passion and drive that Hugh did. He shrugged the man’s hand off his shoulder and continued once more.
The sight of the carriage under this much solid and gnarled oak made Hugh’s stomach clench with grief. He was completely fatigued and nearly mad in the mind as he continued to hack away at the tree with his axe. His mind kept racing with thoughts of dread, of what it would be like to attend Kitty’s funeral and the real condition he’d be in if he didn’t rescue her. Tears started to fall down his face as he continued working as hard as he could to hopefully rescue his beloved.
“Come, Hugh,” came a soft voice in his ear, making him stop once more. He looked over his shoulder to see that Portlock had finally arrived. Looking past Portlock he saw several men with tackle and winches. He breathed a sigh of relief as he allowed Portlock to drag him away from the wreckage. Portlock was quick to shout orders now that Hugh was out of the way. Men were quick to tie lines and ropes around the tree before fastening them to the team of horses that was standing by to pull the tree off the carriage. With the winches, the men were able to create enough tension that was slowly moving the tree off the mangled carriage.
Hugh watched in horror as the tree was slowly lifted and others moved to push the carriage free from it. The tree made a horrible groaning sound as it was lifted inch by inch. Then the sound of metal being grinded against stone was heard as the carriage was pushed out from underneath of it.
It was like unearthing ancient ruins that you knew were precious and valuable. He could hardly keep his eyes fixed on the scene before him as he kept thinking how Kitty was trapped amongst all of it, whether she be dead or alive by now.
The moment the carriage was completely free of the tree, it was lowered back onto the ground with a loud thud that seemed to shake the ground. Hugh moved quickly, working with the other m
en to try to get the carriage door free. Everything had been bent in, causing the frame to moan and groan as men continued to get into the inside. But eventually, half of the carriage was torn apart from the frame to allow room to move inside and hopefully rescue Kitty.
“Move out of my way!” Hugh called once an opening was created. The men parted and allowed him access as he moved inside. It was dark, and the air was thick as though fresh air hadn’t been able to get inside. Hugh panicked, wondering if Kitty had suffocated to death. In the darkness of the crumbled carriage, Hugh found Kitty’s body lying on the side of the carriage, the part that had hit the street. Though the carriage was mangled, it had not pinned down her body. However, she wasn’t moving, either.