They walked and talked with the other guests and Eva strolled to the edge to look down below as Lady Dunbar and Claire stopped to chat with a friend.
“It was foolish of you to stop ceding to your father’s demands, Berengaria. Now your husband and brother must pay the ultimate price.”
Eva spun around to face Gilbert Huxley, but he had continued walking without looking back. On his arm, a lady was chatting gaily whilst he bent his head to listen attentively. She hadn’t imagined those words or their meaning. Panic gripped her. She had merely hoped to put her father off for awhile until she decided what to do yet it seemed Lord Huxley believed differently. How had he known her intentions were to stop any further payments?Was Reggie even now in danger?
“Eva?” Daniel appeared beside her. “What has happened?”
“Nothing. I just felt a little overwhelmed with so many people around me.”
“Don’t lie to me. Your knuckles are white they are gripping the balustrade so hard.” Anger flared in his eyes as once again he saw through her deceit. He turned from her to scan the guests around them and Eva had to stop him before he saw Lord Huxley and confronted him.
“Why did you follow me?”
With a final look, he returned his gaze to hers.
“Tell me who has put the fear back in your eyes.”
The words may have been softly spoken yet there was steel behind them.
“I…I have no idea what you mean.”
He was silent for several seconds, just looking at her, and Eva could not find the strength to pull away.
“We shall not have this conversation here but remember, Duchess, lying is a heavy burden not many can bear for long.”
She took the arm he held out to her and they silently made their way back to their seats.
Eva remembered nothing of the second act, as thoughts tumbled around inside her head. She forced a smile onto her face and chatted with the other guests and if anyone noticed her anything amiss, they did not comment. Behind her, Daniel was stiff and silent, and she missed the brush of his hands on her shoulders and his deep rumble of laughter in her ear. Eva was relieved when the play finally closed.
Goodnights were exchanged and Daniel saw his grandmother and Lady Dunbar into their carriage before helping Eva into theirs. She rested her head on the back of the seat, suddenly exhausted from the evening’s events.
“Care to enlighten me as to what took place in the interval?”
“I told you what happened. I was overwhelmed.”
“You don’t lie very well, Duchess. Now tell me the truth.”
There was a ping of broken glass as Daniel leaned forward to close the curtains and he fell backwards, reaching for Eva as he did so. He threw her to the floor, then followed her down.
“What’s happening, Daniel?”
“Stay down.Someone is shooting at us!” Daniel felt the carriage pick up speed and knew instantly that the driver had either been shot or lost control of the horses. He climbed onto the seat, then lifted the hatch. “Elijah!”
“I’ve been hit in the shoulder, your Grace!”
Relieved that his driver was at least still breathing, Daniel moved to the windows and wrenched open the curtain. They were not being followed. Whoever had fired that shot was long gone. The carriage was rapidly picking up speed and he caught glimpses through the darkness of familiar landmarks as they flew by. Soon the horses would not be able to take a corner and the carriage could overturn. He could not allow that to happen. Eva was too precious to him.
“Eva, Elijah has been shot in the shoulder. I will have to climb up through the hatch and help him stop the horses.”
“Please be careful, Daniel.” Eva gripped his hands.
Daniel crushed her briefly to his chest and then told her to hang on tight to whatever she could. Climbing through the opening, he then struggled against the wind as he fought his way into the driver’s seat beside Elijah. He could see nothing ahead and hoped no carriages suddenly appeared through the darkness. Taking the reins from his driver’s uninjured hand, he tried to slow the four horses.
“Tis no use, your Grace, they won’t be stopped!”
“Knife?”
His driver removed a long blade from his boot and handed it to him. Clamping it between his teeth, Daniel then climbed down and started cutting the traces that held the carriage. It was a risk, yet it had to be done. He hoped the carriage would stop of its own accord, once freed from the horses. Just as he reached the last strip of leather, the horses veered. He scrambled to find something to hold onto but his fingers found nothing and he was thrown from the carriage. Hitting the ground, he grunted at the impact and then rolled several times, narrowly missing a fence railing. Climbing to his feet, he watched, horrified, as Elijah jumped clear when the carriage teetered on two wheels, then turned over completely onto its side. The last trace snapped and the horses charged off into the night. Daniel ran, trying to reach the carriage as it rolled over once more and then finally came to a rest against the side of a building with a sickening thump. He heard the splinter of wood but no cry from inside.
