Leah looked over to her maid, whose lips were pinched so tightly that they were white. Rebecca’s brow creased with angry scowl lines at the bridge of her nose.
“I’m sure Mr. Ashley will get us moving shortly,” Leah tried to reassure her. “The snow is not so very deep after all.”
Rebecca swallowed and shook her head. “Then why has the carriage stopped?”
Just after Rebecca finished her question, the door opened, revealing a startlingly snow-covered Mr. Ashley. “I am afraid we have hit a snow drift, miss. I will do my best to dig us out.”
Leah threw her head back with a frustrated sigh, shutting her eyes tight. What a stupid idea this had been. Now they would all have to trudge back through the snow and wind.
“I’m very sorry, Mr. Ashley,” Leah finally said, opening her eyes. “I had not thought the snow was very deep.”
The middle-aged man leaned back, looking toward the carriage wheel that was stuck. “It isn’t very deep, but the wind has caused some very large drifts in the road. I will do my best to dig us out.” He nodded, then shut the door, blocking out most of the wind.
It howled outside, and Rebecca dipped her head, digging through her small reticule. Leah watched with a vague interest until Rebecca pulled out a small, furry object.
“What is that?” Leah leaned forward, squinting at what she could only describe in words as a thingamabob.
Rebecca tried to wrap her hand around it, dipping her head. “You will tease me.”
“I promise I will do no such thing.”
Rebecca sighed, refusing to meet Leah’s eyes as she loosened her grip enough to reveal a small rabbit’s foot. “It is a good luck charm.”
Leah swallowed a sudden bitter taste in the back of her throat. Just the sight of the foot made her want to gag. But she had promised not to tease Rebecca, and she would not go back on her word. “I see. Perhaps it will help us get out of our predicament.” Though there was not a chance of that.
The carriage gave a slight groan as the wind whipped through, causing Rebecca to clench her little furry foot tighter. She could do as she wanted, but a disgusting rabbit’s foot would do them no good. And neither would sitting here.
Leah scooted to the edge of her seat, putting her hand to the door.
“Where are you going?” Rebecca asked, eyes wide.
“I thought to ask if Mr. Ashley needed any assistance. I got us into this mess, so it only seems right that I should try to help get us out of it.”
“What if you catch a chill?”
“The carriage is not much warmer, Rebecca. I’m sure I will be fine.”
Rebecca put her rabbit’s foot on the bench, then made to follow. “I am coming with you. Perhaps with the three of us, we can get the wheel free.”
Leah nodded, pushing the door open with her shoulder. The wind was pressing against it, making the task surprisingly difficult. She shoved harder, finally getting it open, only to have the wind pull it from her hand. The door cracked back against the side of the carriage, causing Leah to shriek in alarm. To her relief, Mr. Ashley was up far enough that the door just missed him.
He waved her off, keeping his scowl on the wheel buried in the drift. “I’m fine. But I’m afraid that even if I dig this wheel out, we will just get stuck in a few more feet.”
Leah looked ahead at the road, barely able to make it out. There were snow drifts as far as the eye could see. In some places she could see the bare ground, while in others, the mounds looked deep enough that she was sure they would engulf her past her knees.
She hunched her back, pulling her cloak tighter. “Should we start walking back?”
Mr. Ashley stared at the wheel a moment longer. “I will get the horses unhitched and we can walk them back. No use trying to get the carriage unstuck now. We need to get you out of this wind.”
Except it was her fault they were in this predicament in the first place.
Leah noticed a black spot a ways down the road, which she watched briefly before turning her attention back to Mr. Ashley.
The coachman stood, still eyeing the wheel. “You ladies get inside the carriage and I will work on unhitching the horses.”
“Come on, Miss. No sense in standing here and freezing.” Rebecca pulled Leah’s arm toward the carriage, and Leah obligingly followed, stealing one more glance at the dark spot off in the distance. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it or not, but it seemed to be getting larger.
Once inside, both women pulled blankets over their laps to try and stay warm while they waited. Leah was now forced to consider what the change in events meant. She would have to go back home and see Owen—at least until the following day when the roads will hopefully have melted. Then she would promptly escape to Amelia’s. Perhaps she could even hole up in her room and read, claiming a headache. Then she could say a night’s sleep cured her and whisk herself off to her friend’s.
