'Shall we be off?' Alex said smoothly. 'Where is Persephone?'
'She decided to ride with Aunt Caroline and Uncle Henry,' Emma replied, taking her cousin's arm and leaving the men to fend for themselves. 'She poured something hideous down my ears,' she whispered. 'Said they were filthy.'
Belle smiled and shook her head. 'She was just funning you. She hates it when people keep secrets from her.'
Emma allowed Alex to help her up into the carriage. 'Lady Worth could make Napoleon cry.'
That comment elicited a loud grunt of agreement from John.
Belle shot him an irritated glance as she sat down next to Emma. John slouched into the seat across from them, but Belle was not fooled by his lazy posture. She could tell that every inch of him was on alert, ready to spring into action should it be necessary. John's vigilant attitude seeped into Alex and Dunford, and they, too, kept one eye on the doors and the other on the ladies.
Belle tried to avoid looking at the men; they were making her nervous, and despite the brave front she had put up for John, she was a little apprehensive about the evening. Luckily, Emma kept up a constant stream of conversation, and they chatted companionably as they rolled toward their destination.
'And the morning sickness is gone completely,' Emma was saying. 'At least I hope it's gone. I haven't felt ill for a week.'
'That's good. Have you started to show?' Belle kept her voice low. The conversation really wasn't suitable for mixed company.
'A little, but these styles hide it quite well. And of course one can't see anything under this cloak, but-What on earth!'
The carriage lurched drunkenly to the right.
John was on top of Belle within seconds, moving instinctively to shield her from harm. 'Are you hurt?' he asked, his voice urgent.
'I'm fine. I'm fine, just-Oh!'
They teetered a bit and then tottered to the left.
'What the hell is going on?' Alex demanded, moving from his position in front of Emma to the window.
'Alex, don't!' Emma cried out. 'If we tip over, you'll be crushed!'
Alex reluctantly drew back inside. It didn't feel as if they were in extreme danger. The carriage was rocking and tipping, but in a manner which could almost be described as gentle. Finally, as if heaving a great sigh of relief, the carriage let out a loud creak and then fell toward the left, settling down at a slant that sent everyone tumbling toward the wall.
When it finally became apparent that they weren't moving anywhere else, Belle sent up a silent prayer of thanks that she had ended up at the top of the pile and set about unwrapping her arm from Alex's neck. 'It appears,' she said, crawling to the window, 'that we've settled against a tree. That's why we haven't tipped completely over.'
'Ouch!' Emma groaned. 'You've bloody sharp knees, Belle. Watch where you're going.'
'So sorry. It is rather close in here. Is everyone all right?' She looked beneath her. 'Where's Dunford?'
'Mmmph grhrsmp.'
Belle's eyes widened. Underneath all four of them? That couldn't be comfortable. 'I, er, I'll get off right away. I think we're going to have to go out the top door. If we open this one, we'll all tumble out and hit our heads.' She looked back out the window. 'Actually, I don't think the door will even open wide enough to let us out. The tree's blocking the way.'
'Just do it, Belle,' Alex ground out.
'John, are you all right? You haven't said anything.'
'I'm fine, Belle, just a trifle uncomfortable. There are three people above me.'
'Brmmph thmgish,' came Dunford's elegant retort.
Belle glanced down nervously at the tangled pile of angry bodies and crawled in the other direction, ignoring Emma's frequent grunts of pain and outrage. Her skirts kept tangling around her, so she finally gave up all pretense of modesty and hitched them up past her knees, inching her way up the slanted carriage seat until she could grasp the door handle.
'I've almost got it-there! Now if I can just swing the door out…' Belle turned the handle and gave the door a shove. But gravity was working against her and winning. Every time, the door swung back at her. 'I'm terribly sorry, but I need better leverage. I'm going to have to stand.'
She moved off the carriage seat and set her right foot down on the nearest object, which happened to be Alex's head. Emma let out a little giggle, which caused Belle to turn back. 'Is something wrong?'
'Nothing.' This came from Alex, in a tone that clearly said, 'Get back to work.'
Belle turned the handle again and pushed the door with all her might. This time, it passed the critical point and swung open. She let out a little cheer and scrambled back up the carriage seat so that she could poke her head out the opening.
'Oh, hello, Bottomley,' she chirped, recognizing Alex and Emma's driver. 'What's going on?'
'Wheel came right off, milady. Got no idea what happened.'
'Hmmm, that's most odd.'
'If you wouldn't mind continuing your conversation at a later date,' John said from halfway down the pile, 'we'd like to get out of the carriage.'
'Ooops. I'm sorry. Bottomley, would you catch me if I slide down?' At his nod, she clambered through the opening and slid down the side of the carriage. 'Wait there for Emma. I think she's next.' Belle darted around to inspect the damage. The left wheel had come completely off and rolled down the street, where a group of urchins had already claimed it as their own.
'What do you see?' Emma came round the carriage.
'It looks like someone simply loosened the wheel. Nothing appears to be cut or permanently damaged.'
'Hmmm.' Emma lifted her skirts and crouched down to take a look.
'Will you get out of the street?' Alex was the next one out of the carriage, and he, too, wanted to examine the carriage. He stuck one hand under his wife's arm and yanked her up.
'It appears we had a rather gentle assailant/' Emma said. 'Either that, or one who doesn't know how to use a saw.'
John appeared around the corner, looking absolutely furious. 'What did he saw off?'
'Nothing,' Alex replied. 'Just loosened the wheel.'
John swore under his breath. 'I apologize for placing you and your wife in danger. Belle and I will return home immediately, and I will forward you funds to cover the cost of the carriage.'
Before Belle could protest, Alex held up a hand and said, 'Nonsense. There is no permanent damage to the carriage. All we need is another wheel.'
'What's this about a wheel?' Dunford finally emerged, looking rather crumpled.
'It came off,' the other four said in unison.
'You needn't get so testy about it. I just got here.'
'Sorry,' Belle offered. 'I feel like I've been standing here for an hour.'
'You probably have,' Dunford replied dryly. 'You had the tremendous good fortune, if you recall, to have landed at the top of the pile. By the way, I sent Bottomley back to your place, Ashbourne, to fetch some help to clear this out. I shouldn't think it will take him long. We're actually only a couple of streets away from your home.' He walked over to where the left rear wheel should have been. 'I must say, Spencer did a rather poor job of it. If he wanted to crash a carriage, there are far more clever ways to go about it. He didn't even manage to break a single bone among the five of us.'
Belle rolled her eyes. 'You are so adept at finding the bright side.'
John scowled and pulled her against his side. 'I'm thankful that no one is hurt, but you'll pardon me if I don't see a bright side. I will not be the cause of any of your deaths. Let's be off, Belle. We're going home.'
'So he can pick you off with a bullet as we walk back? I think not.'
'Belle's right,' Alex said. 'You're far safer with us than without us.'
'Yes,' John replied acerbically. 'But you're far safer without us than you are with us.'
'Will you pardon us for a moment?' Belle said, pulling her husband a few feet away from the small crowd. 'You
