The Aristocrat's Lady (Love Inspired Historical) (20 page)

“Grandmother, I am sorry for barging in like this. I did not realize you had guests.” He paused, handing his coat to the butler. “Higgins informed me… Nicole… What?”

Nicole recognized his voice the moment he spoke. Terror filled her heart. No, she thought in horror, this could not be happening. Panic caused her to stand too quickly, resulting only in the overturning of her chair.

Her eyes sought light as a thirsting man seeks water. She made out a grayish tint, and remembered the French doors. She lifted her skirt with one hand and extended the other until her palm touched the cool glass. A slight push with both hands caused the door to give way, allowing the irrational decision that took her out into the storm.

N
icole knew she must get out of the house. He was there, and once again, he must think the worst of her. He would naturally assume that she had instigated the meeting with his grandmother. It was too much for her to bear.

Even as she did it, Nicole knew how dangerous it was to leave the house without Toby. Yet fear of Devlin overrode her fear of facing the outdoors alone.

She and Toby had explored the grounds that first day, so she knew that by leaving through the French doors off the dining room she would be standing upon a veranda that led to the back grounds. She also remembered the pathway that led to the stream had been of gravel. If she could reach that pathway, she would at least know where she was. A fallen branch, a set of steps—anything could be a dangerous obstacle but she felt the least danger would be the way of the path.
Please God,
she prayed,
guide me to that path.

All of these thoughts ran through Nicole’s mind within seconds. She did not have time for more. It
seemed her luck had run out with the arrival of Lord Devlin. But as she stepped off the last step of the veranda, her right foot grazed the small pebbles on the footpath. “Thank You, Lord,” she mumbled, then lifted her skirts with one hand, and with the other arm outstretched before her began to move as quickly as she thought she could safely go.

She knew Toby would be after her soon, but she prayed that Devlin would be so disgusted he would not follow. Even as the thought came, she knew that he would help any woman in distress, whether he abhorred her or not. She must count on Toby to be before him.

She let out a small cry as she twisted her ankle on the uneven surface. She slowed to catch her breath but determinedly continued on toward the bridge. Once she knew she was near it, she hoped to seek a quiet haven to avoid discovery.

As she slowed and her breathing quieted, she heard the sound of the stream. She did not realize she had come so far, and by the sound of the rushing water, Nicole realized the rain from the previous night’s storm must have raised its level and speed considerably.

The thought did not make her pause. She had no plan to leave the security of the footpath, so the stream presented no danger. She only needed to stay on this side of the bridge.

She came to a full stop and realized the spot where she stood was uneven, like the root of a tree might be underfoot. She stood steadily on her good ankle and tried to feel along the root with her strained foot. Despite the pain it caused her, it led her to the base of a
huge tree. Sitting with her back against the gnarled bark, she began to catch her breath and collect her thoughts.

Now, adding insult to injury, it had started to rain again. Nicole felt wretched and began to cry. The branches overhead provided some protection, but she was soon drenched and disheartened. Her ankle was beginning to throb in earnest. Self-pity began to invade her thoughts, and she buried her head into her bended knees to fully succumb to the tears she had fought so hard to hold in. It seemed their entire London trip had left nothing but a trail of pain and sorrow, and she did not know how much more she could bear while trying to keep up appearances.

As the rain became heavier, she was not sure what to do. Nicole knew she could retrace her steps back to the house, but in this downpour it would be too easy to miss
sounds
of danger. She was also levelheaded enough to know that they were more than likely searching for her, and it would be prudent to stay in one place. But the thought that intruded her frantic mind the most was that Lord Devlin would only have another excuse to be angry with her.

Before Nicole could think anymore about what she should do, she detected the sound of approaching footsteps on the gravel path. The rain was down to a drizzle now, but the water rushing in the background made it difficult to be sure what she heard. She had determined to call out, hoping beyond hope it was Toby. She next heard booted feet run onto the bridge and stop. Whoever it was, they had not seen her.

Lord Devlin’s voice was barely audible over the surging stream as he called her name. The decision as to whether she should try to make her way back to the house was taken out of her hands, and truth be told, she was more than a little glad to have been found…even by Devlin.

“I am over here,” she called. “I have twisted my ankle.” She cupped her hands to be heard over the storm. “I cannot go any farther.”

She thought she heard his “thank God” as he came back in her direction, but with the wind howling, it could just as easily have been a curse.

Devlin began his tirade even before his boots left the bridge. “You little fool! What in the world do you mean by running off like that? You have scared the life out of…”

The cracking sound that cut him off midsentence made Nicole’s heart stop. She heard a groan as if the wind had been knocked out of him. She screamed his name, now despising her blindness and desperately listening for any other sound. Without conscious thought, she rose up and began to hobble to where she had heard him call.

“Stop, Nicole. That is far enough.”

“Nicole, if you have ever listened to anyone in your life, please listen to me now. Do not come any closer. I am well. The rushing water has…” He stopped, leaving Nicole in a state of terror.

“The water has apparently weakened the structure of the bridge,” he finished the sentence in distressed
breaths. “I have fallen through some of the unsound boards, but I am unhurt. I have my left arm crooked around a beam that seems strong enough for the present. But if the river keeps rising, the torrent will overtake the rest of the bridge before too long.”

Devlin regretted the words the minute they were out of his mouth. He had probably put her in danger by saying so, and he could have bitten out his tongue. He knew she would never sit still while the river washed him away. “Do not worry!” he yelled. “We have an army of people out looking for you so help will be here soon.” With a more secure grip for the moment, he noticed she was closer to him than before. “Confound it, Nicole! I am not jesting. I am not trying to be kind—just…stay…where…you…are. You are getting far too close to the stream’s edge.”

“What is it, Devlin?” she shouted. “Where are you hurt?”

It was an odd moment to come to such a thought, but Devlin’s instinct was guilt at his meager understanding of the blind. All he knew was based on biased ignorance. He remembered her intensity while trying to identify smells. Her other senses must be quite heightened, and he realized she had
heard
something in his tone indicating an injury. This all ran through his mind in seconds, and he was able to cover his pain and reassure her.

“Do not worry, Nicole. It is not bad.” He had determined to tell her as much of the truth as she needed to know so she would start listening to him. “When I fell through the bridge,” he shouted, “I cut my hand on
some jagged wood. The cold water should keep it clean, and already it has stopped bleeding.”

It had begun to rain again, and she cried as she wiped damp hair from her forehead. “With water so forceful, you will not be able to hold on long with one hand.”

Great guns! He had also forgotten how smart she was. “I am doing fine for the moment. Start yelling for help in case any of my grandmother’s servants are close enough to hear you.”

Nicole did as she was bid, but his ears perked up when he realized she had lowered herself to the ground and had inched even closer to him
and
the racing stream bed! He thought his heart would stop in his chest. “Nicole, I swear when we get out of this I will make you understand when I am serious about something. You need to hold perfectly still.” He was angry at her lack of understanding.

“Jared, I cannot let you drown, whether you are angry at me or not. I have two perfectly strong hands and could help pull you from the water. You cannot do it by yourself.” She grabbed his right hand and pulled it to her chest with all her might. “Do not worry. I can hear how close I am to the water. I will not fall in.”

They were close enough now that there was no need to shout, but shout he did. “Nicole, will you please use that beautiful head God gave you and do as I say!”

He lowered his voice as much as he could and still have her hear him. “Listen to me and listen good. I admit your blindness is not the handicap I first thought it was. But there are some things you simply cannot
tell. The water is moving so fast that it has not only weakened the bridge, but the banks on each side appear to be eroding very quickly. What I meant earlier was that I could hold on as long as the ground stays strong enough to keep the bridge in place. Even your slight weight could be what causes that bank to fall into the water—with you and me in it.”

Devlin was scared. He was scared he would not be able to help her if things got any worse. “Nicole, I must try and make you understand. With only one hand, there is no way I could help you, should the ground give way. You must hold perfectly still until I tell you otherwise. Now let go of my hand so the both of us do not get pulled in together.

“And Nicole,” he said in words that reached her heart as none other, “you must pray as hard as you have ever prayed that help gets here soon.”

Nicole lowered her head to the wet ground, tears streaming down her face in the rain, and prayed aloud for God to save the man she loved more than life. “You must not let him die. He is just trying to rescue me, please God, please.” She prayed harder. “He cannot die without knowing that I love him. I do not care what he feels for me any longer. Please, just keep him safe.”

Suddenly a quiet, gentle voice began to speak from several yards away. “I don’t know ’ow you two got into that mess…”

Nicole recognized Toby’s voice and cried out in relief. “Thank You, Lord!” Her head quickly rose, muddied from the ground.

“…but you both,
especially you, Miss Nick,
need to
listen very close and do everything I tell you, exactly like I tell you. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” they indicated while nodding their heads. Devlin realized speaking out loud suddenly seemed to be a danger and a waste of precious time.

“Good.” Toby started speaking louder to override the water and the storm. “Listen now. I don’t think I can come any closer. That embankment is jest ’bout ready to slip.”

Devlin muttered “good man” under his breath.

“I’ve got your ’orse, sir, and several ropes. I think I may be able to pull you to safety. But I’m going to ’ave to ask you some questions to get the lay of the land. When you answer me, be as still and as calm as you can be.”

Devlin had always resented Toby his closeness to Nicole. He had been jealous when he found out that Toby had become her eyes after her accident. But seeing his capability and the risks he was willing to take for his mistress made Devlin realize that he could not think of one of his personal friends he would rather have here trying to save their lives. Toby was calm and keeping their security first through a raging thunderstorm, and Devlin had never seen a servant with such presence of mind. Keeping his wits about him under this type of pressure assured Devlin that Toby was quite deserving of the trust Nicole placed in him.

“Now, Lady Nick, I’m gonna throw a circled piece of rope to both of you. You’ll need to put it ’round your middles. But you ’ave to put it on you with as little movement as possible, or more ground may give way.
Do you think you kin? I will do everything I kin to make sure the rope lands close ’nough so that you won’t ’ave to move to get it. If it takes more’n one throw, don’t do anything. I’ll try again.” Devlin knew Toby was worried by his lapse in elocution.

“Toby, I think
I
can, but Lord Devlin has injured one of his hands and is holding on to the bridge with the other. I could not put the rope around me and hold on to him at the same time.”

“Toby!” Lord Devlin yelled. “She is holding on to me unnecessarily. She will do as you say and let go of my arm to put the rope around her waist. Do not worry about that. But you may not be able to depend on your own strength to hold the other end of that rope. The water is too fast. Use Orion and tie the other end around his pommel.”

“Good thinking, my lord,” Toby barked out. “Now before we work on Miss Nicky, we need to ’ave the whole plan ready. I can try to pull ’er to safety first, but the movement might jest cause that bank to cave in. Your end of the bridge might go with it. I’m thinking we need to ’ave both of you tethered at the same time in case something ’appens we
ain’t
planned on.”

No matter that he was in a life-or-death situation, Devlin could not help but appreciate the servant’s judgment. “I do not know where you got him, Nicole, but I will wager you do not pay him enough.”

“Got any ideas?” he yelled back at Toby.

“When I throw the rope to you,
are
you going to be able to put it ’round yourself? If not, once I get the rope ’round Miss Nick, I could crawl on my belly and pray
the Good Lord lets the bridge ’old ’til I tie it ’round you.”

“No, Toby. That would just put another weight on the area and put you in danger, too. We need you too much right now, old man. If you throw me the rope, I will get it on me.”

“Toby!” Nicole screamed over the pouring rain. “He cannot use his right hand, and his left arm must already be numb from the cold. Is there not some way I can help get his rope on?”

“No!” both men screamed at the same time. “Miss Nick, you don’t seem to unnerstand how serious this is, and I swear if I was close ’nough I’d box your ears. I’m sorry to be disrespectful, but now’s not the time for niceness. You
must
stay as still as you kin. Getting the rope ’round
you
is going to risk both your lives. Do you understand that? I am dead serious! We are doing our best, hang it, to keep us all alive, and we can’t protect you if you won’t listen.”

“You definitely do not pay him enough,” Devlin said, close to tears out of fear for her.

“Toby,” Devlin yelled, “Nicole is probably right about my left arm being too numb, but the hand she is so desperately holding is only cut. I think I could use it long enough to get the rope around me.”