Caught in the Storm of a Duke's - Abby Ayles Page 0,10

say, she must have decided against it.

The silence in the carriage grew loud. Judith could tell that her maid was angry. It wasn’t often that Amy’s face got twisted in a frown, and rarely ever at Judith.

This worried Judith, gnawed at her, but she was too stubborn to admit that she might have been wrong and should take Amy’s advice.

As the carriage continued to sway from side to side, she grew less certain of her assertion that it wouldn’t rain. Instead, she began to pray.

The terrain became rockier and the skies even darker. Every time the carriage moved forward, they climbed a bump or two. They had to shut the windows, as the wind got wilder, almost blinding them.

This left them in utter darkness. Judith could barely make out Amy, who was sitting opposite her.

As if they were not already in enough trouble, the skies suddenly bellowed with thunder and lightning whipped across the sky, brightening the carriage with its garish illumination.

Screams erupted from their throats, and they leapt into each other’s arms, holding on for dear life.

“My lady, we can still stop now. It’s not too late,” Amy cried, her voice breaking this time.

Judith swallowed, nodding. “Amy. You are right. We must stop. It would not do to continue. Not like this. Oh dear, I am so sorry. I should have…”

She didn’t finish her words before the skies roared again, closely followed by another earsplitting crack of lightning. As that passed, the sound of a heavy downpour beating down on the carriage filled their ears.

Judith stared wide-eyed at Amy. The worst had come, it had begun to rain.

“Oh, Amy, what shall we do?”

She could barely hear herself above the noise of the downpour. It was a torrent, wicked and unlike anything she had ever experienced. The cold seeped into the carriage and her bones.

As the first shudder racked through her, she held on more tightly to Amy, gathering her scarf around her for warmth.

Mr. Giraud had known what he was saying after all. The thought of him out there in the rain froze her heart. Suddenly, she lurched into action.

If they stopped and waited in the carriage, he could come in and wait with them. That way, they might survive this yet.

Pulling away from Amy, she reached for the carriage doors. As she tried to open it, Amy grabbed on to her hand.

At the top of her voice, she cried, “My lady, what do you think you’re doing?”

Judith shouted in return. “I must speak with Mr. Giraud, tell him to stop the carriage and join us here. He is out there in the rain. I cannot imagine what it must be like for him. Goodness, can he even see?”

“My lady, it is too dangerous for you to go out there. Pray tell me, however do you hope to get his attention? We are in here and can hardly hear each other!”

“I see no other way, Amy. Mr. Giraud is our only hope out of this. Besides, I brought this upon us. If any harm comes to him, I would not be able to forgive myself.”

She opened the carriage door then and was immediately blown aside by the sheer force of the wind. Rain poured into the carriage, wetting them both.

Shock overwhelmed her, as she watched the horror that was the storm with her own eyes. Her heart began to hammer heavily against her ribs.

Her stomach squirmed with an ugly feeling of dread. On her tongue, she could taste ill-luck.

Something terrible was going to happen. She knew this with absolute certainty.

She started to shake her head, willing herself to move. She wouldn’t sit by and let Mr. Giraud suffer for her foolishness.

Again, she stood up, this time, braver than before. She struggled against the wind, no matter how hard it tried to push her away.

“My lady, please!” she heard Amy cry.

Ignoring her maid’s pleas, she got to the door and pushed her head out.

“Mr. Giraud! Mr. Giraud! Stop this carriage this instant! Come here, stay with us!”

She continued to shout, though deep down, she knew it was hopeless. There was no way Mr. Giraud could hear her in the madness. She couldn’t even see him.

It was as though day had turned to night.

Soon, she grew weary. Aware that she couldn’t keep it up, she shut the carriage door and fell on to her seat. Amy was by her side before she could blink.

“Oh, my lady! You’ve gotten so wet! Your skin has grown cold. Oh dear, you’re going to catch