Swept Away: A Fairwilde Reflection Regency Fairy Tale by Vanessa Riley

Author:Vanessa Riley [Riley, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallium Optronics
Published: 2014-09-29T04:00:00+00:00

Lord Cheshire and Abraham lowered Edwin to the ground. The squeeze of the tight chute took all his breath.

"Let's give him a moment." The duke stepped back, his head turning to the line of carriages.

Abraham shook his head and hovered. "Not leaving you, sir. Rundle's orders."

The man's large shadow didn't block the rain. The small drizzle felt good atop Edwin's brow. The fishy stench of whale-blubber torches surrounded him. The flames added an orange tinge to the moonlit air. He could see the broken chute in which he'd become wedged, the rescuers' chisels, and piles of scattered bricks and demolished furniture. A gulp of air stuck in his throat. Fairwilde was gone.

With a shake of his head, he pushed up from the sidewalk. Standing upright with no sign or beam overhead to drop upon him, he gulped some of the cool breeze. It had been foolish to try to scramble after Charlotte through such a tight space. Stupid coal chute. Stupid Edwin.

The bruising along his ribs prevented a full breath from reaching his lungs. Head feeling light, he started to keel over.

"Hold on, Cinder." Cheshire caught him before he hit the sidewalk. "Easy."

Edwin hooked one arm around the duke and the other around Lord Rundle's stalwart Abraham. "Sorry, I didn't think I was so unsteady."

The duke eased him back to the ground. "'Twas a fool's notion to try to squeeze out of that chute. You're a large fellow. I suppose you were anxious to get out of Fairwilde. Maybe put your head between your legs to restore the blood flow."

It wasn't anxiety. It was fear, fear he'd given up something wonderful, life-changing. He should've confessed his true feelings to Charlotte while he had the chance. Being noble to protect her reputation seemed right, but maybe it was a coward's doing.

"Where is your shoe? You've one missing." Abraham looked from side to side. His jaw clenched as if he were in pain. "There's so much broken glass you might hurt yourself."

Edwin waved his arms to stop the fussing. "Please just tell me, now that I've been chiseled out of the chute, is…are Lillian and my stepfather alive? Theol?"

Abraham's full lips pressed together as an audible swallow vibrated in his throat. His shoulders sagged beneath his dusty livery. "Yes, Mr. Cinder. And your stepbrother, too. But Lord Rundle was hurt bad in the falling of the house. The doctors were with him before he sent me back here for you. I put them in your residence in Cheapside."

Edwin rubbed his brow as his heart clenched. Poor Rundle. "Did Theol make a fuss squatting in the mercantile part of London?"

Abraham's lean cheek trembled. "He drowned his mighty sorrows in liquor."

A dark carriage etched with a gleaming coat of armor scattered moon rays as it flew past. The wheels splashed water from the myriad of puddles lining the street.

Charlotte. He didn't have to see her face to know for sure, but his pulse slowed as if she'd left his life again.

"The duchess was particularly concerned about you, Cinder.

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