"I am most determined to make you my wife, Selena,” Lucius said. “If I agreed to the harebrained scheme of chasing after two such simpletons as Harrowden and Miss Woodsley, it was only for the opportunity to spend time with you, unhindered by anyone else. And I see I was not mistaken to have done so, or I would not be sitting next to you, holding your hand now.”

He gave her hand a small squeeze, and his touch sent Selena’s pulse racing. He leaned back against the seat and did not say anything further. Selena began to grow accustomed to the warmth and weight of his hand and became drowsy again.

Suddenly, the carriage lurched to a halt and careened to one side. Selena fell on top of Lucius as the carriage toppled over completely, and he snaked an arm around her waist and grinned as her eyes widened in alarm.

"Hush, darling," he said. "There is nothing to fear. You are with me." Very carefully, he extricated himself from their embrace and stood to open the carriage door that was now the ceiling. He pulled himself up and out of the carriage, then sat on the side of the coach. His boots swung jauntily above Selena, and it looked to her as if he were enjoying himself. Despite herself—and her awkward position—Selena smiled.

“Aye,” he called out. “Worley, this is a first for you. Now we’re in a fix, aren’t we?” She heard the mumbled apologies of the coachman, who seemed to be explaining that he’d tried to avoid some small animal and had tossed the carriage into a ditch. Lucius cut his protestations short.

"Never mind that. Jim, unhitch the horses, and I'll take the one with the saddle." He looked down at Selena, who had righted herself to a seated position, his boots dangling not far from her face. He swung his legs out of the carriage, then bent over at the waist and leaned down into the body.

"Stand up, and I shall pull you out,” he ordered, his face lit with amusement.

"Just like that?" Selena said with an answering smile. She had clearly injured her head in the crash if she could find anything to smile about.

"Just like that," he repeated.

She stood, and Lucius leaned down and grasped her by the waist. As he slid down the exterior of the coach, he lifted her up, taking care not to harm her against the edge of the carriage. He landed on the ground, and Selena was still leaning over its side in a most undignified way. It made her laugh helplessly.

"Lucius, this is most disgraceful. I insist that you see me to the ground straight away,” she commanded.

Lucius, his lips still stretched in a broad smile, lifted her the rest of the way out of the carriage and set her on the ground. After a moment, he pulled his hands from her waist. She turned from him to look at the accident, and when she saw the state of the carriage, all humor fled. Both wheels were broken on one side, and the undergroom was unhitching one of the horses from the carriage.