“Thank you,” Richard said dryly, but was secretly quite pleased with Robert’s words. Christiana was proving to be intelligent, passionate and capable.

He liked the woman, and suspected he could more than like her with a little time.

“Does Christiana like—” Richard began, and then grabbed for something to hold on to as a loud crack preceded the carriage suddenly pitching to the side. The next moments were a chaos of shouts, and whinnies as the three men were tossed about. The carriage seemed to roll and crash end over end, and then everything suddenly went still and silent.

For one moment, Richard was too dazed to be quite sure what had happened and where he was, but then he heard a groan beneath him and realized the lumpy something he was lying on was either Daniel or Robert. He also became aware that something heavy lay on top of him, making it hard to breathe. Grimacing, he lifted a hand to touch whatever it was and was rewarded with another groan and a heel or elbow—he wasn’t sure which in the darkness—dug into his groin as whoever was on top of him began to struggle to get off.

“Lord Woodrow?”

The darkness surrounding them was suddenly relieved when the carriage door was yanked open above them and the driver peered in with a lit lantern in hand. It was then Richard realized the carriage had come to a halt on its side. He grunted as the man on top of him unintentionally jabbed him in the side as he struggled to sit up. The fellow then reached up for the opening and began to pull himself out, but it wasn’t until he was halfway through the opening, his face lit up by the driver’s lantern that Richard knew it was Robert.

“Damn, Richard, get off me, I can’t breathe,” Daniel gasped beneath him, apparently recognizing Robert as well.

Richard immediately began to move, doing his best not to elbow or otherwise poke his friend as he did. Of course, that was impossible and he muttered several apologies as he shifted his weight to the side. Kneeling in the overturned carriage, he then turned back to ask, “Are you all right?”

“Battered and bruised, but otherwise fine I think,” Daniel said grimly, sitting up beside him. “You?”

“The same,” Richard said on a sigh and then glanced up to the opening and the still waiting driver. Robert was now also peering back in at them.

“What happened?” Daniel asked his driver as he stood and began to pull himself through the opening.

“I’m not sure, my lord,” the driver said unhappily. “We were riding along fine and then I heard a crack, and the carriage pitched and began to roll.

Fortunately, the carriage body snapped just behind the boot and the horses weren’t dragged with it or they would have died for certain.”

“And you weren’t hurt?” Richard heard Daniel ask the man as he followed him out of the carriage.