A slow smile spread Suzette’s lips, the first she’d enjoyed since receiving the letter she’d thought was from Daniel. Jeremy was doing exactly as she’d expected. She watched the driver climb down from the carriage and tramp through the high grass until he reached the trees and then she caught up her skirts and sidled closer to the edge of the trees offering her cover. The moment the man had joined his employer, Suzette slid out of the woods, hurried around the carriage and climbed quickly up onto the driver’s perch from the far side of the vehicle. She hadn’t even settled on the seat before she had the reins in hand, then Suzette grabbed up the driver’s whip and cracked it over the horses’ heads.

The horses burst forward at once, nearly sending her flying backward off her perch. She managed to keep her seat, and slapped the reins now. The horses immediately began to pick up more speed. Suzette glanced around then, not surprised to see Jeremy and his driver running toward the road. Knowing they would never catch up, she wasn’t concerned . . . until Jeremy suddenly stopped and aimed his pistol. She immediately ducked down, trying to make herself as small a target as she could.

At first, when Suzette heard the weapon’s report and felt nothing, she thought Jeremy had missed, but then she saw the horse on the side closest to Jeremy stumble and slam into the horse on the left as he fell. In the next moment, both horses were going down and pulling the carriage to the side with them. Suzette didn’t have time to think, she simply pushed herself up from the seat as the vehicle started to turn and threw herself away from it. She hit the ground with a bone-jarring crash and then, afraid she hadn’t thrown herself far enough and the carriage would crash down on top of her, she instinctively rolled several times before stopping.

Suzette raised her head then to glance around. She couldn’t see Jeremy and his driver, but the carriage had come to rest on its side several feet away. Ignoring the aches and pains assaulting her, she pushed herself to her feet and staggered back to the carriage, her only concern for her father. Still tied up, he would have been helpless to protect himself as the vehicle had rolled. Worry eating at her, she reached the carriage and—using the spare fifth wheel, coachman’s step and seat irons—managed to climb up onto the upturned side of the carriage. Once there she could see Jeremy and his driver rushing toward her, but ignored them and crawled to the carriage door to pull it up and open.