The Rakehell Regency Romance Collection Volume 2(227)

Once again she had surprised him with her wit and intelligence. "Only very much alive, and going to stay that way."



He admired her ample breasts, slender waist, gently flared hips, her tasteful dark blue merino wool gown. She was lovely in every respect, a woman one could be justly proud of.



She looked around her as he worked. "So tell me, how do you propose getting us both out of here? I mean, my ribs are sore, but I can still climb. What about Mr. Greengage?"



"It's not going to be easy. The only thing I can think of is to hack off the top of the coach to lift him out. We have the axe, we need firewood, and we can't run the risk of hauling him up through the door."



"No, you're right. We can't. Where's the axe?"



"On top." He reached up to get it. "I'm going to help you out, and then I can work on hacking the roof off."



"I can help. I've chopped firewood."



"There's not much room to swing an axe in, though, if you're still here."



"Any other axe?"



He shrugged. "There's a shovel outside. I didn't check the tools in this coach."



"Lift me up. I'll see if I can find one, and then get started."



"Are you sure? It's brutally cold out there," he said with a frown.



"I know. But the sooner we get him out of here, the sooner we can all get warm in your carriage, build a fire, have something to eat, and wait for help."



She said it so positively that he nodded. "All right, Belle, up you get. If you can't find the axe or the shovel, just get into my vehicle with James."



"I can't leave you on your own," she protested.



He stared at her determined face for a moment, and resisted the urge to kiss her soft lips. "I'll shout if I need anything."



"I'll be nearby, I promise."



He cupped his two hands and she placed her booted foot into them.



Arabella felt herself being raised aloft as if she were as light as a butterfly. Her ribs ached as she braced her arms on either side of her and pushed upwards. "Any higher?"



He lifted her a few more inches, and then her foot was on his shoulder.



"I'm up. I'll see you in a minute."



She smiled down at him, and Blake's heart turned over. Even bruised and battered by the accident, Belle was the most winsome creature he had ever met.





CHAPTER SIX



As soon as Belle was gone, Blake swung the axe into the carriage roof. After several blows he broke through to the other end. He flung off all of his coverings and great coat and rained blow after blow on the roof until a sizable hole had opened.



Belle soon joined him on the other side with the tools from the wrecked coach. Together they made a hole big enough to drag Mr. Greengage through.



Apart from a couple of groans when they had set his broken bones, there was still no sign of life, but they could only hope that all would be well.



"Hold his head. That's right. Watch the right shoulder." The snow swirled around as Blake crawled out of the hole himself and took the other shoulder.



"I'll get his feet," she offered.



They managed to get him over to the other carriage. James the postillion was able to help maneuver the prone body into the warmth of the vehicle.



"Belle and I need to go back for all of the wood and bottles and blankets," Blake said quickly. "Climb over him and tuck yourself in the far corner, with him next to you in the middle. We'll be back in five minutes."



Within that time they cleaned out the essential contents of the mail coach, the food, footwarmers, hot water bottles, traveling rugs and his valises.



Finally, he got their luggage out of the boot and said to Belle, "Get inside, find my tinder box in one of those valises, and light the lamps on my carriage. Then bring it back here."



He went back and chopped more wood, which he brought back to the carriage. He opened the lids of the four footwarmers, emptied the ashes, and piled each to the top with wood. He came back a short time later with a small bottle of lamp oil. He doused the contents of each of the metal footwarmers with the oil, and struck the tinderbox.



The small blazes gave off a good deal of heat and light for a time. When the blazes had subsided a bit, he put the covers back on and put the hot waterbottles on top of them to reheat them.



Belle went back to the mail coach to chop more wood while Blake hacked the branches he had brought into manageably sized pieces. He stacked them in the luggage rack overhead inside the carriage.



She came back with a couple of more armfuls of the roof of the coach. Once they were loaded inside he put his hand on her shoulder.



"That's enough now. Up you get. Everyone inside on the same seat, you in between Mr. Greengage and myself."