That side of the carriage dropped even more as the carriage creaked and groaned.
Dimly, Adam was aware of the coachmen swearing around them, and the horses becoming panicked. Adam quickly got his bearings. Clearly, the carriage could roll over if the horses could not drag them to safety. There was a steep downward slope toward the stream at this particular spot and gravity would pull them to their deaths if something weren’t done soon.
He tightened his grip on Mrs. Warner and glanced over his shoulder. “What the devil?”
“We’ve lost a wheel, my lord. Are you harmed?”
“Only our pride, Mr. Porter,” Mrs. Warner complained but surprisingly remained unresisting in his arms.
But if the carriage rolled over they’d be crushed. “Get her out now!” Adam ordered.
The side door was flung open above them and men reached for Mrs. Warner’s hands. Since the slope would be steep for a woman wearing long skirts to hinder her feet, Adam set his hands to Mrs. Warner’s backside and shoved hard.
Fabric rent, but Mrs. Warner fairly flew up and over the side to safety, he hoped.
“Give us your hands, too, my lord,” Porter cried, but then the carriage slipped a bit more. “We’re losing it.”
The carriage was too heavy at this angle, and it would only become more so. “To hell with it. Save the horses!” he shouted.
Adam grabbed the high edge of the carriage and threw himself out.
The carriage dropped away suddenly beneath him, and he was falling.
Adam landed face down on the slope and slid a few feet before he could stop. Below him, the sounds of wood splintering abruptly ceased. He didn’t dare look. He scrambled up the slope to the top before letting out a shaky breath and looking around.
The horses were unhitched but still panicked, stamping around the grooms as they fought to calm them. All the grooms seemed accounted for.
Porter rushed to help him stand and brush off his attire. “Are you all right, my lord?”
Adam nodded, looking for Rebecca Warner. She seemed unharmed on first glance. “Well, that was exciting.”
Mrs. Warner’s brow wrinkled as she pulled her patterned shawl tighter about her shoulders. “You saved me.”
He nodded. “What else should I have done, Mrs. Warner?”
Her frown deepened even more. “Thank you.”
He bowed gallantly but then regretted the gesture immediately as the world spun. “Bollocks.”
The lady’s eyes flared in shock. “Excuse me?”
“My pardon.” Adam mastered himself and then limped toward the grooms to glance down at the wreck. The carriage had been quite destroyed by the fall, possibly beyond repair. “I hope his grace wasn’t too fond of that particular carriage.”
“Unfortunately he was, my lord,” Porter murmured, cap in hand. Some of the debris became caught in the current and they watched it float away in silence.
The view from this height began to unnerve Adam, so he took a pace backward from the edge. He felt immediately better. “Are any of the horses injured?”
“No, my lord. They all seem to be in order. Just a bit excited still.”
“Good. Send the men and horses back to the stables with the news. The duke will wish to know about this as soon as possible.”
Porter frowned. “What of you and Mrs. Warner?”
“I’ll walk back.” He turned to Rebecca for her decis
ion.
“I’ll walk with him,” she agreed very quickly.