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This month's picture prompt is a road scene, and while my tale for this week is a continuation from Regency I hope you will be able to envisage the type of road travellers experienced back in 1813
Last week my hero, Juan, was stranded at an inn after returning to England. This week he has been rescued by his friend Lord Charles Vidal, but now disaster has struck again...
Within seconds of him (Vidal) pulling Juan and their mounts through a gap in the bushes lining the road two horsemen came thundering round the corner and pulled up sharply.
“What ails you?” One of the men asked.
The other urged his mount closer to the coach muttered an expletive before dismounting and peering into the coach. “Where’s your master?” he interrupted his companion and grabbed the groom’s arm.
“Master?”
Vidal grinned at the slow drawl his servant employed.
“Don’t waste my time man. That is my lord Vidal’s coach, is it not?”
“Aye.” His groom swiped his hat off and rubbed the back of his hand across his hair before he scratched his head and replaced the cap on his head.
“So —"
His groom looked about him then at his interrogator. “He ain’t here.”
Vidal choked back a laugh.
“That is obvious,” the second man stated. “But where is he?”
The laugh died in Vidal’s throat when he saw the raised gun in the newcomer’s hand.
“He’s been gone these last fifteen minutes sir.” Real fear showed in his groom’s eyes, and yet the man still managed to defy his interrogators. When Juan shifted at his side he spied the gun in the Spaniard’s hand. He shook his head and held up one hand. His own pistols were still in the coach, they couldn't save lives with only one weapon between them. He watched the two men confer together then one turned and shot his fist out. The blow to his groom’s chin lifted him off his feet and slammed him against the stricken vehicle. In the next minute sunlight flashed off polished steel as the other man faced his second groom. A loud report shattered the air and the swordsman slid to the ground, landing on his own weapon.
11 comments:
Great post! Things aren`t looking good at all.
Oh my...talk about a cliffhanger! I wonder if they'll get out of it unscathed.
Now, I will have to wonder who is alive. I hope the grooms are okay.
Thanks Vicki, glad you enjoyed this.
Lol, did warn you on fb, that mine was another cliffhanger this week :-)
Thanks for coming by Morgan. The last few TT have snippet from this story too. I think next week will be something different.
Wow! Intense! I hope Juan and Vidal get away safely!
:-) Thanks Tricia. I'm sure they will, I'm just a bit stuck on this wip right now, but hope to get back to it shortly.
Nice Cliffhanger :-)
:-) Thanks Iris.
wow. I love it. This week was the week of cliffhangers for sure. Way to go on this one!
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