Julia Quinn - Dancing At Midnight

"Mmmph grhrsmp."

Belle's eyes widened. Underneath all four of them? That couldn't be comfortable. "I, er, I'll get off right away. I think we're going to have to go out the top door. If we open this one, we'll all tumble out and hit our heads." She looked back out the window. "Actually, I don't think the door will even open wide enough to let us out. The tree's blocking the way."

"Just do it, Belle," Alex ground out.

"John, are you all right? You haven't said anything."

"I'm fine, Belle, just a trifle uncomfortable. There are three people above me."

"Brmmph thmgish," came Dunford's elegant retort.

Belle glanced down nervously at the tangled pile of angry bodies and crawled in the other direction, ignoring Emma's frequent grunts of pain and outrage. Her skirts kept tangling around her, so she finally gave up all pretense of modesty and hitched them up past her knees, inching her way up the slanted carriage seat until she could grasp the door handle.

"I've almost got it-there! Now if I can just swing the door out…" Belle turned the handle and gave the door a shove. But gravity was working against her and winning. Every time, the door swung back at her. "I'm terribly sorry, but I need better leverage. I'm going to have to stand."

She moved off the carriage seat and set her right foot down on the nearest object, which happened to be Alex's head. Emma let out a little giggle, which caused Belle to turn back. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing." This came from Alex, in a tone that clearly said, "Get back to work."

Belle turned the handle again and pushed the door with all her might. This time, it passed the critical point and swung open. She let out a little cheer and scrambled back up the carriage seat so that she could poke her head out the opening.

"Oh, hello, Bottomley," she chirped, recognizing Alex and Emma's driver. "What's going on?"

"Wheel came right off, milady. Got no idea what happened."

"Hmmm, that's most odd."

"If you wouldn't mind continuing your conversation at a later date," John said from halfway down the pile, "we'd like to get out of the carriage."

"Ooops. I'm sorry. Bottomley, would you catch me if I slide down?" At his nod, she clambered through the opening and slid down the side of the carriage. "Wait there for Emma. I think she's next." Belle darted around to inspect the damage. The left wheel had come completely off and rolled down the street, where a group of urchins had already claimed it as their own.

"What do you see?" Emma came round the carriage.

"It looks like someone simply loosened the wheel. Nothing appears to be cut or permanently damaged."

"Hmmm." Emma lifted her skirts and crouched down to take a look.

"Will you get out of the street?" Alex was the next one out of the carriage, and he, too, wanted to examine the carriage. He stuck one hand under his wife's arm and yanked her up.

"It appears we had a rather gentle assailant/' Emma said. "Either that, or one who doesn't know how to use a saw."

John appeared around the corner, looking absolutely furious. "What did he saw off?"

"Nothing," Alex replied. "Just loosened the wheel."

John swore under his breath. "I apologize for placing you and your wife in danger. Belle and I will return home immediately, and I will forward you funds to cover the cost of the carriage."

Before Belle could protest, Alex held up a hand and said, "Nonsense. There is no permanent damage to the carriage. All we need is another wheel."

"What's this about a wheel?" Dunford finally emerged, looking rather crumpled.

"It came off," the other four said in unison.

"You needn't get so testy about it. I just got here."

"Sorry," Belle offered. "I feel like I've been standing here for an hour."

"You probably have," Dunford replied dryly. "You had the tremendous good fortune, if you recall, to have landed at the top of the pile. By the way, I sent Bottomley back to your place, Ashbourne, to fetch some help to clear this out. I shouldn't think it will take him long. We're actually only a couple of streets away from your home." He walked over to where the left rear wheel should have been. "I must say, Spencer did a rather poor job of it. If he wanted to crash a carriage, there are far more clever ways to go about it. He didn't even manage to break a single bone among the five of us."

Belle rolled her eyes. "You are so adept at finding the bright side."

John scowled and pulled her against his side. "I'm thankful that no one is hurt, but you'll pardon me if I don't see a bright side. I will not be the cause of any of your deaths. Let's be off, Belle. We're going home."

"So he can pick you off with a bullet as we walk back? I think not."

"Belle's right," Alex said. "You're far safer with us than without us."

"Yes," John replied acerbically. "But you're far safer without us than you are with us."

"Will you pardon us for a moment?" Belle said, pulling her husband a few feet away from the small crowd. "You must listen to me, John," she whispered. "Weren't you the one who told me that we cannot spend the rest of our lives dodging this man? He sounds just crazy enough to try something tonight at the Tumbley bash. If we catch him, we'll have hundreds of witnesses. He'll be put away for the rest of his life."

"Perhaps, but what if he succeeds? Or even worse, what if he misses me and gets you? Belle, I promise you that we will not have to run from this man all of our lives. I will deal with him, but I won't do it in a way that will put you in danger. You must trust me-this is not a man with whom any woman wants to be alone."

John clutched her shoulders tightly. "Belle, I can't live without you. Don't you realize he now has two targets? If he kills you, he might as well have killed me."

Tears pooled in Belle's eyes at his urgent words. "I love you, too, John. And you know how nervous I am for your safety. But I cannot live my life looking over my shoulder, either. And we're not going to get a better chance to trap Spencer than tonight."

"I'll go, then." He moved his hands to his hips. "But you're going home."

"I'm not going to wait in my room like a terrified little mouse," Belle said, her eyes flashing. "Together we can do anything. Alone, we're nothing. Have faith in me, John."

"I seem to recall your begging me not to take any unnecessary chances. Allow me the same courtesy. Go home, Belle. I have enough to worry about without having to keep an eye on you."

"John, for one last time, listen to what I'm saying. Do you love me?"

"Christ, Belle," he said raggedly. "You know I do."

"Well, the woman with whom you fell in love is not the kind of woman who can sit patiently at home when the man she loves is in danger. I think we can trap Spencer if we have enough people on our side. He's obviously not very bright. He couldn't even wreck a carriage properly. With all five of us working together, we can beat him. And tonight may provide the perfect opportunity."

"Belle, if something happens to you…"

"I know, darling. I feel the same way about you. But nothing is going to happen. I love you too much to allow it."

John looked down into her bright blue eyes, shining with love and faith and hope. "Oh darling," he said huskily. "You heal me. You make me believe that I actually deserve all this happiness."

"You do."

John placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Hold still for a moment," he said softly. "I just want to look at you. I want to carry this picture of you with me for the rest of my life. I don't think you've ever looked as beautiful as you do right now."

Belle flushed with pleasure. "Don't be silly. My dress is crumpled, and I'm sure my hair is mussed, and-"

"Shhhh. Don't say anything. Just look at me. In this light your eyes look almost purple. Like black raspberries."