Before He Was Mine (Before Series, Book 2)

Predicaments

Emilia jerked awake to the sound of the carriage door slamming. Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to be rid of the heavy feeling. Emilia saw flashes of Trevor repositioning himself on the bench across from her through fluttering lids, but everything was a tad blurry.

"Goddammit," he muttered, his hands clenched tightly together. Emilia took in his appearance. Mud was caked nearly up to his knees, covering his usually neat attire. Brown hair was in disarray, likely from the wind and rain outside. "She's going to kill me," he said to himself, wrapping one clenched hand around his knee, white knuckles evident against black breeches. Trevor glanced tensely out the window.

Emilia opened her mouth to ask what, or rather who, he meant by that. However, she only produced a croak.

Trevor jerked his head toward her, almost as though he had forgotten Emilia was there.

Giving her a sympathetic look, his gaze softened. A flask sat on the bench next to him, and he reached over to grab it, holding it out for her.

"A drink for you, my lady. It is water." Emilia went to take it from him but then remembered she couldn't. Her arm caught against the binding, which was still wrapped tightly around her wrists.

"I will help you," Trevor said, noticing her frustrated expression. He raised the flask up to her mouth. Emilia eyed him carefully, and he smiled softly. She was having a hard time comprehending his courteous expression with the reality of being bound and drugged.

Though not convinced that she should trust Trevor, Emilia's parched throat wouldn't let her refuse the water. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth to allow for him to slowly tip the contents of the flask over her lips.

The water felt gloriously crisp as it cascaded down her throat, and Emilia gulped it readily. But then it began to flow too fast, and she sputtered. Trevor immediately pulled back, though not before Emilia spewed water all over herself as well as him.

Coughing, Emilia glanced down at her peach-colored morning dress, now splattered with the water. At some point, her cloak must have been removed. She couldn't recall whether it was off the first time she had opened her eyes. Her memories were foggy.

However, her appearance was the least of Emilia's worries. Water now dripped beneath her bodice. The droplets made a chilling path between her breasts, only adding to her discomfort. And despite being parched, Emilia was plagued with the pressure of an overfull bladder.

Shivering involuntarily, she cleared her throat. It took several times of doing so before she felt confident that she would be able to speak clearly. Finally, Emilia said hoarsely, "What the hell is going on?"

"Well," Trevor began with a languid wave of his hand, "the roads are nearly impassable with the mud. Unfortunately, we will likely not make it much farther before stopping. This rain is being most meddlesome. I would have postponed our journey until later this week, but I truly couldn't delay."

"That is not what I meant," Emilia said flatly.

He looked at her curiously. "Then what is it that you mean, my Lady Emilia?"

At that moment, Emilia thought him rather dense. "I mean," she said impatiently, "what the hell am I doing here?"

"I thought we went over that," Trevor replied simply. "We are eloping."

"I do not wish to elope," Emila said blandly, trying not to wince at the pain in her shoulders as she squared up against him. "But I know you are aware of that, so I'll ask again...what is going on?"

Trevor sighed. "Must we get into the details this moment?"

"Yes, naturally, we must." Emilia thought that Lord Trevor must be addlepated if he thought she was simply going to go along with this. She would not blindly accept that they were traveling to Gretna Green to elope merely because he told her it was so. "I wouldn't mind being untied, either," she added.