A/N: I am deviating from my usual fanfic stories and using a lot more non-JA vocabulary for this one.
I assume my readers are familiar with the story and characters already, so I do not repeat much of the past. A few changes from the book - Captain Wentworth has remained in the area (Lyme/Uppercross) through Christmas, and Captain Harville did not have the conversation about Captain Wentworth being entangled with Louisa.
I apologize in advance for the many short chapters in this story. This was my first long story and I didn't know how to best split things up. The good news is that I am continually striving to learn and improve, and I think I did a better job of dividing chapters in my second long story, "Trial by Fire".
~~START OF STORY~~
Early January 1815
"I hope I shall remember, in future," said Lady Russell, "not to call at Uppercross in the Christmas holidays. I have quite the headache after being around all those riotous children. We shall set off for Bath tomorrow after breakfast, Anne."
"Yes, Lady Russell. I will go pack my trunks now."
A wave of relief washed over Anne as she walked upstairs to her bedchamber at Kellynch Lodge. Although she disliked Bath and would miss the bustles of Uppercross, she was eager to get away from Captain Wentworth. He was presently at Uppercross to provide an update on Louisa's recovery, and would be returning to Lyme again tomorrow. Not even 50 miles of road between them would be enough when his engagement to Louisa inevitably occurred.
The ever-present pain in her heart swelled to a crest at the thought of Captain Wentworth married to someone else. Never had she regretted more her strong sense of duty, as it had cost her the greatest happiness she had ever known. Her sorrows had clouded nearly a third part of her life, and all she saw before her was another twenty, thirty or maybe even forty years of the same.
The dreary, gray clouds blanketing the sky the next morning perfectly matched Anne's somber mood. As she and Lady Russell broke their fast, the coachman came into the room.
"Begging your pardon, my lady, but the weather's not looking good. A storm's coming, and we had best wait until it passes to leave. It should be no more than a day or two delay."
Lady Russell glanced out the window. The clouds did not appear particularly threatening, and she was eager to get to Bath.
"No, Wilcox, we will depart today as planned."
Wilcox looked dubious, but only said, "As you wish, Lady Russell." He bowed and left to load the trunks onto the carriage.
As they pulled away from the lodge, the two horses trotting at a leisurely pace, Anne gazed wistfully out the window. As it had been for the past eight years and a half, everywhere she looked reminded her of Captain Wentworth. In the distance, she spied her favourite grove where they had walked together countless times. She caught a glimpse of the large, majestic oak tree, where they had covertly carved their initials into the base of the trunk as they blissfully talked about their future together. A mournful sigh escaped from her lips, as she resolved to lock those tender memories away in a hidden corner of her heart, not to be revisited again. Like the poems of the Romantics, too much dwelling on the past was unsafe.
The carriage turned at a junction to head northeast towards Bath, and Anne noticed snow flurries falling gently from the sky. Not ten minutes later, the flurries changed to steadily falling snow. Anne heard muffled cursing from Wilcox, who sat outside, exposed to the wintry precipitation.
Soon, the snow turned heavier still and descended rapidly. The carriage's pace slowed as the horses trudged through the wet, slushy road. When they turned the next corner, the carriage suddenly jolted, followed by a loud, ominous snap. Wilcox pulled the horses to a stop and jumped to the ground to inspect the carriage. Anne heard more cursing. A moment later, Wilcox appeared at Lady Russell's window.
"One of the wheels is broken, my lady. We will not be able to move until we can get it repaired. We can wait to see if anyone passes by who can fetch help for us."
Lady Russell nodded in agreement. The ladies remained in the carriage, peering through the windows, but after half an hour, not one other traveller had passed by. Apparently, nobody else was foolish or reckless enough to venture out today.
"My lady," Wilcox returned to say, "I suggest taking one of the horses and riding for help. Uppercross is the closest village to us at five miles away." Lady Russell swallowed hard. The thought of two women stranded in a carriage without protection, in the snow, was not ideal. However, she could think of no other alternative.
"Ride to the Great House and tell Mr. Musgrove," she said. "One of his men can help you."
Wilcox bowed, then unharnessed one of the horses from the carriage and set off.
"Oh Anne, I feel wretched. I should have waited until tomorrow, but I was so anxious to get to Bath."
"Lady Russell, you must not blame yourself. You could not have known the weather would be this bad. We have not had a storm like this in over five years."
Anne could see the guilt across Lady Russell's face, and she turned the conversation to the more pleasant subjects of music and poetry to distract her dear friend. Outside, the snow quickly accumulated on the ground. Cold air seeped into the carriage and Anne shivered, pulling up the blanket on her lap and rubbing her arms with her hands to stay warm. Over an hour and a half must have passed by now; Wilcox should be coming back soon. As the minutes dragged on, conversation began to flag. Snow covered the carriage windows, turning them opaque and white, and the wind picked up, swirling the snow in the air. Anne could scarcely see three feet in any direction.
How long had they been here now? Two hours? Three hours? Anne could not tell. The sky outside had grown dark and ominous. She started to get nervous. What if something had happened to Wilcox? What if no help was coming? Anne looked over at Lady Russell, who was curled under her blanket to stay warm, her eyes drooping from fatigue.
Fear began to creep into the edges of Anne's mind, and her heart began beating more rapidly. A few slow, deep breaths helped to slow her pulse a very little, and she closed her eyes to calm herself further. Depriving herself of one sense heightened her other ones, and she discerned a distant, low voice shouting urgently. "Anne! Anne!" Her eyes flew open; she wondered if she was hallucinating. Lady Russell's head snapped up and she peered out the window - she had heard it too. Anne was scarcely able to see anything outside, but in another moment, she made out the shadowy figure of a man atop a horse drawing near. Her heart pounded furiously and the blood rushed to her cheeks; she would have recognised the tall form with broad shoulders and straight back anywhere. It was Captain Wentworth.
~~END OF CHAPTER~~