Misleading The Marquis

5 - Gina Marie

The carriage rumbled along in the dark down the dirt and gravel road as Gina Marie and her new husband made their way through the countryside that separated his home from hers.
Night had fallen some time ago, but since they'd made no mention of stopping at an inn, Gina Marie assumed they'd be pressing through.

It was fine by her.

At least in the carriage, in the dark he Couldn't see her face, and she Couldn't feel his gaze anymore. She didn't think he'd fallen asleep, for there was no noise of snoring from his side of the seat.

But then again, he trusted her so little why should he let himself sleep in her presence? He probably suspected her to produce a knife and rob him on the highway before they reached their destination. He thought very little of her now, of that much she was sure.

"What do I call you, since there are so many Georgina Maries in the area?" he'd grumbled, some twenty minutes after they had rolled away from the Manor house, leaving behind everything ugly in Gina Marie's life all at once.

"Gina Marie," She'd answered meekly, still in shock that her plan had worked at all. Brisbane had frowned at this suggestion - though it was the name that everyone called her.

"Don't like it," he'd muttered, more to himself than her, then eyeing her wickedly, but without a smile he'd pronounced, "George seems to fit you better... in honor of the lying monarch himself."

Gina Marie supposed She'd deserved that, so She'dn't said a work to rebuke him or object. Instead, they'd sat in silence for some time afterwards until he spoke again, almost as if he'd never stopped thinking about it.

"You can call me Bane, or Brisbane," he'd informed her in a commanding tone, though he would not look at her when he said it. She'd only nodded in reply.

There would be very little occasion for her to call him anything, She'd already determined that much. For as soon as they reached civilization, Gina Marie would make her move.

Their name game had been hours ago, and he hadn't found a single thing to say to her since then. Instead they sat in uncomfortable silence, like strangers forced to share public transport who are trying not to get to know one another.

Gina Marie's chin dipped to her chest for the third time, startling her awake and she realized she was falling asleep sitting up. Louisa had warned her against sleeping in a moving carriage, saying it was bad luck to be going backwards while you were asleep - as this would reverse any good dreams into nightmares.

Gina Marie smiled at the memory of her friend, the two had said a brief goodbye in thier room, lest AUnt and Uncle catch Louisa hugging the living daylights out of her for they were very particular about propriety from their servants. All three of them.

Gina Marie had promised the maid who was more like a sister that she would send word as soon as She'd made it to freedom. Louisa was the only living soul that Gina Marie had trusted to tell of her plans, and even then not all of them, for she knew Louisa would worry.

Caught up in her own thoughts, Gina Marie didn't hear the horses' galloping as they came upon the Marquis' carriage in the dark. In fact she didn't realize anything was amiss until she heard Bane swear under his breath from across the cab about the same time a shout came from just outside.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, pulling her coat closer to herself now, but Bane never answered her.

"Stand and deliver!" came the cry from at least four different voices as they surrounded the carriage from different corners. Highway men.

"Get down," Bane commanded, but Gina Marie didn't have the chance to obey before he reached for her hand in the darkness, taking hold of her by the forearm and dragging her to the floor of the cab.