Married To The Mad Vampire Lord
Chapter 253: Desperate for an escape

Chapter 253: Desperate for an escape

Belle, on the other hand, could hardly believe her misfortune.

There were no coaches on the street. None at all, neither the public rides nor those belonging to nobles. The night street was eerily deserted, not a single soul in sight. And to make matters worse, the sky had darkened, heavy with the promise of rain.

She needed to find shelter before the downpour began. She couldn’t be caught in it, not in her condition.

She didn’t know how far she had come from the house. She hadn’t once turned around to check. She just kept moving, pushing herself far beyond her limits.

The night was silent, with only the faint chirping of unseen crickets and the distant barking of a dog echoing through the emptiness.

It was only when she was on the verge of crumbling under the weight of dismay and exhaustion that she heard it, the distant gallop of horses and the creaking of a carriage wheels.

Without thinking, Belle stepped into the middle of the road and lifted her hand, waving frantically to stop the carriage even before it reached her. She couldn’t risk being caught in the storm or by the men back in the house. She needed somewhere, anywhere, to stay, as long as it was safe.

And worse, she could feel something wasn’t right about her body.

Her stomach ached, not the familiar, sharp pangs that came when her baby needed blood. This was different. Strange. And she needed to find safety before she could even begin to understand the cause of it.

The coachman spotted her standing in the middle of the road and pulled the reins immediately, jerking the horses to a sudden halt before they could rear back. He cursed loudly, muttering under his breath as annoyance flared in his voice. Whoever was standing in the street at this hour, he thought, had to be insane.

"What’s the meaning of this, woman?!" he barked, leaning forward as the light from the carriage lamps spilled across her form.

Belle limped to the side, just enough so she could see the man clearly. He was frowning down at her from his perch, clearly displeased, squinting through the dim light to get a better look at her.

"I need a ride, mister. I need to get to Roseville," she said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. She couldn’t afford to sound frightened or urgent, he might grow suspicious and report her. She needed to stay calm.

She didn’t know many towns in this land, but she had read about Roseville. It was a small village, tucked far from civilization and nestled deep into the countryside. If she could get there, she would be putting real distance between herself and the city, just enough to hide for a while, until she could think of what to do next.

"Ride’s closed for the day, Lady. I’m headin’ home now to rest," the coachman replied gruffly. "Ya won’t find no rides at this time of night—nothin’ till the morrow morning. Ya best head back where ya came from and wait till morning."

He tugged at the reins, preparing to leave. He would have to be mad to ride to Roseville at this hour.

Belle was too desperate to let him go. She knew that if this man left, she had no way of finding another ride—not at this hour.

Hurriedly, she pulled out the pouch of gold coins from her pocket and held it out. "I have money," she said, her voice trembling despite her best effort to stay composed. "I’ll pay you any amount you want. Please, mister, I have to get there..."

She scrambled for a lie, anything to make him stay, and found one when she noticed his eyes drop to her swollen belly. "I need to get to my ma," she added quickly. "She’s old, and she lives in Roseville. I can’t deliver my baby without Mama. Help me, mister... please."

The coachman looked from the pouch of coins to her stomach, then let out a weary sigh. He jerked his head toward the back of the carriage.

"Get in," he said. "But don’t go complainin’ when the ride ain’t smooth. I canno promise it’s goin’ to be easy in ya condition."

Belle smiled in pure, aching gratitude, even though she knew deep down that he was doing it for the money, not for her.

"Thank you, mister!" she said, clutching her bundle and moving toward the carriage with a breath of relief.

She hurriedly got into the carriage and pulled the curtains over the windows, and the moment it started moving, she felt herself release the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding the whole time she had been running away from the manor.

She was settling more comfortably on the seat when she felt the discomfort again, only it seemed to be intensifying. A low, dragging ache began to spread through her back, wrapping around her hips like a slow burning. It wasn’t sharp, but it didn’t let go either, even when she relaxed on the seat.

Belle endured the discomfort, and the jolting ride did not make it any easier for her. It was a long ride, and she knew she had to endure it all or risk getting caught. Falling into the hands of the men who had come into the manor wasn’t a good thing, and from what she had pieced together, she could tell the gunshots were a sign that they had killed people in the house. Those reapers she’d seen were most likely there to take the souls.

Belle stayed awake for as long as she could until she fell asleep for a bit, but that too wasn’t for long, as she felt the carriage come to a stop. Pulling back the curtain on the window, she noticed it was dawn, and it was already raining. The coachman knocked on the wooden wall that separated them to get her attention.

"We’ve entered Roseville, ma’am. Ya destination."

Belle sat up straight, knowing it was time she stepped out, but once again, she was nervous. Even though she had arrived at this small village, she had absolutely no idea where she would go. She knew no one. But she couldn’t keep wasting the impatient coachman’s time.

She got out into the pouring rain, shuddering from cold and uncertainty, clutching her bundle of clothes tightly in front of her. She took out more than half of the gold coins in the pouch and gave them to the man as she’d promised. He eagerly took the money and, as expected, did not care about her—he snapped his reins and rode away, leaving her in the middle of a village she didn’t know.

The rain wasn’t heavy, but it was biting cold, making her bones quiver. She looked around and noticed that, unlike the city, Roseville was shabby, with cottages built on both sides of the road, where the mud had formed puddles. The day was just beginning to break, and everyone was still inside their houses.

Belle hurriedly walked along the road, listening to the rumbling of thunder in the sky, lightning flashing, and the splashing of raindrops hitting the muddy ground.

She kept walking until she came across an establishment with a bold sign that read "Travelers’ Boarder," and she came to a stop before it, a wave of relief washing over her at finally finding a boarding house.

She stepped up the front steps and slowly pushed the large oak door that had a sign on it that said PUSH.

The door opened with a cracking sound. Unlike the cold outside, the inside was so warm she almost cried in relief. However, the place was quiet, except for the sound of rain dropping on the roof.

She saw a counter where a clerk was supposed to be, but there was no one there. A bell hung from the top, and she cautiously walked forward and rang it twice.

She heard someone clear their throat and was nearly startled when a figure suddenly rose from the floor behind the desk. It was a middle-aged man who seemed to have been sleeping on the floor until she rang the bell.

He reached for his spectacles on the desk and put them on before standing to his feet, sizing her up and down. A displeased look fell over his face when he noticed the water puddle forming around her, dripping from her soaked clothes.

"You are spoiling my floor, madam," he rebuked, his eyes still fixed on her, wondering what a pregnant woman was doing out here early in the morning when the village was not yet awake.

"I... I am sorry. I want to book a chamber, if it’s available," she spoke, fighting the chattering of her teeth and the discomfort weighing on her.

"And where is your husband?" he inquired with an arched brow, certain that if she was this pregnant, she must have a husband—and if she didn’t, he wasn’t going to admit a woman of shame into his space.

Belle had anticipated this. No sane person would let a pregnant woman stay in their place without marriage. And as married as she was, her husband was not with her.

She searched her brain for something to say before settling on one. It seemed she had become a professional liar lately, but in order to survive, one had to learn to lie and make it believable.

"I am traveling to meet my mama. I plan to have my baby there, but my husband is too busy to travel with me. I will only stay here for a day before I continue my journey," she said, hoping he would believe her.

She watched as he looked at her suspiciously before giving a small nod.

"The good rooms are taken, but there is one room left. Only, it has no fireplace, nor a good mattress or setting. If you can manage with the room, then you can pay me, and I will lead you there."

Belle was ready to settle for anything that was available, and she nodded her head. "I will take it."

She needed to take it, because she could feel the weight of her pregnant belly shifting lower, and her stomach was beginning to cramp painfully.