Past
Log-Arms by Indi Abrams
I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself, yet no gunshot rang out. The rhythmic clacking of hooves on hard-packed dirt was accompanied by jovial birdsong, not the echoing boom of gunpowder I had expected. Victoria’s scream, however, came on cue. I felt the cart lurch forwards slightly as the horses gave a start at the holler and I opened my eyes in time to spot the man escaping into the greenery of the park. No point in giving chase; he had too much of a headstart to catch up on foot, and the carriage wouldn’t make it far, what with all the trees.
Victoria was hunched over. I felt my heart trying to burst free from my ribs as I reached out my hand to her. She turned to face me. “I am fine, Albert, no need to worry,” she said, with a strong voice, characteristic of the woman. This wasn’t the first attempt on her life, and as I would soon learn, it would not be the last. “Well, thank goodness for that. We can’t have our Queen dying on us, now can we? And I, for one, would not like to become a widower just yet.”
Page 39
