If she looks up at me now, I am done for,his mind murmured, while his wayward heart willed her to.
Slowly, she raised her gaze to him, peering up at him with an expression of embarrassment and something else that he could not quite interpret. He could not look away, though he knew he should, for her eyes were like a masterpiece that no mortal could resist, their dusky blue color so unusual that, in a certain light, he could have sworn there was some purple in them. He noticed that there were also golden flecks in her irises, like shafts of sunlight piercing a woodland canopy, and her eyelashes were thick and dark, fluttering as she observed him just as intensely as he observed her.
“I think I dropped the star,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “We shall find it. All I care about is your safety. Are you well? Can you stand? Did you hurt your ankle?”
“There is… some pain,” she replied, her hands relaxing on his shoulders, her palms sliding down slightly, coming to rest on the top of his chest. The sensation of them pressed there made it impossible for him to catch his breath, as if she were now the one in control of his lungs.
“I shall take you back to the manor,” he told her, certain that it was time to relinquish his hold on her, yet unable to do it.
She gave a small nod. “This is what becomes of loosening the reins too much.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, for seeing her so free and unbridled had been the most wondrous thing he had ever beheld, and he had seen things that ordinary Englishmen could not even dream of.
“I end up stumbling,” she replied, her meaning still vague, that unreadable look on her face clouding his understanding. “I end up hurting… myself.”
His thumb moved without him thinking, lightly brushing the side of her neck. “You should not let that stop you.”
“Oh, but I should,” she said, her breathing shallow, her neck tensing, her entire being suddenly becoming a statue in his arms.
His thumb ceased immediately, at the same moment that he realized what he was doing. “Can you walk back to the manor, or shall I carry you?”
“I think it would be best if I walked.” She managed a nervous smile. “Or hobbled. I suppose we shall find out.”
Even then, he could not let go of her, as though some force beyond his control wanted to keep her there for just a few more moments. Nor did she try to push him away, their eyes locked in a silent conversation, both speaking a language that the other could not understand.
“I found a star!” Joanna’s voice declared from the next section of the walled gardens, just beyond an ivy-draped archway, through a thin, wrought-iron gate. “I think we are going to win!”
Phoebe stepped back sharply as if she had been stung, wincing as she put weight on her injured foot. And Daniel’s arms fell away, folding quickly behind his back, feeling her absence so keenly that he had to shake his head to balance himself and remember his place.
“Let us return,” Phoebe said, gritting her teeth as she made for the opposite gate, apparently deciding to head the long way back to the manor.
Daniel followed, wondering what on earth had just happened, while knowing that, this time, he could not blame his muddled thoughts and racing heart on too much wine, for he was as sober as a judge.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
“You ought to keep that on a pillow,” Matilda instructed, having arrived at the manor half an hour earlier, and immediately taking on the role of physician. “Raising it will reduce the swelling.”
Anna poured tea for everyone, wincing as she looked at the injured ankle. “How did you manage to do such a thing during a treasure hunt? Was it a particularly vigorous treasure hunt?”
“I was running. I tripped. My ankle decided to bear the brunt,” Phoebe replied. She tried to turn on the settee in the Sun Room, so she could sit the way the rest of her friends were, unaccustomed to being fussed over.
Matilda made a sharp noise of disapproval. “No, sit as you were and keep your foot elevated. I shall not tell you again.”
“I think I am starting to understand how my sisters feel,” Phoebe muttered with a laugh, obeying Matilda’s command.
Leah cut slices from a large cake filled with strawberry jam and cream. “But why were you running? It was not a race.”
“I suppose it wassort ofa race,” Olivia interjected. “The one who found the most stars would be the winner, and you have to be quick if you want to find them all first.”
Phoebe turned to Olivia, who sat on the nearest armchair. “Whowasthe winner?”
“The trio, of course,” Olivia replied with a wink. “I do not wish to make accusations, but I have reason to believe that Caroline already knew where most of the stars would be hidden.”
Phoebe chuckled. “Yes, perhaps we ought to keep that knowledge to ourselves.”
“Might I ask why His Lordship did not carry you back to the manor?” Anna asked as the rest of the room fell silent. “It would have been the gentlemanly thing to do. Perhaps it would not look so swollen if he had taken you up in his arms.”
