Gideon pushed his way forward, his heart thundering furiously as he looked down at the prone man.
“Hail a cab. I will take him to my residence.” The commanding tone seemed to have everyone hurrying to do as he bade and, within a few minutes, both he and Richards were in a cab, returning as quickly as possible to Lord Wiltsham’s home. Gideon could see very little, but at least he could hear the slow breaths which came from Richards. Closing his eyes, he silently begged the man to hold onto life until they could return to Lord Wiltsham’s house and a surgeon could see him. “I am sorry,” he murmured aloud, as though the man could hear him. “Truly, I am so very sorry.”
Chapter Seven
“There he is.”
Sara looked up and then turned to her friend, frowning.
“Who?”
Miss Cartwright chuckled.
“I know very well that you have been looking for Lord Stoneleigh for some time. He has been absent from society these last few days, has he not?”
Sara wanted to pretend that she had not noticed this, but the smile on her friend’s face told her that there was no cause to do so She would not be believed, and the truth was, she had been very well aware of Lord Stoneleigh’s absence. It had almost been a sennight since she had last seen him. Worried that it had been her own foolishness that had driven him away from society, she had found herself contemplating the situation with growing concern almost every day, and for many hours.
She had told no one, including Miss Cartwright, about the day that she had followed Lord Stoneleigh. Upon reflection, she had realized just how foolish she had been, and had wanted to save herself any great embarrassment by admitting it. Perhaps that in itself was sheer arrogance, but she could not help it.
“Youaregoing to talk to him, are you not?”
Taking a deep breath, Sara turned her head and looked toward Lord Stoneleigh. He was not smiling. Instead, he was talking with a very grave expression indeed to Lord Wiltsham, a gentleman she was not acquainted with, but whom she knew was one of Lord Stoneleigh’s friends.
“He is clearly busy with his friends at present,” she stated as Miss Cartwright rolled her eyes. “I cannot simply interrupt him.”
“That is foolishness. He will begladto speak with you. I am sure you cannot simply stand here all evening and wait for him to look in your direction.”
“I will do no such thing,” Sara replied primly, a little uncertain as to why she now felt so uncomfortable at the thought of being in Lord Stoneleigh’s company again. “There are many gentlemen this evening that I am certain I can converse with.”
Although none of whom I would wish to talk with as much as I would with Lord Stoneleigh.
“He appears to be in very deep conversation, certainly,” Miss Cartwright noted. “Why has he been so much on your mind of late? You promised me that you would not attempt to be interested in his affairs any longer, given what occurred in the bookshop. Have you changed your mind?”
Sighing heavily, Sara passed one hand over her eyes. Miss Cartwright was gently teasing her, but she was not in the mood for such mirth.
“I know you will laugh at me, but I confess that I am still very much intrigued by Lord Stoneleigh. I cannot quite explain it. I am well aware that I ought not to be, but yet my mind continues to fix itself upon him.”
Her friend smiled gently.
“My dear friend, has it not occurred to you that this is not mere inquisitiveness on your part?”
Sara looked at her friend, confused.
“I do not know what you are saying.”
“Do you recall that I spoke to you about my feelings about my betrothed? Did I not tell you that it took some time for me to have any strength of feeling?”
“Yes, I recall you saying such a thing.”
“Well, could it not be then, that your interest in Lord Stoneleigh might be the very beginnings of what I have described to you?”
Sara blinked rapidly, attempting to make sense of what her friend had said, but no clear answer came to her lips.
“My interest in Lord Millwood began with only a flickering awareness of him,” Miss Cartwright said slowly. “I then found myself struggling to think of anything else other than him. It was most confusing, I admit, perhaps in much the same way as your thoughts are confusing to you at present.”
Sara shook her head.
“I am sure it cannot be anything like you describe,” she replied, aware that her uncertainty was growing, despite her determined words. She could not be feeling anything akin to affection for Lord Stoneleigh, surely? That would make very little sense indeed. “I do not even know the gentleman particularly well!”
