He’dnever been attracted to innocents, butLadyLucywas having a strange effect on him.
Anotherhorn sounded far off in the distance, along with the barking hounds, making her fidget.
“Ithink they’ll be missing their fox,” she said.Sheraised her chin and fixed her eyes on him. “Youneed to decide what you’re going to do.”
Heglanced at her fingers drumming on her cloak.Wasshe tapping on the valise in frustrationwith him?
“Decide?” he asked incredulously.
“Aboutthe fox.Whatdo you plan to tellLordLatham?Really!Icannot stay here all day.Thishorse gets nervous around fox hunts.”
Shehad a point.Andbesides, whatwouldhe say?Howwould he tell his friends that he followed the girl and watched her steal the fox?Hisfriends would never let him forget it.They’drib him about having some secret romantic reason for doing so.
“Areyou going to report me?” she asked softly, looking up at him through the thick fringe of her dark lashes.Inanother woman, the action would have been coy, butLadyTenetwas quite the opposite.Shewas earnest and determined and she was trying to blink back tears as she stood up to him.Hequite admired that.
“Whatwould you do in my place?” he asked, his voice equally as soft.
Sheswallowed. “Iwould think of the greater good.Iwould allow this incident to go unreported, butIwould encourage the person to tellLordandLadyLathamthe truth.”
Hisadmiration for her went up another notch.Hetook another step forward. “Thatis a good answer,LadyTenet.”
“Thankyou,” she breathed.
“You’rewelcome.”Henodded. “ButImust say your transgression is moot, judging from the escalation of this storm.”
Shelooked around her, as though just realizing how extreme the weather had turned.
“Perhapsthe snow will make them call off the hunt,”Lucysaid, mostly to herself.
“Idoubt it.Huntscan take anywhere from twenty minutes to hours, depending on how quickly they corner the fox.”Henoticed her stricken face. “I’msorry.There’sno other way to put it.”
Shenodded, holding the fox tighter beneath her cape. “Isuppose you’re right.Ijust don’t understand how people consider it a sport.It’sjust…Ifind the whole thing barbaric and cruel,” she said.
Asif in answer, a slight whimper emerged from the satchel.
“Iagree, but at present, we have a more pressing problem,” he said. “Giventhe ferocity of this storm, mayIsuggest that we travel to my manor?AsIsaid earlier, it’s closer thanLatham’s.”
“Whatabout the groundskeeper’s shed?”Shejolted as the window shutters smashed against the wood.
“Thisis not a proper cottage.It’sused mainly to store equipment.Wehave just enough time to ride to my estate before the snow makes it impossible for us to travel.”
“But…but couldn’t we just go back…?”
“Didyou not hear whatIjust said?” he growled.Shemay have gumption, but she was stubborn as could be.
“Ofcourse,Iheard you.ButIdon’t know you.”Shecast a wary eye in his direction, her teeth chattering. “Youthink becauseI’ma widow…”
“No,” he said, almost shouting it.Hedid know she was a widow, but he wasn’t trying to seduce her.Herealized he wanted to help her. “Youhave nothing to fear from me,” he said. “Igive you my word.”Hewanted to shake her as she continued to hesitate. “Madam, if we do not leave now, that fox will most likely freeze to death, and that might very well be our fate as well.Doyou understand me?”
Shenodded, watching him with wide eyes.
“Good.”
Heturned and, ignoring her indignant gasp, lifted her onto her horse.Thenhe strode to the cage and opened the door, leaving it ajar, that way, the hunting party would assume the fox had managed to escape.
Climbingback on his horse, he said, “Followme.”
Theytraveled in silence for an extended period, moving at a gentle canter along a path that was becoming blanketed by snow.Thestorm displayed no signs of slowing down.Ifanything, the pace of the falling snow had increased.Andthe relentless wind continued to pound at them as they rode.Thesnow was wet and heavy, signs that it could be with them for a while.Itwas swirling and falling so hard and fast they could barely see beyond a few feet ahead.
