Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Silas ran after his horse as fast as he could, nearly slipping into a puddle but managing to steady himself and continue the chase.
In his heart, he hoped for things not to get worse, for him to be able to catch up to Scar somehow and retrieve him without any further problems. But it seemed as though God was not on his side because when he looked down the road, he spotted a carriage stopped right in the middle of it.
A woman was working at a well, apparently trying to free it from the mud beneath to no avail, very unaware that she was in the way of a very frightened horse.
Panic bubbled up in Silas’ chest, and he tried to increase his pace, waving his hands to get her attention.
“You! Get out of the damn way!”
She continued her work, making it apparent that she could not hear him, and he tried once more, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“Move out of the way! Miss!”
She still could not hear him, and Silas began to fear the worst as Scar drew closer and closer to where she stood. Then suddenly, she lifted her head, her attention claimed by the sound of hooves coming in her direction, and finally noticed the runaway horse heading in her direction.
To Silas’ utter horror, she stood in front of the carriage and held her hands out in front of her.
Was she crazy?!
He tried to wave her away, but he felt it was too late, wincing in preparation for the worst. But it never came.
Scar slowed down right before he could crash into the woman, and she took his reins, muttering soft words to him, holding a hand out still, waiting for the horse to sniff at her and gain his trust before petting him.
Silas also reduced his pace, relieved that neither of them was hurt, pausing to catch his breath before heading to where they both were.
She was petting Scar’s neck by the time he arrived by their side, an action that irked him, and he reached out to snatch the reins from her, only for her to hold it out of his reach with a defiant glare.
“Excuse me, Miss, he is mine,” Silas said through gritted teeth, feeling irritated.
She lifted her head and stared right back at him as she replied.
“You do not deserve to own a horse, Sir. What were you thinking – riding him out in this weather? He could have gotten hurt! Someone could have gotten really hurt!”
“It is hardly my fault that he was frightened by the thunder! And you seem to think you are completely blameless in this matter. Care to explain what you are doing – standing in the middle of the road?” he fired back, swiftly reaching out and retrieving the reins from her grip.
She gasped and folded her arms defiantly.
“Neither one has to do with the other! My being here does not take away from the fact that you are an irresponsible horse owner and rider. It is obvious that you do not care for this creature, and your less-than-wise actions could potentially harm him someday –”
“Watch your mouth, Miss,” Silas snapped angrily, stepping closer towards her.
“You do not know me or how I treat my horse. I did not orchestrate this incident, and it was not my intention for him to run away and have me chase after him like a madman. You speak of responsibility as though a fragile thing like you knows the meaning of the word, and yet here you are, beneath the rain, on a main road at this hour, with no regard for your safety. You are a disturbance and a nuisance.”
Her eyes widened, and she ripped her hat off her head, whipping it at him.
Silas did not know what surprised him more – the fact that she intended to ward him off with the thing or that she was actually able to land a hit.
The blow felt weightless and light against his shoulder, and he stilled for a moment in shock.
And then laughed at the absurdity of it all.
Which turned out to be something he should not have done because her face took on an expression of offence.
“Why are you laughing at me, you brute?”
He chuckled, waving her away dismissively. “I’m just amused by how ridiculous you are. Get back into the carriage and mind your own concerns.”
She folded her arms defiantly as she stepped closer, looking up at him with disdain.
“What makes you think you can give me orders? I do not know who you are, nor do I care for your sense of self-importance, so please know that it has no place here. If you think I am going to bend my will to someone so clearly irresponsible and fiendish, you are gravely mistaken.”
“Watch your mouth, woman,” Silas warned again, his attention caught by the decreasing distance between them. “Your disrespect can only go so far before it brings about severe consequences.”
She was committed to irritating him because she only pointed at him and snapped.
“You should leave. Go back to wherever it is you’re coming from and leave me be. Perhaps there is someone there who cares for your haughty, rude, nasty attitude –”
Silas could not quite understand what had come over him in the next moment. He was just suddenly… filled with the urge to make her cease her talking and somehow managed to smack away the hand that had been pointed at him and reached for her.
It wasn’t until he felt her pressed against him, with her lips quivering beneath his, that he realized what he had done.
He pulled away as though he had been burned, rendered slightly lightheaded by the scent of her perfume and the horror of his actions.
“I – I’m so, so sorry. I shouldn’t – I do not know what came over me.
I apologize; that was improper of me,” he hastily said, stepping away from her, needing some distance between them to allow him to breathe.
“I am betrothed to be wed soon, and my actions now have gone against my beliefs – but please know it was not intentional.”
She was oddly silent, a stark contrast from how her sharp tongue lashed at him without relenting earlier. She avoided his gaze and shuffled backwards, clearly also in need of some space as she muttered,
“I understand, and – I am sorry too. It wasn’t – you are not solely to blame. I should not have said such words to you. It was rude of me.”
Embarrassment clung to Agnes’ insides so tightly she felt she would die, and she hoped things would not worsen, suddenly overcome by the weight of exhaustion.
Silas studied her for a moment and then glanced at the carriage behind her, inhaling deeply and praying that he would not regret what he was about to do as his lips parted,
“My home is not too far from here. If you wish, you could return with me – just to dry off. As soon as the rain stops, I’ll send my footmen over to help you with the carriage.”
It was a gracious offer – one that was definitely unexpected, but Agnes was thankful regardless.
For some reason, her godmother had still not returned, and she had attempted to resolve the issue herself, which led to this strange and frustrating interaction.
If one good thing could come out of it, she was willing to accept it.
“That would be wonderful, thank you,” she said, willing away the rest of her hostility towards him.
He nodded and gently tugged his horse forward, reluctantly offering his hand to help her mount. She shook her head and grabbed at the horn of the saddle, surprising him completely by climbing onto Scar’s back with practiced ease.
“Well?” she asked as he just stared up at her, unmoving.
He blinked, cleared his throat, and mounted his horse, settling behind her, realizing too late that this endeavor meant they would be in close proximity throughout the ride to his mansion.
He tried to ignore it, but he had to hold the reins and lead Scar home, which inevitably meant his arms would have to come around her.
It took more willpower than he knew; he had to keep his focus on leading Scar back carefully beneath the rain, but his mind kept wandering, noticing things he wished he did not like the warmth of her body seeping through his wet clothes, how she shivered at every slight gust of wind and the fact that she was rather tall for a woman – something he had not paid attention to while they fought but could not ignore now.
He was still well above her, but she was close, close enough that he could settle his chin against her shoulder, and it would not strain him to do so at all –
Startled, he gripped onto the reins and brought Scar to a stop. She made a noise of confusion, craning her neck to look back at him, and he tried to dismiss all the strange thoughts this woman seemed to be conjuring into his mind.
“Is everything all right?” she asked in concern.
“Yes –” Silas cleared his throat, urging his horse forward. “Yes, I was merely distracted for a moment.”
She pursed her lips and turned her face away, shifting her attention to the field before them, in the middle of which stood a magnificent mansion. Agnes gasped in awe, unable to keep herself from asking,
“That – is that your house?”
“Yes,” he replied simply.
It was truly a sight to behold, looming tall and stunning the closer they got, somehow managing to gleam even beneath the cloudy sky.
Finally, they arrived at the front of the mansion, and he quickly disembarked, instinctively reaching out to assist her.
This time, she accepted his help, accidentally slipping off the saddle before she had gotten her foot balanced on the stirrup as she reached out to him.
He rushed forward to catch her, managing to keep her from falling as his arms wrapped around her and held her close. She stared down at him silently, a blush staining her cheeks as her fingers tightened their grip on his shoulders.
“You… you can set me down now,” she said softly.
It took Silas a moment to understand what she was saying, and he quickly let her go, stepping back as soon as her feet were firmly on the ground.
“Sorry.” He turned away and walked towards the entrance, leaving her to follow him.
He didn’t expect to see a handful of people gathered around the foyer, much less to be ambushed by his butler, who exhaled deeply with relief.
“Your Grace, thank God you are safe. I – we were very worried when it began to rain, and you did not arrive soon after.” Lukas took a look at Silas’ wet clothes and frowned. “We will run you a hot bath immediately. In the meantime, you should get out of these clothes so you won’t fall ill.”
Silas waved him away, distracted when the woman behind him walked towards another he did not recognize.
Agnes sighed thankfully at the sight of her godmother and their staff, who had been sent ahead of them, wondering how they had all ended up in the same place but grateful nonetheless for the stroke of luck.
“Darling! You’re here!” Lady Anna cheered, opening her arms up to embrace Agnes.
Agnes evaded her advances and folded her arms. “No thanks to you. It would seem the Duke’s house was farther than you expected. Thankfully, this man was kind enough to let me wait out the rain, and we can resume our journey afterwards.”
Lady Anna blinked and glanced between Agnes and the man standing behind her.
“Agnes, actually –”
“He also offered to have his footmen assist us with the carriage so we will not be arriving late to the Duke of Forestwood’s abode,” Agnes added, glancing around.
Her footman stepped closer to her, lowering his voice as he leaned in,
“My lady, we are already –”
“Oh!” she clapped her hands together and whirled around to look for her savior. “Perhaps he knows where the Duke lives and can even show us the way. Shall I ask –”
“Lady Agnes!”
Agnes faltered, shifting her gaze to her footman, a little surprised by how loudly he called her name. He appeared to be harboring some level of frustration, evident in the way he sighed and spoke.
“We are already here, my lady. This is the Forestwood mansion.” He stepped aside and gestured at the man she had come with. “And he is the Duke of Forestwood, your husband-to-be.”
Silas had been attempting to ward off Lukas’ efforts to get him to bathe as soon as possible, but when the words of the footman reached his ears, he forgot what he had been about to say, going still as he stared at the woman he had brought to his home, unease worming its way beneath his skin for some reason.
“Your Grace, the bath is ready. If you do not go now, the water will –”
“Enough with the bath, Lukas!” he snapped, tearing his gaze from the equally stunned lady to glare at his butler impatiently.
Lukas flinched and stepped back, allowing Silas to think. The situation was less than ideal; it had been from the start, but with any luck, he had not completely compromised his chance to achieve his goal. Quickly, he claimed the attention of his staff and ordered in a loud voice.
“There is a carriage stuck on the main road, and it contains the effects of my future wife. I want them retrieved and returned to the mansion immediately. In the meantime, we will be in the study, going over arrangements for our marriage.”
No one moved, their gaze still fixed on the master of the house and their soon-to-be mistress, trying to understand what had led them to this specific situation rather than the easy, smooth arrival they had expected and even prepared for.
Irritation quickly turned to anger, and Silas spoke again, his voice harsh in warning as he barked,
“Have you all gone deaf? I said go and collect her things from the carriage!”
The servants began to scramble around, not wanting to upset the Duke even more, rushing out of the house to do as he asked. Silas walked up to Lady Anna and said,
“Forgive my late reception, Lady Anna. I was unaware that you would arrive this early. Lukas will show you to your room. My grandmother is currently out visiting a sick friend, but she should arrive later.”
Lady Anna grinned, seemingly enjoying the moment, and she waved her hand, bowing slightly to him.
“That is just fine, Your Grace. Thank you for your kind consideration.”
He nodded at her and then shifted his gaze to Agnes, who tried not to flinch beneath his cold stare.
“Follow me,” he said and started to walk ahead.
“What – wait a minute –”
He turned back, silently challenging her to make a fuss, and she forced herself to be quiet, remembering that she really needed him in order to get her sisters back, and she had already made enough mistakes with him as it stood.
So she inhaled deeply and clasped her hands together in front of her, pulling herself up to her full height.
“Lead the way, Your Grace.”