Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
There was no getting out of that forsaken hunt.
May stared into the vanity mirror, intent on smoothing her curls, and gave herself a start instead.
Gone was the lady’s maid. Clad in the riding habit chosen by the duke, she looked nothing like she felt.
The illusion of legitimacy wrapped her snugly with every seam and thread.
When May descended to join the others outside, nobody singled her out for the intruder that she was.
But rather than feel at ease in this dream, it formed into a nightmare.
Lady Hannah engaged her in friendly conversation, but as the horses were brought out, all May could do was feign a familiarity with the hunt preparations.
May eyed her mare with foreboding. There was no excuse under the sun that would get her out of participating.
However, it would take divine intervention for her to make it through the day without revealing her lack of riding skills.
May watched Lady Hannah mount her horse with great attention, as if it were something she could imitate by observing.
Would her act really come to an end as soon as it began?
Then, it was her turn, and by some form of miracle, the groom helped maneuver her upward. Just don’t fall off.
The duke’s voice broke through her anxious thoughts.
“Lord Spencer, would you kindly accompany my cousin? I do believe the two of you might be better suited to keep each other’s pace.”
“Brother!” Lady Hannah threw him a surprised look. “That is hardly fair.”
May could not help but wonder just how well Lady Hannah knew her brother. May had known him for a little over two weeks, but that was enough to get the size of him.
It was not enough that the duke stocked her wardrobe full of clothes she’d only seen on fashion plates, or that he’d orchestrated an introduction that put her through her paces.
He truly left nothing to chance, hellbent on manufacturing a compromising moment.
At least, she need not spend another minute alone with that flirtatious schemer.
It was a marvel she’d made it through last night without her heart jumping straight out of her chest as he spoke of how they ought to. .. help one another.
“They do not know the lay of the land yet, my dear,” answered the duke smoothly. “It would be dangerous to drive our newcomers to competition on this uneven terrain.”
She could breathe somewhat easier, at least.
“That is most considerate of you, Southam.” Lord Spencer inclined his head in abject politeness. “I shall be honored to keep Lady May company. We are to be family very soon, after all.”
But the wedding bells had not rung just yet.
Very well. May intended to make the most of this occasion.
It was a blessing when the duke and Lady Hannah took off first down the forest path, leaving her with Lord Spencer.
Let him think of her as an uneducated, poor relative from the country.
It was much preferable to the duke’s shrewd eyes spotting her so ill-at-ease and wondering why a lady was so unskilled.
Lord Spencer led his horse forward and thankfully, May’s own mare followed meekly after. She steadied her breathing. Chin up, May.
“Do you often hunt, My Lady?” Lord Spencer maintained a carefully neutral expression.
“Not at all, My Lord. I confess I am a novice at such things. I am afraid I am holding you back from rejoining Lady Hannah.”
“Do not fear. The duke spoke truly. Though I am no stranger to the saddle, I am still learning the ways of the hunt. Lady Hannah is much too quick for me.” He spoke with great admiration, eyes fixed on the path ahead.
Guilt washed over May. It certainly seemed like Lord Spencer’s motives were beyond reproach. If only his tone of voice counted as solid proof.
“You have not had much chance to hunt before, then?”
“There was little occasion for it for a colonel in His Majesty’s Army. My addition to the ranks of nobility is quite an unexpected recent development. I was titled upon my father’s death,” said Lord Spencer.
All May knew was that the duke considered Lord Spencer’s sudden rise to nobility suspicious.
It made more sense now; with him being a colonel, capturing the attention of the most eligible woman in London was no small feat.
However, it did give May an opening to remind Lord Spencer of the one thing that could test his loyalties: her supposed inheritance.
“We’re the same, then. My fortunes changed so suddenly, I hardly know what to do with it all.”
Before Lord Spencer could answer, the dogs trailing next to them spotted something along the path and took off with a bark.
“A hare!” Lord Spencer sent his horse into a canter as he veered off after them.
May’s breath caught. The dogs’ sudden leap did something to her horse, something she had no control over. She tried desperately to hold on as the horse lurched forward, but it was a hopeless task. May tumbled out of the saddle and straight into the mud.
She came about slowly. Her ankle pulsated, jolted too violently out of the stirrup.
May felt like such a fool. Any chance she had to draw Lord Spencer’s attention was gone. Her horse bolted, and the sounds of her cries were muffled by the cacophony of agitated hunting dogs. If Lord Spencer had heard her cries for help, he did not react.
With great difficulty, May stood up and shuffled onto a surer path.
She was not very far from the estate, but the prospect of returning alone was more daunting than her fall.
She would not admit defeat. Not yet. The minutes dragged on as she made little progress, the swelling in her ankle more painful with each jolting hop.
When Lord Spencer reappeared between the trees, a hare flung across his saddle, it was all she could do to keep herself from sinking back into the mud.
He was at her side in an instant, his shock at her appearance all too plain.
Thank heaven. Hope was not entirely lost; she could still complete her mission.
“You spooked my horse.” May shut her eyes for a brief moment as a wave of pain shot up her leg. In truth, if she were even a slightly better rider, she could have kept her seat. But what else could she say?
“Please forgive me, Lady May.” Lord Spencer’s concern widened his eyes. “I let the heat of the chase get the better of me and did not watch over you like I ought to have. I deeply apologize.”
If May were herself, she would have accepted the apology without question. The Lady May, however, was used to better treatment. “Make it up to me, then.”
The boldness of her tone surprised even herself. Her deal with the duke had made her brazen.
It’s nothing but a role to play.
“Of course, My Lady.” Lord Spencer bowed his head. “Are you hurt?”
“I have difficulty walking. Might you—” Sharing the steed would be a good opportunity to see whether he was as single-minded as he acted.
But Lord Spencer defied her expectations once more.
With one easy movement, his hands fast around her waist, he raised May up to the saddle.
It was over in a blink, and despite what anyone would consider a highly intimate gesture, May rather felt like a screaming child who had been handed off to the nanny.
His hands did not stray even an inch from her waist, and as soon as he saw her settled, he took his place up ahead on foot, guiding his horse forward, while May was left to ride with the unfortunate hare he shot down.
“Worry not, Lady May. I will get you to the estate at once.”
Left to her own devices as he led the horse all the way back, May could not withhold a sigh.
She rode astride, her skirts bunching up with every jolt and step, yet Lord Spencer did noteven turn around to take a peek at something so scandalous.
She had given everything she had, but she had no doubt in her mind: the duke would not be impressed with this result.
Although he did not openly state it, she doubted he would hold his end of the agreement if she did not produce proof of Lord Spencer’s fickleness.
But was there truly anything to investigate here or was she just incredibly bad at it?
Elias jumped from his saddle, drawing to a fast stop in the garden.
“Lady May? Are you—” Are you hurt, was what Elias had wanted to say, but the words stuck pathetically in his throat.
She was sitting on the garden chair with an unsettlingly glassy look.
He’d heard nothing from the accursed Lord Spencer apart from the fact that she’d fallen off the horse and was recuperating.
Had a physician been summoned? Had she suffered a concussion?
He’d left them alone for a moment, and his precious aide was already down?
Elias vowed no harm would come to her, only to carelessly throw her into battle with no protection.
He took in Lady May’s crestfallen face, and sudden fury surged through his veins. What was the value of his promise?
“I was not able to obtain proof yet.”
What?
She would not look him in the eye.
“Is that what I asked?” He could not help the frustration that seeped into his voice, but he could very well hear it. Elias forced himself to pause for a breath. “Tell me: are you hurt? Were you attended by a physician?”
She raised her eyes to him at last, looking as puzzled as he felt. “I only just rolled my ankle. There is no reason to summon anyone for such a common injury.”
“Common?”
“Very common.” She was angry at him; that much was clear. “A cold compress and some rest will see it righted by tomorrow.”
Another might have accepted the dismissal and left her to suffer alone, but Elias was damned if he would act like Lord Spencer.
“Let me see.” He knelt and lifted the muddied hem of her dress just a couple of inches to expose the riding boots. He carefully felt around her ankle through the leather. Lady May’s sharp intake of air brought him to a stop.
“Does this hurt?”
“Yes,” she sighed. “It hurts my pride. Also, this is the wrong leg.”
“Ah.” Elias carefully lifted her other leg when her fingers suddenly dug into his shoulder.
“Leave it, mil—Your Grace. You cannot just—”
Elias looked into her pained eyes. “If you wait any longer, the swelling could make the leather harder to remove. I’ve removed many a riding boot from a lady’s leg.” That might have been the wrong thing to say. Her shock caused him to add, “I promise I will make this as painless as possible.”
She nodded at last.
Elias slipped his hand under Lady May’s hem and trailed it to just under her knee, above the boot’s edge.
His fingers tightened around her stockinged calf as his other hand firmly grasped just above the heel.
He pulled the boot off slowly but without hesitation, watching her face for any pain.
She winced, but the job was already done, and then Elias held her delicate leg in his grasp, staring into her eyes like a schoolboy.
She stared back with parted lips. Her collarbone rose and fell with each hastened breath.
A wave of want washed over him, sudden and uncompromising, and before his mind caught up, he trailed his fingers down her calf, stroking her.
Her hand, which still rested on his shoulder, tightened again with enough fierceness for him to recover some presence of mind.
The rest of the world flooded back in, illuminating the height of his insanity.
Consumed as he was, Elias did not even notice his sister and Lord Spencer making their way down toward them.
Lady May coughed and withdrew her leg as Elias rose to his feet so fast it nearly gave him vertigo.
“I shall call for the maid to bring you a poultice.” He looked away into the gardens as if they could erase his body’s treacherous reaction.
“Thank you, Your Grace, that is most kind.” She sounded just as stifled as he felt.
Then, Hannah was upon them, her damnable betrothed dogging her steps.
“Dear May, how are you feeling?” His sister’s face was warm with concern.
Elias did not miss Lady May smoothing her skirts over her bootless leg. Later, he would recall how flushed she looked, but now his undivided attention was on Spencer, who presented his hollow apologies once more.
“Give me a reason why I should trust you with my sister when I cannot even trust you with my cousin,” he snapped.
“Brother—”
“I will not lie, I am at fault here.” Though Hannah attempted to step in, Lord Spencer faced him head on. “However, I can promise you, I will never let anything happen to your sister.”
“And why is that?” Elias couldn’t wait to throw that opportunist out on his ear.
“Please, Cousin.” Lady May stood up with effort. “It truly was my fault. Lord Spencer is too hard on himself. Truth be told, I am a poor rider, but I was too embarrassed to admit it. I misled Lord Spencer to believe I could keep up and overestimated my abilities. The fault lies with me.”
As if that was in the least bit believable.
Elias narrowed his eyes. Was this part of her tactic to endear herself to the man? Had she fallen off on purpose in an attempt at capturing Spencer’s attentions?
Most clever.
Lady May wobbled, and he immediately offered her his arm. Her touch quieted his frustration.
“Please, let me make it up to you, Lady May. As for your words, Your Grace, I only hope for a chance to show you just what your sister means to me.”
“Yes,” Elias murmured, as he eyed the woman in his grasp. “I hope for that too.”
Do not get distracted. Your sister’s future is at stake.
Whatever it was about Lady May that compelled him so, he had to get over it. At least, one thing was for certain: Lord Spencer would have to be absolutely blind not to fall for Lady May.
Because Elias already had.