Fingers raced all over her body. Touching, prodding, poking. She was peppered with a constant stream of “Does it hurt here?”, followed by “Please don’t die on me.”
She suffered his attentions. “No. No. Ow!” she cried, batting his hand away.
He stopped. His gloved hand settled back gently on her left knee. “I think you might have broken something.”
She winced in pain. “I think you are the one who did that—I was just the passenger. Well, I was until the moment I became a bird.”
He mumbled something that might have been an apology, but she didn’t quite catch it. He went back to touching and asking her where else things hurt.
“I can’t see any other obvious injuries,” he said finally.
As the shock began to subside, and only the pain in her left knee remained, Erika’s head cleared. Her breathing slowly returned to something close to normal.
Christian kept running his hands up and down her arms. He pulled off her gloves and squeezed each of her fingers.
“None of them are broken,” she reassured him.
Of all the many times I have wished for you to touch me, why did you have to wait until you had smashed me onto the ice?
He sat back on his haunches, shaking his head and muttering words indecipherable.
“Do you think you might be able to stand?” he finally asked.
He gave her the gloves, and she slipped them onto her fingers before moving to sitting upright. Christian held out his hands, and Erika slowly, gingerly got to her feet. As soon as she stood, he put his arms around her waist and held her.
“Can you put any weight on that leg?” he asked.
“I am not sure,” she replied.
The second Erika put pressure on her left leg, pain shot up her thigh and into her hip. She cried out. “Ow!”
“It’s definitely badly damaged it,” he said.
The rumble of a sleigh over the ice and snow had them both looking back toward the trees. Prince Gustav rounded the turn and his sleigh drew to a halt a dozen or so feet away. He leapt down and came to them.
“What happened?” he demanded.
Christian shrugged. “I was trying to take my ride tight and close to the rocks before sliding up to the tree and gaining pace by using the sleigh as a sling stone, but one of my reins broke. Poor Erika here got thrown clear and landed heavily on the ice.”
Gustav’s face turned ashen. “Are you alright, Countess Erika?”
Erika managed a meek nod. She had known both princes since she was a child. They had climbed trees, skated over the frozen lakes, and eaten more sweet cinnamon rolls together than she could possibly count. But for some unknown reason Prince Gustav had always addressed her by her official title.
“I shall live. Thank you for asking, Gustav. I think I have badly damaged my knee. It is painful to stand and place any pressure on it,” she replied.
Gustav shot his brother a look of great displeasure which Erika pretended not to see.
“Christian, you are an outrageous fool. You could have seriously injured Countess Erika—even killed her. Though I notice you seem to have managed to walk away unscathed.”
Christian’s shoulders slumped. Erika couldn’t help the twinge of sympathy which panged in her heart. It was as if the two years in age which separated the siblings was an eon when it came to who was the sensible and reliable one. It was Gustav the wise, versus Christian the reckless.
“Well, you were the one who started the race. We were just out enjoying one last ride together,” replied Christian.
His brother growled. “You were going too fast long before I caught up with you. Besides which, you shouldn’t be alone with the countess. It isn’t proper.”
“It wasn’t entirely his fault. The reins broke,” said Erika.
Gustav huffed loudly. “Please don’t make excuses for him.” His eyes narrowed and he gifted her with a look which could only be described as pained annoyance. “Countess Erika, I must voice my disappointment at you having agreed to be alone with my brother and ride in his sleigh. I thought you, of all people, would know better.”
He had no right to be telling her who she should be spending her time with, or where. The nerve of the man. “Thank you, Gustav, but I am a grown woman. I can make my own decisions.”
She wished that for once Christian would stand up to his overbearing brother—Gustav had a thing about lecturing people. His younger sibling most of all.
Gustav stepped forward and, pushing Christian aside, he came and lifted Erika up. She winced as he held her firmly in his arms while he carried her away to his sleigh. “I shall save you from my buffoon of a brother. The sooner we get you back to the palace and have a physician examine you, the better.”
Heaven help me.
Erika gritted her teeth. Prince Gustav had decided to take on the role of knight in shining armor and there was little she could do about it. He was an annoying man, but he was also right. She did need to get urgent medical attention and his was the only sleigh still in one piece. “Thank you, Gustav. A physician would be most useful.”
Christian stood beside the remains of his vehicle, looking for all the world like a puppy which had just been kicked. “I am sorry, Erika. Gustav is right. I was being irresponsible. I hurt you.”
She winced once more as Gustav placed her onto the bench of his sleigh. The pain in her knee as she bent her leg was excruciating. “It was an accident, Christian. Let’s not linger out here debating the whys and wherefores. I need to get this leg looked at.”
The throbbing agony of her left knee was steadily growing worse and as much as she wished it was, otherwise, there was every chance that it was badly damaged. She had to get back to Stockholm Palace and have it seen to before her father found out what had happened.
Because while Prince Gustav might well be angry with his brother, his calm rebuke would be nothing compared to what her father would likely say when he discovered his daughter had been injured.
Prince or not, Count Magnus Jansson would tear strips off Christian.
CLICK HERE TO READ PROMISED TO THE SWEDISH PRINCE
Also by Sasha Cottman
The Duke of Strathmore
Letter from a Rake (audio and FREE EBOOK!
An Unsuitable Match (ebook and audio)
The Duke’s Daughter (ebook and audio)
A Scottish Duke for Christmas (ebook )
My Gentleman Spy (ebook and audio)
Lord of Mischief (ebook and audio)
The Ice Queen (ebook and audio)
Two of a Kind (ebook and audio)
Mistletoe and Kisses
Regency Rockstars
Reid FREE EBOOK!
Owen
Callum
Kendal
London Lords
Promised to the Swedish Prince
Devoted to the Spanish Duke
An Italian Count for Christmas
Rogues of the Road
Stolen by the Rogue (Feb 2021 pre-order now)
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Sasha Cottman was born in England, but raised in Australia. Having her heart in two places has created a love for travel, which at last count was to over 55 countries. A travel guide is always on her pile of new books to read.
Sasha’s novels are set around the Regency period in England, Scotland, and Europe. Her books are centred on the themes of love, honour, and family. Please visit her website at www.sashacottman.com
Devoted to the Spanish Duke Page 17