by Lily Holland
I smile back at her and we keep on walking side to side in what appears to me as a deep silence. After some time, I start getting wary of how quiet she is. I rack my brains to find something to say, anything, but nothing comes up. Finally, when I believe silence might be my best option, I find a neutral subject to talk about.
“Are you happy to be back to Cornwall?”
She turns to me and studies my face for a few seconds before looking away. I don’t know what she was looking for up there, but apparently she didn’t find it.
“I am,” she admits and I see a light smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “I have missed it a lot.”
“You were in London for the season?”
She nods.
“Yes, I was making my debut.”
“I see.”
A low laugh leaves her mouth and she shakes her head.
“Are you not going to ask me how it went? I suppose it is what most gentlemen would do to let the others believe we are having an agreeable time together.”
I stop and stare at her quite speechless.
“I… suppose. How did it go?”
She laughs again and I start wondering what she might be considering so funny.
“Pretty well, I have to admit. According to my mother, I already have many suitors.”
I nod and we resume to our stroll.
“Indeed, I cannot say I am surprised.”
“Really?”
I frown and look at her. Her green eyes are narrowed and a playful smile is fixed on her lips. I shrug.
“You are young and the daughter of a Lord, surely many gentlemen are more than eager to court you and win your favors.”
“Surely…”
She shakes her head but her smile doesn’t leave her. She seems in a peculiar good mood today, maybe the sun she says she likes is to be thanked for.
I am no fool though. I know she is hiding behind her smile to disguise her true feelings.
“Is your mining venture being successful?” she asks and I know she intends it as a pun.
“As successful as it can be without access to the Eastern part.”
“I suppose the Eastern part refers to my father’s land.”
I nod in agreement and she readjusts her grip on her reticule.
“He still hasn’t changed his approach of the affair?” she wonders and I shake my head anew.
“No, not for now.”
“I see.”
As she reminds both of us that we might have to get married for business and pride reasons, I am tempted to apologize and join the men a few yards away. But I don’t and we walk in utter silence for another couple of long minutes.
We walk past a gazebo and, as we stride over the massive roots of an oak tree, Miss Devinan’s foot gets tangled in and she loses her balance.
“Goodness gracious!”
She falls in a loud thud, the drop taking her breath away. I jump to her, holding my hand out to help her get up but her face is contorted in a grimace of pain and tears well up in her eyes.
“Are you hurt my Lady?”
I study her body at a glance and she nods, pointing at her right foot.
“It’s my ankle,” she says, her voice entirely different now that she isn’t hiding behind any mask of convention.
I kneel close to her and help her sit up.
“Can you move your foot?”
She shakes her head no and grits her teeth in pain. I sit on my haunches to get a closer look at her ankle but before I can touch her she winces.
“Please go and fetch some help.”
I frown and look around. There is no one around and I’m not too comfortable leaving her alone. I shake my head.
“Later, right now we should be making sure your ankle isn’t broken.”
She grimaces as I take her feet in my hands as delicately as I can. I pull her shoe off and she flinches.
“Careful!” she exclaims.
I stop mid-move and cross her gaze.
“It’s really painful.”
The tears in her eyes are affecting me more than I would have believed.
“Don’t worry.”
She eyes me for another second, uncertain, before nodding slowly. I refocus on her foot and hesitate.
“You should be taking your stocking off, I can’t be certain of your affliction unless I see your foot correctly.”
She colors at my words and seems to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. After a few moments, she tries to wriggle her toes and a string of pain makes her wince.
“Fine,” she agrees unwillingly, “even if it doesn’t seem very decent.”
I can’t prevent a smirk from appearing on my face.
“Lucky us, there’s no one around to judge.”
Unexpectedly, she smiles at me in response. She tilts her head in a nod and I place my hands above her ankle. She has gathered her dress up to her shin and I tug on the silky stocking to have it glide down her leg.
She clears her throat and I know her face just flushed. It is quite improper, but the circumstances command it. Once it is off her leg, I hand her the piece of fabric and focus on her foot. As I get her heel in the palm of my hand, I notice her skin is red and burning hot. I twist her foot delicately to the left and she writhes.
“I do not believe it is broken,” I observe. “The swelling should disappear soon, but I think it is badly sprained.”
“It hurts a lot when I try to put my foot to the ground.”
As she talks, she tries to touch the floor but the pain makes her grit her teeth and hold her foot above the ground.
“Don’t move,” I tell her, “we need to bandage it.”
I look around for anything that might help me achieve my goal but nothing makes sense. With a sigh, I gather my jacket up my elbow and ripe the sleeve of my shirt.
“What are you doing?!” she exclaims, eyeing me suspiciously.
“My father’s best friend was a doctor,” I explain. “I’ve seen him bandage a lady’s foot more than once. Now please stay unmoving while I tie it tightly.”
She opens her mouth to oppose me but ends up nodding gravely. I fasten the piece of fabric around her ankle and under her foot before turning to her. She is biting her lower lip fiercely to avoid wincing at the pain.
“I’m sorry but it has to be tight. If your ankle were to be unmaintained, it could lead to dire consequences and until a doctor examines you, I don’t wish for your pain to get worse.”
She nods and reviews my face as I speak.
“Thank you.”
I make sure the bandage is well fastened and she pushes her dress back down to her feet.
“I suppose I will carry you back to the house.”
Her eyes go wide and she details me.
“What?”
I point at her foot and her inability to move.
“I don’t think you are fit to walk back by yourself.”
“But… But… I’m sure there is someone around who can lend us a hand. I wouldn’t wish to bother you more than this stupid injury already has.”
She looks honestly constricted and I shake my head with genuine perseverance.
“Don’t worry, Miss. Helping you is no inconvenience. The house isn’t that far and I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here lying on the ground until I come back with someone to help.”
“But I…”
She gazes at our surroundings and the silence that reigns at the edge of the park is such that she has no other option but to accept my help.
“Alright, but only because there is no other way.”
I smile and nod before standing back up before crouching next to her. When I pass my arm under her legs and close the other around her waist, she gets a strong grip on my nape. I lift her from the ground quite effortlessly and make way for the house at the end of the path.
For a few moments, she doesn’t speak. I can only feel her swift breath as her head rests against my chest and I guess she is tensed, her body stiffer than it usually looks w
hen she elegantly walks around in drawing room and ball rooms.
Her arms fastened around my neck, I realize it is the first time we are that close to each other. Her smooth auburn hair is caressing my chin and her perfume fills my nostrils. Her hand on my nape is warm and, even though its presence there isn’t meant to be romantic, my heart rate quickens at her touch. Maybe it is due to the exertion, I don’t know, but I notice all the details of her flank pressing against my chest and it makes me frown.
When she looks up and crosses my gaze furtively, she reroutes her eyes to the path ahead.
“I’m sorry to be bothering you this way, I hope I’m not too heavy.”
I laugh as her warm breath caresses my neck and I do my best not to blush.
“You are not heavy at all, Miss. I have known worse, you can trust me.”
She giggles softly in response before looking back at me.
“Do you often help a lot of women falling over large tree roots, Your Grace?”
“Not really,” I admit, “but I have done my own share of wrestling and you are lighter than a feather compared to my wrestling companions.”
She smirks and nods in agreement.
“I suppose I can believe you.”
“And you should.”
I look ahead of myself, but I feel her eyes reviewing my face like she did not so long ago walking on the path. I don’t know what she is looking for exactly, but a smile appears on her lips and she eyes the house getting closer by the minute.
“It’s very gracious of you to be helping me, Your Grace. But you didn’t need to ripe your own shirt though, you could have used my stocking.”
I adjust my grip under her legs and she gently tightens her lock over my neck.
“It wouldn’t have been as workable,” I say softly.
“Maybe, but you’ve just sacrificed a good shirt in my name, it makes me quite uncomfortable.”
I laugh as I hold her closer to me.
“What is a good shirt for the good health of a Lady, Miss Devinan?”
She smirks and bobs her head mindlessly.
“Surely you are right.”
I nod to second her opinion when she speaks again.
“Don’t you know my name is Lucy?”
I frown at her question and stare at her.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You keep on calling me ‘Miss Devinan’,” she observes and I blink, unsure of what I am supposed to say.
“Well, it is your name, isn’t it?”
She laughs softly and the contractions of her chest echo in my ribcage, unsettling me and forcing me to take a deep breath to keep my head clear.
“It is, Your Grace. Indeed, it is.”
My brow remains creased and I cock one eyebrow up.
“And you keep on calling me Your Grace,” I explain. “I don’t see how I could address you any differently.”
“You are right, we should remain proper. I think we have already trespassed too many laws of convenience over the course of the last twenty minutes.”
Her tone is playful and, unexpectedly, it makes me smile like a fool.
“If you are referring to me seeing a part of your leg, Miss Lucy, I believe it was a necessary endorsement to the rules. No one should be holding us accountable.”
She laughs again between my arms and, this time, her body seems to relax a bit, or is it me perceiving her weight in my hands more fully? She looks up at me and a corner smile lifts the side of her mouth.
“Miss Lucy? Well, I can’t dare to believe what name you would have given me if you had caught a glimpse at my knee.”
My face flushes as she speaks and I know she can see it. It is exactly what she intended and it makes me feel small so close to her.
“Now I believe you are teasing, Miss,” I say and her honest laugh creates a wave of warmth that diffuses in my belly.
“I am sorry, Your Grace. I can get a little annoying when I am hurting. To be honest with you, the pain is really scorching and I… It helps not to think about it.”
She gets silent as I walk the last yard that parts us from the Bower manor. I eye her and she looks dejected. Seeing her this way is making me surprisingly unhappy. I squeeze her skin as I feign to adjust my grip and she looks up at my face. I don’t look directly at her, but I can’t help comforting her a bit.
“Don’t worry, Miss,” I say as we pass the threshold and I lead us to the drawing room. “I have known worse company among injured people. You have the heart to laugh, it is already something to be happy with.”
Her eyes study me and I find a settee where I can settle her down. I inch forward and lay her down delicately, doing my best not to be brusque nor put too much pressure on her right leg, her ankle hovering above the velvet seat.
“Slowly, slowly!” she requests as I do my best and she presses her back against the arm of the settee.
Her arms unlock from around my neck and a feeling of cold fills my heart. I didn’t know having her that close to me could have birthed such a physical reaction in my body. I am flushed and energized but I know from experience that walking back to the house with her in my arms isn’t the only reason for my state.
I look at her face as she eyes her foot dropping gently onto a cushion. I blink to get my eyes away from her ivory skin but, when I pull back, she winces loudly.
“OUCH!”
I freeze and gape as I review her quickly wondering what the matter is. A frown bars my forehead as I try to pull back again and I feel something tugging on my jacket.
“Oh wait, don’t move! I’m so sorry…”
A lock of her hair is tangled in a button of my jacket and every attempt on my part to pull away has made it worse.
I start working on untangling the auburn lock from the golden button but it is arduous and it requires my entire focus. Our faces are very close and, as she remains utterly unmoving, unwilling to add more pain to her already unfortunate situation, I notice her eyes flickering over me and detailing my face.
It should make me uncomfortable, it usually would, but right now, with me being so close to her and her hair finally leaving the trap of my jacket, I feel an unforeseen attraction leading my eyes to meet hers.
“There,” I say, “you are free of me now.”
I tuck the lock of hair behind her ear and, as I let my hand wander off her face, I can’t help but brush my fingertips to the side of her cheek. Her eyes are locked with mine, our faces closer than they have ever been and her warm breath heats my skin in such a pleasant way I have a hard time remembering where I am.
I open my mouth to speak but her green, intense eyes keep me speechless. She doesn’t say a word either, she is as caught in the moment as I am and we are both where we wouldn’t have expected to be only a few minutes ago.
My breath catching as she remains mute and looks me deep in the eye, I tilt my head forward, driving my mouth only an inch from hers with the firm intention of kissing her lips. I am about to when a loud voice startles us both and brings us back to our senses.
“Oh Lucy darling!” exclaims Lady Devinan as she hurries toward her daughter. “What has happened? Are you alright?”
I stand next to Miss Devinan offering the mother a nod of reinsurance.
“I am fine, mama,” says Miss Lucy as her mother joins her side. “I hurt my ankle on the path and the Duke has been kind enough to help me out.”
The young woman looks at me and her mother stares in surprise.
“Oh Goodness, it was fortunate you were with her, Your Grace.” She looks back at her daughter with a look only a worried mother can display on her face. “Does it hurt? Are you okay?”
I clear my throat to call her attention before speaking in a gentle tone.
“I believe it is only a sprained ankle. We have bandaged the foot to avoid putting pressure on it but I would highly recommend for Miss Lucy to receive the needed attention of a doctor without any further delay.”
“Of course,” replies Lady Devinan quic
kly. “Of course! We will call on Doctor Forbes right away.”
As she hurries to have Lady Bower send for the doctor, I glance at Miss Lucy nodding at her mother’s words. She tells him the story of our misfortune and the Lady thanks me again with great warmth.
When I cross Lucy’s gaze, she smiles in gratefulness but I don’t know what to make of it. I cannot pretend I disliked the anticipation of kissing her and, even if it didn’t happen, I realize I would have wished for it to.
The afternoon drawing to a close, Miss Devinan and her parents vanish over the horizon and I depart the Bower’s house to head back home. The journey back isn’t dedicated to thoughts of business or figures like it usually is. This time, it is occupied by a pretty face, green eyes and fiery auburn hair that I never expected to think twice about.
Chapter 7
Miss Lucy Devinan
“You will settle here and Mrs. Portman shall help you if you need to move from a room to another, isn’t it, Mrs. Portman?”
My mother turns to the maid and the older woman nods gravely.
“Of course my Lady. Call for me if you need anything, Miss.”
“I am fine,” I say and cannot repress a sigh.
Mama sits down in an armchair next to me in the drawing room and she lets out a breath of relief.
“What a day!”
I nod in agreement, she has no idea how crazy this day has been. If not only for my sprained ankle, also because of a certain Duke and his careful attention toward me today.
I look out through the window and images of our walk together come back to me. We didn’t walk for so long now, did we? I don’t even remember…
One thing I remember, though, is the Duke’s arms around me and the delicate perfume of his clothes filling my nostrils. Helping me out was very kind of him, I didn’t know he had any knowledge in bandages or anything of the sort. Yet again, there are probably many things I don’t know about him…
He must be used to helping damsels in distress, because he didn’t even sweat carrying me for so far a distance. He is stronger than I would have thought for sure.
All in all, it was a very intriguing event. Having him of all people help me out and carry me to the Bower’s mansion was unforeseen. And then, there was this moment…