“I know how busy you must be, but if I am faced with a problem I do not know how to solve, it would be helpful to know I could call on you. Or am I being too forward with such a request?”
Lord Melton smiled.
“You are not, Lady Rosanna. I would be delighted to be of help – indeed – ”
His voice deepened and the touch of his hand tightened on her arm –
“Even though we have only known each other for a very short time, it would satisfy my heart’s desire if you would do me the honour – ”
“Oh, look! Look! The flag!”
Rosanna’s excited cry broke into his words. She was pointing out across the countryside towards Donnington Hall that could just be seen in the far distance.
Lord Melton gazed out to where a pinpoint of bright colour flapped in the wind.
“Indeed, there seems to be a flag flying from the top of your house, madam. Is this unusual? We fly a flag here at the Castle.”
Rosanna turned to him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“It’s the signal to say Sir Walter has left Donnington Hall! I arranged it with Bates, my butler, just before I ran away and came here to be your nurse. He was worried about getting information to me and said he would only fly a flag when Sir Walter had left so I would know that it was safe to go home.”
“That is good news indeed, but – ”
He smiled down at her animated face.
“I fear bad news as well.”
Rosanna frowned.
“How so, my Lord?”
“Why, it means you will be leaving Melton Castle and going home! And my Castle will be the darker for your leaving.”
Rosanna blushed and stared up into his deep brown eyes for three long seconds before dropping her gaze.
His expression was telling her something she could not – must not believe.
“Your Lordship has been so kind and courteous,” she murmured. “I would love to stay and explore the Castle properly and see more of your fine estate, but I must go back to Donnington Hall to make sure that everything is all right.”
Lord Melton took a deep breath, then stepped back a pace.
She was right. There was a time and place for everything and now he must ensure that this brave, spirited girl was safe in her own home.
He glanced round and, as he had expected, found the little figure of Edie standing in the shadows of the doorway, waiting patiently.
He beckoned and she hurried across to them.
“Edie, run down to John Barker and tell him to saddle up Demon and ready the carriage. Then pack your Mistress’s case. We leave for Donnington Hall within the hour.”
Edie dropped a brief curtsy, her eyes sparkling.
“Yes, my Lord. At once. Is John to accompany us?”
Lord Melton looked down at the riotous red curls that were already trying to escape from her cap and smiled.
This one would be just what the serious John Barker needed to bring him back to life. He had been so sad and distant since his wife died.
“Yes, indeed he is. Now, skip to it. There is no time to lose.”
Two hours later, one of the smaller Melton carriages was rumbling down a broad country lane with John Barker on the box, handling the reins.
Tethered to the back were the black stallion and Rosanna’s grey pony.
The head groom had almost been dismissed for insolence when Lord Melton announced he would ride his favourite horse.
“My Lord, I must plead with you not to ride Demon! He’s only been exercised lightly since your accident. He’s fresh and on his toes. A real handful. It is too soon, my Lord. Too soon.”
“Nonsense, Barker. Mind what you say! My leg is mending well. I am only accompanying the carriage back to Donnington Hall. Not racing at Goodwood, man. If you put a couple slow nags between the traces, I’ll ride alongside and doubt if I’ll even break into a trot.”
Rosanna had been about to climb into the carriage when the discussion broke out.
She reached over to touch Lord Melton’s sleeve.
“My Lord, I know I am not a real nurse, but please take John’s advice. You will tear your leg open again and all my work will have been in vain!”
Lord Melton’s expression changed from stern to indulgent as he glanced down at the small white hand on his arm.
He bowed, silently handed Demon’s reins to the groom and helped Rosanna into the carriage.
He took his place opposite her and Edie scrambled up to sit next to John.
“Cor, John, did you see the way the Earl looked at me Lady? Do you reckon he’s thinking he might – ?”
John took off the carriage brake, slapped the reins and urged the horses forward.
“Now, now, Edie. No gossiping.”
He shot her a severe sideways glance, which was weakened by the glint in his merry brown eyes.
He looked back to his charges and grinned.
“But I’ve high hopes, lass. Very high hopes!”
Now the carriage rounded a wide bend and Rosanna said,
“Oh, look, my Lord, we are approaching the Donnington Racecourse already. Can we take a moment to visit it?”
“Certainly, my Lady. I would be delighted to inspect it myself. It is some time since I was here.
“Your great-uncle built a marvellous course. The horses benefit from galloping on a circuit rather than just running across the pasture land.”
He called instructions to the groom and the carriage pulled up a track and circled round by the gateway into the Racecourse.
John jumped down and helped Rosanna to step out.
Lord Melton followed, opened the gate and together they walked out onto the lush green grass of the Racecourse.
“The ground does not seem too wet, Lady Rosanna, or the sun too hot. I suggest we wander down as far as the first bend. It will do my leg good to stretch it after sitting for a while. We will be in plain view of your maid if you need her.”
“I cannot wait to see my beautiful horses racing,” Rosanna sighed as they walked along. “It must be such a wonderful sight.”
“It is indeed. Speed and strength and majesty all in one animal.
“That is why Demon is such a marvellous horse. He has all those attributes, although he is too heavily built to be a racehorse, which are usually of Arab descent. My stud books can trace all my animals back many generations.”
“But you still feel pride in Demon – even if he was the cause of your accident, my Lord?”
Lord Melton laughed.
“I do indeed and take heed, Lady Rosanna, don’t be mistaken – I was the cause of my accident, not Demon. My own stupidity and stubbornness in refusing to listen to John Barker on that day ended in the disaster.
“And as you can see, this morning I was almost guilty of perpetuating my bad character traits. I wanted to ride Demon – to impress you, Lady Rosanna! I was determined, once again, not to listen to John.
“I obviously do not learn from my mistakes. My pride will always be my downfall. Thank you for intervening and bringing me to my senses.”
Rosanna felt the colour rise in her cheeks.
“Perhaps your bravery should sometimes be tempered by caution,” she said gently. “But courage is a quality I much admire.”
Lord Melton placed his hand on hers and squeezed it gently.
Suddenly, he looked up and frowned.
As the Racecourse curved away to their left, the trees and bushes grew close to the white railings.
There was a rustling and movement in the undergrowth and twigs snapped under clumsy feet.
The Earl stopped in mid stride and Rosanna glanced up at him in surprise.
Then she saw the expression on his face and followed his gaze to where the bushes were now parting and four or five tough looking men appeared.
They were an unsavoury group. Dirty and rough, they wore shabby hats pulled down over their faces. One or two had beards and were carrying sticks.
“Stay where y
ou are! Take not another step,” Lord Melton shouted. “What do you men want?”
The leader was a tall, thin man with black, broken teeth and a straggling moustache. His eyes glittered under the brim of his hat and he spat before he spoke.
“We’ve come for the little lady, my Lord. You hand her over, and we’ll be away and no one will get hurt.”
“You fools, what do you think you’re doing. You will all hang for this,” Lord Melton snapped, pushing Rosanna behind him.
“I think not, your majesty,” leered the leader. “You’ve got to catch us first. Now, are you going to let the lady go without a struggle, or have we got to start teaching your Lordship a lesson?”
“Lady Rosanna, I want you to start walking back to the carriage – walk don’t run.”
“I will not leave you, my Lord!”
“Rosanna! Please. I’ll hold them off. Get John!”
Rosanna hesitated.
She could smell the men now as they drew closer – rank and revolting.
She thought she would die if one of them touched her. And why did they want her? What would they do to her?
But she could not leave Lord Melton here to be attacked by this gang of ruffians.
Just then she heard a shout behind her and hoof beats on the soft grass.
She spun round to see Demon cantering down the track towards them, urged on by John Barker from the distant gate.
“William!” she gasped, formality forgotten in the danger of the moment.
Lord Melton turned, and catching her hand, sprinted towards his horse.
As the big animal slithered to a halt, he grasped the heavy black mane and swung himself up onto his bare back.
Then he leant down and with one heave, Rosanna was sitting behind him, her blue skirt up round her knees, petticoat and stockings showing in a mass of lace.
“Hold on!” Lord Melton shouted as he wheeled the horse around and headed back up the Racecourse at a fast gallop.
Rosanna tightened her grasp around his waist, burying her face for an instant in the warm blue cloth of his jacket.
She had never ridden this fast in her life. It felt as if they were flying, the turf cutting up from the stallion’s hooves, the sound of Lord Melton’s voice urging him to greater speed.
She chanced a quick glance around, and at that second, she saw the men standing still, not following.
And then, as Demon hurtled towards the carriage and safety, Rosanna’s blood froze in her veins.
From behind a bush stepped the unmistakable figure of Sir Walter Fenwick!
CHAPTER TEN
“And you are sure it was Sir Walter you saw, Lady Rosanna?” Lord Melton queried as he and Rosanna walked across the courtyard at the rear of Donnington Hall to inspect the racehorses who were standing in their stalls, being readied for exercise.
Twenty or more heads turned at their approach – black and grey, chestnut and bay, dark eyes questioning, ears pricked and alert.
Lord Melton had asked the same question earlier as the carriage had thundered up the driveway, the horses straining every sinew under John Barker’s shouted commands.
But in all the fuss of their arrival – Bates’s delight at Rosanna’s return and the household’s confusion at Lord Melton being her guest, it had been difficult to have a proper conversation.
Rosanna had been shaking from their encounter with the gang of ruffians who had obviously been sent to kidnap her.
It had all happened so fast, one moment she and the Earl had been walking, happy and relaxed, and the next she had been in fear for her very life.
Her butler had told them that Sir Walter and all his party had left Donnington early that morning, apparently heading for London.
He found it hard to believe that such a dreadful crime could have been conceived and put into action by the Knight.
“Indeed, Sir Walter seemed in a very good mood, my Lady, my Lord,” Bates said, his face a mass of worry lines as he realised how close Rosanna had come to being spirited away.
“He has been morose for the past couple of days, sitting in the study and insisting that we bring him the best brandy from the cellar.
“But after his visitor arrived early this morning, he cheered up, ate a large breakfast and announced that he and the other ladies and gentlemen would be leaving for London immediately.”
“A visitor?” Rosanna queried.
“Yes, my Lady, Lady Verity Blackwood called to leave her card. Very early this morning.”
Rosanna had no time to discuss this revelation as she was whisked away by Edie to wash and change her blue dress, which had suffered sadly after her whirlwind bareback ride on Demon.
She had been served a small meal in her room as she lay on her bed and forced herself to face the devil that was haunting her.
She knew she had seen Sir Walter. There was no mistaking that evil face.
Now she repeated it to Lord Melton.
“Yes, it was him. Oh, dear Heavens, he must have planned the whole thing. I am sure he meant for those dreadful men to carry me off and I cannot even begin to think what would have happened to me.”
Lord Melton looked very stern.
He reckoned he had a better idea than Lady Rosanna as to what had been in Sir Walter’s mind and inwardly he shuddered.
Once he had the girl locked up in some house in London, away from any friends who might want to help her, she would have been totally at his mercy.
A corrupt Priest to do his bidding and Lady Rosanna could have become Lady Fenwick before the end of the week.
Rosanna smiled as they reached the horses and lifted her hand to rub a velvety nose as it swung in her direction.
She loved horses so much and could not wait to see these lovely creatures running on her Racecourse.
Just then John Barker appeared.
“I have stabled Demon at the end of the row, my Lord. He’s had a good rub down and one of the lads has found me a good thick rug to cover him. He’ll be no worse for his mad gallop.”
“It was an amazing experience,” Rosanna said. “I had no idea a horse could travel at such a speed.”
“Perhaps one day you might care to ride out on one of your own racehorses,” Lord Melton replied. “Then you will find that although Demon is fast, he is nothing compared to the Arabs you have here at Donnington.”
“I should love to try,” Rosanna said. “I want to learn as much about my horses as I can and riding them will certainly help.”
Lord Melton laughed and leant forward to remove a strand of straw that had become tangled in her hair from where she had been leaning against a pile of bales.
“I can see that I shall face a worthy opponent at the races next year!” he announced.
“May I ask if we are staying here at Donnington Hall tonight, my Lord?” John asked seriously. “I need to send instructions regarding Milly if we are.”
Lord Melton hesitated.
He had taken it for granted that they would stay the night, but was he being presumptuous?
“Oh, please stay,” Rosanna pleaded. “There is so much to discuss. You did say, my Lord, that I could always call on you for help and advice.”
The Earl smiled down at her.
“Of course. John, send word to Melton that we will be staying at Donnington tonight.”
The groom nodded and walked away.
“My Lord,” Rosanna enquired hesitantly. “Could Lady Verity have discovered that I was at the Castle and come here to tell Sir Walter? Would she have done such a thing?”
Lord Melton’s hand covered hers briefly as she patted the shining neck of the next animal.
He had also been considering this possibility. He realised how upset Lady Verity had been when she left the Castle this morning after their difficult and uncomfortable confrontation.
Had she learned in some way that his nurse was, in fact, the runaway heiress?
Surely she would not have deliberately come to Donnington Hall to tell Sir Walter?
No, he could not believe that of George Blackwood’s sister. It had probably been a chapter of accidents and misadventure that had alerted Sir Walter to Rosanna’s whereabouts.
“Lady Verity would, I am sure, be the soul of discretion,” he said firmly. “She is high-spirited, but not spiteful, have no fear of that.”
Rosanna bit her lip.
She knew she was young and not very au fait with the ways of the world, but she also possessed a keen feminine intuition and that was telling her that Lady Verity was not to be trusted.
But Lord Melton obviously had formed a very different opinion of her, and it was obvious that he was blinded by loyalty to his old friends.
But perhaps it is not just loyalty, she thought with a sinking heart.
Lady Verity had been a close friend for many years. Perhaps Lord Melton had already given her his word regarding their future together!
Rosanna knew that if that were so, nothing would ever make him break it. His kindness towards his make-believe nurse might be just that – kindness.
She blinked back tears and lifted her chin, determined that he would not see how upset she was. The last thing she wanted was this man’s pity!
“I am wondering what action to take against Sir Walter,” he mused, gazing down at the golden blonde head so close to his shoulder.
“He cannot be allowed to get away with such abominable behaviour. Arranging to have you kidnapped! It is unbelievable.”
Rosanna glanced up into the dark brown eyes that could look so stern or so warm, depending on his mood. She frowned.
“I sometimes wonder – do you think he could be mad?”
Lord Melton accompanied her to the end of the stable block. They turned together and gazed back at the contented horses, the sweetly smelling hay baskets and straw bales. All was quiet and calm.
He pulled shut the heavy doors behind them.
“Mad? Bad, more likely, Lady Rosanna,” he replied grimly as they headed back towards the house.
“What will the authorities do?”
“Without real proof? Nothing, I shouldn’t wonder. But if I ever catch up with him, he will rue the day he tried to interfere in our affairs.”
Rosanna blushed as they moved indoors.
‘Our affairs!’ he had said. What could he mean? Her problems were nothing to do with him.
Love Rescues Rosanna Page 12