“But that is a little harsh, don’t you think? Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Yes,” he said with a wry grin. “Even I am not perfect, as shocking as this may appear to you.”
She laughed.
He loved the sweet quality of her voice, in addition to everything else he liked about her. “There is a difference between an honest mistake and outright deception. This is what I hope Reggie will learn in time.”
Fiona rushed toward them as he reached the terrace and was about to carry Cherish into the parlor. “Gawain! What happened?”
“Accident by the stable,” Cherish said, making no mention of Katie’s running her down. Was she waiting for him to explain?
Reggie and Margaret also rushed forward. “Oh, Cherish!” Margaret cried with genuine concern. “We would have come with you. Why did you not tell us you were going to the stable?”
Gawain set her down on the settee in the parlor and called for one of the footmen to bring a glass of sherry. “It will help calm you down and ease your tense muscles,” he explained when she eyed him dubiously. “How do you feel? Any sprains? Ankle? Wrist? Any bruises?”
“Just a few bruises, I think. Nothing more,” she assured him, placing a hand lightly on her hip and wincing as she touched it. “I fell on it and on my arm. I may have scraped my elbow.”
A crowd had now gathered around her. Gawain motioned them all away. “Give her some privacy. Go have your breakfast. This isn’t a circus.”
Most left as Fiona herded them out with the assistance of Lord Durham and Lord Fellstone. This left only Reggie and Margaret with Gawain as he began to run his hands along Cherish’s nicely formed ankles. “Does it hurt when I press here?”
“No.”
“Good.” He moved to her wrists, taking them in his hands one at a time and pressing lightly. “Now?”
She emitted a soft cry. “The right one hurts a little. Hardly anything at all.”
“You landed on it, and it took the brunt of your weight as you fell.”
“What happened, Uncle Gawain? Did she trip?” Reggie asked.
Gawain shook his head. “No.”
Katie walked in just then, looking smug as she slapped her riding crop against her gloved hand. She walked right by them with her head held high and no intention of issuing an apology.
Margaret gasped as she stared at Katie’s retreating form. “Did she do something to hurt you, Cherish?”
Cherish pursed her lips, obviously uncertain what to say. “It isn’t important. Just an accident.”
“Accident, my arse,” Reggie grumbled, and set an accusing eye on Gawain. “When are you going to get rid of that menace?”
Margaret nodded in agreement. “She is very mean.”
Gawain frowned. “I would have tossed her out yesterday. But it isn’t up to me. This is Fiona’s house and her party.”
“No,” Reggie said, now sounding quite stern. “You are one to lecture me about my behavior. It is time you took responsibility for yours. That woman is here because of you. And she hurt Cherish because of you. So do not play your Silver Duke games and think to get away with them.”
Gawain ought to have been angry with Reggie for such a display of insolence, but he was proud of him. Proud for standing up for Cherish and taking him on because none of this would have happened if not for his past actions. Perhaps he had been wrong to consider the lad soft and in need of toughening. Reggie was showing he had the makings of a man.
“You are right,” Gawain admitted. “I have already asked her to leave…repeatedly. But she refuses. I cannot bodily toss her out while Fiona is permitting her to stay. That still does not excuse me. It never occurred to me that she would seek her vengeance on someone other than myself. Again, this does not excuse whatever part I played in it.”
Now Cherish frowned. “How are you to blame? She is a grown woman and knew exactly what she was doing.”
“Don’t you dare absolve my uncle,” Reggie said. “Everything he has done until this moment has led up to your injury. Thank goodness you were not hurt worse—not that Lady Albin would care. She is as obsessed with resuming her romance with my uncle as he is with avoiding it. But it cannot be overlooked that Lady Albin thought she had a chance with him because he has remained unmarried all these years.”
He turned to Gawain before continuing. “Nor will she give up hope until you do marry, and you know it. But more important, what about Cherish?”
“What about me?” Cherish asked.
