Suddenly, a faint drumming reached them. It was steady, insistent and drawing nearer across the road.
Cordelia’s eyes widened in triumph. “Do you hear that? A gallant knight approaches! I told you so.” She clasped her hands together with girlish delight.
Hazel turned sharply, her brows drawn. “Impossible. Who would be galloping at such a pace here?”
But Matilda hardly heard them. The sound quickened, echoing in her chest like her own heartbeat. She turned, gaze fixed on the bend of the road where dust began to rise in a thin, pale cloud.
A figure appeared in the guise of a tall rider on a horse that was sleek and powerful, as its hooves struck sparks, carrying him closer. Matilda’s breath caught. Even at a distance, she knew the easy seat in the saddle, the careless confidence of the posture. No, surely it could not?—
And then the sunlight caught him, brightening familiar features.
Her heart lurched. Disbelief seized her, followed by a rush of something hot and ungovernable that tangled in her throat.
Oh no. Good heavens, no. Please, no…
For galloping toward them, with reins loose in his scarred hands and the wind in his dark hair, was the Duke of Harrow himself.
Chapter Sixteen
The horse slowed as it reached them, and the Duke of Harrow swung down from the saddle with the kind of unstudied grace that only irritated Matilda further. He inclined his head in greeting.
“Ladies.”
His tone was polite, even perfectly so. But it was not teasing, not warm, not even faintly provoking. It was merely courteous. He did not single her out with some insufferable remark, nor even spare her more than a glance as he addressed them all at once. Matilda felt the strangest prickle of confusion at that.
Cordelia, predictably, all but glowed. “Did I not say a gallant knight would come to rescue us?”
Jasper ignored her flourish, his gaze sliding to the driver instead. “What happened?”
“Axle snapped, Your Grace,” the man replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not certain I can mend it on my own.”
Jasper gave a short nod. “Fine. I suppose I must save the day, then.” His voice was dry, yet not mocking. He looked past the ladies and gestured toward a small cluster of tree stumps near the roadside. “You may be more comfortable there than standing in the dust.”
Cordelia was the first to sweep forward, delighted to perch upon a stump as though it were a gilded chair. Evelyn followed more slowly, Hazel with a sigh of resignation.
“I prefer to stand,” Matilda said quickly, more sharply than she intended.
He did not even glance her way this time, simply gave a faint shrug as though her decision mattered not at all. That was what unsettled her most, the absence of any pointed remark, any playful barb. It was completely unlike him, unlikethem.
What game are you playing, Duke?She thought to herself.
But then he bent to examine the broken wheel, and she forgot all thought of his silence. For in rolling back his sleeves, he revealed the strong curve of forearms, the long line of muscle shifting beneath sun-browned skin. His hands, though scarred and roughened, moved with surprising care as he tested the wood.
Matilda’s breath caught before she could stop it.
It was entirely ridiculous. She had never once thought of a man’s arms. And yet here she was, pulse quickening at the sight, wishing against every vow she had made, that he would say something provoking just so she could focus on irritation instead of this bewildering, breathless pull.
Cordelia’s cheerful voice cut through the stillness. “Your Grace, pray tell, where were you so early this morning?”
Matilda’s hand shot up instinctively in a half-scolding gesture, her grey eyes narrowing.Cordelia, really.
Hazel gasped audibly, her expression one of mild horror. “Cordelia!”
The other only shrugged, utterly unrepentant. “What? Are we going to stand here like frightened mice all the way through the morning?”
Evelyn rolled her eyes, but her tone was gentle and playful. “Do tell them, Jasper, or we’ll never hear the end of this.”
Matilda stiffened, certain some prank or teasing comment was imminent. She braced herself, yet Jasper did not so much as glance up from the wheel.
