Fresh hay crunched beneath them, and despite her gelding’s exhaustion, he gave an excited shake of his head.
Once they’d situated their geldings in stalls next to one another, Leo began to unfasten one saddle. “I will brush them down,” he whispered. “Do you think that you could find food and water for them?”
Of course she could. Juliana nodded and left him with the horses.
The walk to the buckets, feed, and water trough was a familiar one, even in the nearly pitch darkness and with her throbbing ankle slowing her progress. Out of habit, her gaze lifted to the fifth stall on her right, and a curious nose poked through the opened upper half of the door.Mona. The grey nose was swiftly followed by a white, speckled face and an excited whinny. The girl would probably know Juliana’s silhouette and scent anywhere.
Her stomach jumped, and she limped to Mona’s stall. “There, girl,” she whispered, giving the mare a rub on her neck. “I’ve missed you, as well, but we mustn’t alert the stable hands.”
Mona nudged Juliana’s back with her chin, pulling her against the door and forcing her head against the mare’s neck. Juliana held back the hiss and groan of pain that threatened to escape. She wrapped her arms around her friend, enjoying the familiar scent.
They stood thusly for several long moments before she was forced to bribe Mona with an apple so that she might leave her to complete her task. Juliana’s body ached something fierce as she silently busied herself retrieving buckets and filling them with what she required. All the while, her mind drifted back to her new problem.
How was she to be rid of Leo, now? Leo thought that he was meant to return her to Jasper, but how was Juliana to convince him to leave her without revealing her identity?
As odd as it was, she did not wish to spoil Leo’s opinion of her. She wanted him to remember her just as he had imagined her: as a governess of uninspired birth running from an ill-fated marriage. It was idiocy, she knew, to have such desires, but it could not be helped. The man made her feel such conflicting emotions—the last of which she had not truly considered since their flight from his estate. And yet…no matter how many times her heart hurt around him, she still anticipated every moment of closeness. It was nonsensical.
With a grunt, she deposited the buckets of water on hooks in each stall then left to retrieve the feed, her muscles protesting.
Much as she disliked the notion of inspiring worry—or anger—in Leo, Juliana did not believe that she had any other recourse. Indeed, only one option was plausible: in the middle of the night, she must leave him.
* * *
Leonard’s bodyburned with every movement. He’d finished cleaning and brushing down the horses and had joined Juliana in a stall across the stable from their mounts. She’d removed her borrowed greatcoat and laid it upon the floor, padded beneath only with lumpy stacks of hay.
He would not have a sound sleep, that was for certain. With the aches in his body, however, he was simply grateful to be neither on his feet nor on his rear for a few hours.
Silence descended upon them as they shared the apples and water that Juliana had gathered. He wanted to return to their easy conversation, to share theories about where their pursuer had gone, to discuss their plans for the morning, or—hell—even to apologize for what had occurred between them. But nothing came.
Indeed, his tongue felt swollen, far too large for his mouth.
Surely they were not far from Derby. If they reached her home by early or mid-morn, he could return to his estate before supper and send a note on to Percy to inform him of the day’s events. He would not wish for Lizzy to return home until at least four-and-twenty hours had passed without incident, of course, but he could tell them that Juliana had been returned to her family.
A nagging feeling pulled at his gut, and he shook it off. He would leave her behind without looking back; it was what was best for them both.At the moment, however, with his thirst and hunger satiated, his concern for Juliana took over.
“I must check your injuries,” he said, finally breaking their silence.
Juliana winced, pulling her legs beneath her where she sat. “I do not believe that it is necessary.”
Leo’s lips thinned. She could at leastpretendto not find his touch so unappealing. “You fell from a horse, Juliana,” he said, as though she required reminding. “And you’ve only just begun to heal from your previous injuries. Please, allow me to assess you.”
He hadn’t much experience with doctoring, but he and his brother had found themselves in a number of scrapes as lads, and he’d been forced to learn some skills in bandaging.
The recollection of his brother dug the dagger of pain deeper into his sternum, and he scowled, his words coming out harsher than he’d intended. “If you will not allow me to help you, I will be forced to seek aid from the landowner, to the devil with the consequences. I don’t give a damn what they think of me; they will sure as hell help you.”
He hadn’t liked Juliana’s assessment of what the family would think of her. In fact, his internal acknowledgement that she was wearing a maid’s uniform that was clearly not meant for her was entirely discomfiting. She had been his governess, paid for her services, but upon reflection, he realized that he’d treated her ill by not providing her with something suitable to wear. He’d given her clothes previously worn by his other staff, but they were too short, and far too snug around her breasts and hips.
“Very well,” Juliana said, pulling Leo back from his thoughts.
Damn, but it was going to be a long night.
CHAPTER17
Juliana bit back her groans and gasps as Leo gave her a perfunctory examination. She hated that it was necessary, but with the constant pain throbbing through her, she found it difficult to judge the severity of her own injuries.
Leo made atsksound with his tongue. “I have no way of knowing how badly you’ve bruised without seeing your skin.” His voice was soft and close in the darkness. “How does your ankle feel?”
Her aches notwithstanding, she rolled her foot around, testing her movement. She grimaced as a small twinge shot up her calf. “I’ve twisted it but, given the night to rest, it should be well enough to travel.”
