"Are you hurt?" the Duke asked.
"No…thanks to you."
"You're lucky I was nearby," the Duke said, and Penelope could not have agreed more. "What on earth spooked Delilah like that?"
"A dog barking," Penelope said truthfully, although she did not add that she had been riding the horse far faster than was sensible before the incident occurred.
She rather thought that, like her decision to sail with a storm brewing, he would scold her. And as right as he was, she did not want to be told how foolish she had been. She already knew that.
And she also knew that the Duke was indeed brave. He'd rescued her without a thought for himself, and didn’t that just endear him to her even more?
When they calmly approached the stables, the Duke vaulted off and then offered his hand to help Penelope down. He had done this before – but she had not known him then. Now, she knew so much about him. More than about any other eligible young man of her acquaintance. She knew he was rough and that he had little patience for women. But she also knew he was kind, sensible, brave, and fair. And when he helped her down, and she could feel the warmth of his body against hers, it sent a shiver down her spine.
She looked up at him, wanting to thank him again, but instead found herself speechless, staring into his dark eyes and feeling frozen to the spot.
And he was speechless too. He did not scold her, nor remove his hands from around her waist, until a stable boy appeared and led the errant Delilah away, breaking the moment.
"You should have some brandy," he said, stepping away quickly. "For the shock."
And then he strode away without a backward glance, leaving Penelope feeling rather intoxicated by his presence – and without having had the opportunity to thank him again for saving her.
Chapter Thirteen
"Have you recovered from your adventure?" James asked at dinner that evening, thinking that if one of his sisters had nearly plummeted into the loch, she’d surely have spent the rest of the day in bed, claiming her nerves needed to recover.
This mystery lady, it seemed, was made of stronger stuff.
"Yes, thank you Your Grace," she said with a warm smile. "Thanks to your quick thinking, I’m quite unharmed. Although I do not think I’ll be riding Delilah any time soon…"
"No, probably for the best," he agreed. Surely she would recover her memory soon, anyway. And if she did not, he would have to start making enquiries. She could not remain indefinitely. "You really do seem to get yourself into an awful lot of scrapes. It’s a miracle you have not ended up lost somewhere before." He took a sip of his wine and then shrugged. "Although, I suppose perhaps you have and you don’t remember."
She laughed. "I don’t think I have…but you’re right, perhaps I wouldn’t know. I don’t think I get into that much trouble though…"
"I would have to respectfully disagree," James said, spearing a carrot with his fork. "Especially considering how you arrived here, and what has happened since then."
She blushed, and he found himself struggling to look away from her. She really was very pretty. Earlier, when he’dhelped her down from his horse, there was a moment where he’d been tempted to kiss her. A moment of madness, for sure – but the feeling had not entirely gone away.
She had the manners of a lady, and she was certainly attractive. He had wondered many times whether she was possibly married, and had a husband out looking for her. She was not wearing a wedding band – he had checked early on in their acquaintance – but he supposed she could have lost it on her travels.
And yet he found he did not want her to be married. Not because he wanted to marry her himself…but because he didn’t like the thought of her with anyone else.
It was a silly notion, and one he would shake off as soon as she left, but nonetheless, he was quite happy to think she was unwed.
???
There was a twinkle in his eye as he joked about her getting into trouble, and she found herself smiling in spite of the scare she’d had earlier in the day. She’d wanted to test if he had a sense of fun – and here was her chance.
"Perhaps you’re right, and I get into trouble without even meaning to," she conceded. Other than her ‘wanderings’, she thought she was fairly well-behaved at home. This was the most daring she had ever been – and she was loving every minute of it.
Not that she could tell him that, of course.
"Have you never found yourself in trouble without meaning to, Your Grace?"
He instantly shook his head.
"Never?" she queried, tilting her head to one side. "Not even when you were a little boy?"
"I do not believe so. I have always known that I would be the next Duke of Dunloch, and that I had to comport myself accordingly."
