“But you still will not tell me what happened to you in India.” She caught his hand. “I know it was terrible. But I don’t think you will get over these nightmares until you speak of it.”
He nipped at her mouth. “I know a better way to get over the nightmares.” His tongue slid against the seam of her lips, and the heat of his kiss brought a rise of sensation throughout her body. She held on to his shoulders, feeling her knees soften.
“How?” Her voice came out soft, filled with yearning she could not deny.
“By replacing them with better dreams.” He kissed her more deeply then, inviting her to fall beneath his spell. The autumn air was crisp, but she hardly felt the chill with his warm, hard body pressed to hers.
She was drowning in this man, feeling all her boundaries melt away until she could not stop the heart-pounding desire.
“I thought we were going to your cousin’s house for tea,” she murmured, trying to catch hold of her thoughts.
“We can be late.” He offered a wicked smile, moving his hands over her waist. She closed her eyes, feeling the rush of longing. But reality intruded, and she forced herself to step back.
“No. It will take an hour or so to ride there.” She rested her gloved hands against his coat, but he tipped her chin up and stole one last kiss.
Then he slid his hand against her throat, touching the silver chain she wore. He gently tugged at the chain until he pulled the heavy gold signet ring from beneath her gown. The metal was warm from her bare flesh, and he held it for a moment. “I can only assume because you’re wearing this, that you will think about my proposal.”
He was right. In spite of his demons, she did still love this man. But her feelings had reshaped into a deeper understanding of who he was. Matthew wasn’t the perfect man she’d believed him to be, but he knew her in a way no one else did. Her throatconstricted with emotion, and she could only bring herself to nod.
“I will think upon it.”
“How is your mother, Lily?” Amelia asked, pouring a cup of tea. Matthew’s cousin, the Countess of Castledon, had a warm smile and mischief brewing in her eyes. Her blond hair had streaks of gray, and the fine lines around her eyes spoke of a woman who had many reasons to smile.
“She had a setback in London.” Lily saw no reason to hide it, for likely Lady Castledon already knew of this. “We brought her to Penford to recover. My brother is staying with her now.”
“I am sorry to hear of it. I had sent an invitation asking James to attend the hunt, but he sent his apologies.”
“He wanted to look after our mother,” Lily explained. But it suddenly occurred to her that James had been declining many invitations, keeping to himself—just as Matthew had done.
She had not thought about what her brother had encountered in India. He might have more of the answers she was seeking. Lily sipped at her tea, letting her mind drift.
The countess offered them refreshments, and before long, a young girl stood at the doorway of the drawing room. She cleared her throat, and Lady Castledon brightened. “There you are, Verity. Come inside and meet our guests.”
The girl looked to be about twelve or thirteen, caught in the awkward stage between girlhood and adolescence. Her hair was pulled back in a long dark braid, and her blue eyes were clear and thoughtful. She gave a slight curtsy, and when she was introduced to Lily, her expression turned pleading. “Mother says that you are studying veterinary medicine.”
“I am,” Lily agreed. “I am mostly interested in dogs and cats, but I’ve studied a bit about horses.”
The girl’s face turned grave. “I hope you can help Mathilda. She’s been so sick. Papa tells me it’s no use, but I want to believe that she’ll get better. Will you look at her please?”
“I should be glad to.” Lily gave her a reassuring smile, though she wasn’t certain exactly what she was promising.
“Good. If she doesn’t improve, I fear the worst may happen. She may become luncheon.” A tightness clenched her cheeks. “I cannot endure it.”
Luncheon? She could only guess that Verity’s pet was a pig, or perhaps a lamb.
Amelia lowered her gaze, but her attempt to hide her mirth did not go unnoticed. Verity glared at her mother. “It’s not a laughing matter! Mathilda is very dear to me and has been since she was little.”
Lily stood from her chair. “Shall we go and look at her now? I can make no promises, but I will try.” Her mind considered which books might be of use. It was possible that the animal had consumed tainted food and had become sick.
She had brought a bag with her including a few instruments Matthew had purchased from the college. One of the newer devices was a Laennec stethoscope made of wood. She had found it quite useful and had already listened to Sebastian’s heart and lungs.
Verity appeared quite relieved. “Yes, of course. I will take you outside.”
“I will come with you,” Matthew said. Amelia did the same, rising from her chair.
After a footman brought their cloaks, Lily followed the young girl out of the house toward the barn. Outside, frost coated the ground, and her breath formed clouds in the air. A young pony was tethered nearby, but Verity walked past it and pushed openthe barn door. “I had to keep her somewhere safe so the dogs wouldn’t try to eat her.”
Lily continued toward the stall that Verity opened. Inside, upon a nest of hay, she saw a reddish-brown hen.
