Matthew stiffened at the mention of the blackguard. No doubt his cousin was attempting to spread more stories in an effort to gain control of Arnsbury. But he forced him to ask, “What did he say?”
Lily slowed the pace of her horse as they drew nearer to Castledon. “He warned that you have been lying to me, and said thatheis the rightful Earl of Arnsbury.” She turned to him. “Matthew, what is he talking about? Why would he say something like this?”
Anger flared within him, but he kept a tight control over it. The last thing he wanted was to frighten Lily. Instead, he kept his voice calm.
“Adrian has been jealous of me all his life. There are some rumors that he’s trying to feed, to raise himself up—primarily for his own monetary gain. He can never be the earl, and he knows this.”
Matthew dismounted and summoned a groom. Then he helped Lily down from her horse. The groom took both animals away, and Matthew guided her toward the kitchen gardens tohave a moment to speak in private. The herb gardens were withering away in the frozen air, but there were still a few patches of rosemary and mint. A gravel pathway led through the gate, and he stopped at the edge of the garden.
“My mother and father struggled for many years to have children,” he told her. “Adrian wants everyone to believe that I am not their legitimate heir.”
He didn’t reveal the possibility that it could be true, for he had few answers right now.
Lily took his gloved hand in hers and squeezed it gently. “I am sorry he is causing trouble for you.”
“I won’t allow him to spread rumors that will harm my mother.” He suspected Adrian’s letter was meant to sow the seeds of doubt in Lily so she would not consider marrying him. It seemed he had no choice but to return to London to put a stop to his cousin’s schemes.
For now, he wanted to distract Lily from her worries. He lifted her wrist to kiss it and scented oranges. “You smell delicious,” he said, pressing his mouth to the underside of her wrist.
“It was a breakfast indulgence,” she admitted. “Oranges are Mother’s favorites, and James managed to get some from Italy, though I’m not certain how.”
He lowered her hand, softly stroking the pulse point of her wrist. But before he could answer, a resounding gunshot broke the stillness. Then another.
Lily jolted at the sound. Matthew dropped down, instinctively shielding her, though he was certain the shots were not close to them. She was trembling with fear, and the sight of her terror transformed him.
His heart began pounding, and a rushing noise seemed to fill his ears, though there was silence surrounding them. It felt as if the rest of the world fell away, and he was plunged into an icy cold pool of memories.
The unwanted visions roared through him with the force of a locomotive. His vision blurred, and he was dimly aware of Lily’s presence. A dull rumbling resounded, and the echo of the gunshot seemed to reverberate in his mind. Lily’s face twisted into the face of his torturer.
Tell me where your soldiers are, and your pain will end.
I do not know.
Then the horrifying agony of white hot pain made his back seize with pain. He closed his eyes, trapped within the nightmare. Just as before, he felt as if he were drowning, caught up in a prison of the past. Even his skin was wet, though he could not tell if it was sweat or rain.
But this time, the scent of oranges broke through the nightmare.
He clung to the aroma, and a part of him became aware that he was not in India, but in England. The mossy ground beneath his fingertips was not desert sand, and he struggled to fight off the vision. The muddy scent of the earth, coupled with the falling rain, forced him to see the truth.
It isn’t real.
Someone was speaking to him, and he fought hard to listen to the words.
“Matthew, you’re safe,” he heard Lily say. “I am here.”
He lowered his face to her wrist, breathing in the scent of oranges again. The citrus tang pulled him back until his awareness returned. He breathed slowly, steadying his heartbeat. Her hands smoothed his damp hair, and he held her close, forcing his mind to be still.
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
“I should ask you the same.” Her worried hazel eyes stared at him. “I was startled by the gunshots, though I should have expected them.”
“The shots reminded me of India. It provoked another memory.” He realized they were both sitting on the ground. It was raining steadily now, and Lily’s hair was damp against her throat. He needed to take her inside, out of the bad weather.
“But this time, it was different. You did not stay lost in your visions.” Her voice was gentle, and she took his hand in hers. “You came back to me.”
It was the scent of oranges that had done it. Or perhaps it was Lily’s presence that broke through the past. Regardless, it was a small victory to know that he had not fallen into the darkness this time.
He kissed her hand, not knowing what to say. Then she leaned down and kissed his mouth. It was reassurance and love mingled in the touch of her lips, and he deepened the kiss. He hardly cared that the entire household could see them from the windows or that they were being rained upon.
