“I cannot be certain but I think he must be your brother. He favors you.” She stretched a gloved fingertip to the cleft in his chin as Joshua’s heart sank. “But looks less reliable.” She shivered. “Indeed, there is a desperation about him that is most frightening.”
Gerald. Alive!
It defied belief, but who else could the man be?
Joshua looked toward the grove of trees, but of course, there was no sign of her attacker. That man, whether he was Gerald or not, would be hidden by the foliage if he lingered by the folly.
“Are you disappointed that he lives?” Miss Emerson asked softly.
Joshua was startled by the question. “I am not certain that he does, as yet, but if he does, of course I am not disappointed. He is my brother, and I have mourned his loss.”
She smiled, pleased with his reply.
Joshua shook his head. “But I cannot understand his choice. To hide in the forest makes no sense. Why not write to me or to my father? Why not come to Addersley Manor? For that reasonalone, I doubt that he is Gerald. My brother must know that he would be welcomed at his own home.”
Miss Emerson wrinkled her nose. “Does he?” she asked to Joshua’s surprise. “Your father sent him away, remember.” She leaned closer. “Perhaps hedidwrite to your father but was rebuffed.”
Joshua stared at her in shock. He could not countenance that. His father had been so devastated by the loss of Gerald. He would have welcomed the return of his son on any terms.
He was struck then by a sudden thought. Had Mrs. Lewis welcomed Gerald?
That might explain the child she expected. If Gerald had returned to Nottingham before Christmas…all suddenly made a treacherous sense.
Joshua felt that details changed with undue haste. He was aware that Miss Emerson awaited his decision. “What did this man say to you?”
Her lips tightened. “That he would have from me what I gave willingly to others. He must have seen us…together.” Her words gave Joshua a chill and she shivered again. “He must have beenwatching.” Her view of that was clear, and it was a perspective Joshua shared.
“Did you see where he went?”
She shook her head. “I ran, and when I looked back, he had vanished.”
“Did he have a horse?”
Miss Emerson considered this for a moment before she shook her head again. “I do not think so. I did not see or hear one.”
Joshua looked again toward the folly, hidden behind the trees. The man, whether it was Gerald or not, could not have gone far on foot. He could not pursue him and leaveMiss Emerson undefended, especially given that she had been threatened. Praise be that he had ridden Specter on this day.
“Can you ride, Miss Emerson?”
“Of course. Nicholas taught me years ago, but I did wear breeches for the lessons.” She rolled her eyes. “Much to Aunt’s disapproval.” She smiled at him. “I can ride with assurance, sir.”
“Excellent.” Joshua fitted his hands around her waist and lifted her to the saddle. “You must return to the safety of Bramble Cottage,” he instructed, relieved when she nodded understanding. Specter exhaled mightily but held his ground. Mischief had the sense to refrain from barking as she circled the horse, striving to reach her mistress. “And you will not leave the cottage alone until this is resolved.”
“I will not,” she promised to his relief.
She must have been frightened.
And that was all the encouragement Joshua needed to slap Specter’s rump, encouraging the horse to run, and step back. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that ladies could not be safe when men fought each other.
He would have said anything to ensure Miss Emerson’s departure, but was relieved it had not been necessary. Perhaps her reputation for having little sense was undeserved.
He straightened his cravat and began to march along the path toward the folly. In moments, he would know whether Gerald lived or not. In his heart, he hoped it was Gerald.
No matter what his brother had done since last they had met.
Helena looked backat the viscount, noting how he strode with purpose toward the forest and the folly. He looked so bold and confident, precisely as she had imagined him that first day,charging into peril with no regard for his own safety. He would do what was right and vanquish the villain single-handedly, showing a valor that few other men possessed…
Her heart stopped cold. If the desperate villain with the knife was Gerald, the risk to the viscount might be greater than he realized.
