She nudged me with her muzzle, snorting, and her silky coat twitched. When I was lonely, connecting with animals and nature grounded me and fed my soul.
“We could use an adventure today. Wouldn’t you say, Luna?”
Our stable hand was off for the afternoon, so I loaded her saddle and bridle myself. Soon we were off, dodging trees and branches, coursing over Pemberley’s frost-covered grounds. Ruins from days gone by revealed its history. When the property was first established two centuries ago, it housed hundreds of people. Modern life changed much of the landscape, and we had to hire out a lot of the upkeep, so the woods were largely uninhabited. Now, only a few dozen tradespeople and farmers lived in the cottages on the land.
A few vacant cottages were in decent shape. Darcy always worried about people sneaking into the uninhabited cottages. I thought of him back home, trying to chat with Lizzy and not embarrass himself. He was such a dork. Not thatanyoneelse on the planet knew it. But he wasa sweet, well-intentioned dork. With all the drama I had with Wickham, I doubted I’d ever find a guy I trusted as much as my brother.And fortunately, he didn't know how fast I rode because he'd sell all the horses if he did.
I urged Luna, galloping past the main grounds and across the north field. Cold air bit into my cheeks, the wind picked up, and a few clouds gathered on the horizon. Oscar was right. A storm was coming in. Nothing I hadn’t dealt with before. Luna would be fine since there was no thunder to spook her.
The densest woods surrounding Pemberley lined a paved road leading off the property. One could hardly see through the thick coverage of pines and oaks from the forest floor. Over the years, Luna and I forged a secret dirt-covered path, which climbed high above the paved road, and shielded us from view. From the top of the ridge, I could see across the countryside for miles and encountered breathtaking coral sunsets.
Contagious excitement pumped through Luna’s heart as she ascended the hill, then tore over the terrain. We were in sync, and I no longer had to guide her.
“Good girl, Luna,” I cried. “We’re flying.”
Fora moment, anyway.
We rounded a curve that formed a bit of a cliff over the road below. Darcy would have a heart attack if he knew how many times we’d run this stretch.
Just as we made the sharpest turn, an explosion echoed through the trees. Luna reared, lurching to the side, and the inertia threw my body in the other direction. The reins slipped through my fingers. A scream caught in my throat as I fell, hit the ground, and rolled down the embankment toward the single-lane paved road. Through the blur of tree roots, snow, and dirt, I caught sight of a red sports car heading right toward me.
Chapter 2
Ididn’tdie.
The sports car screeched to a halt just a few feet shy of running me over. My head ached, and my vision blurred. A familiar looking—from what I could tell with my intense headache—guy got out of the car and ran toward me.
“Georgiana!” The voice wasn’t my brother’s. But I recognized it. “Stay with me. Can you see how many fingers I’m holding up? Oh… no, you shouldn’t try to move.”
I blinked at the hand… eight? Twelve fingers? That couldn’t be right. I forced myself to sit up and then stand. At least I wasn’t paralyzed. But the world spun around me, and I lost my balance, landing in the arms of my rescuer, who caught me around the waist.
I briefly caught sight of his face. It couldn’t be. “Henry?”
“Yes, I’ve got you. Let me call an ambulance.”
But I shook my head. How could Henry be here? Was I imagining it, or was he even more attractive than I remembered? Maybe I’d been isolated at Pemberley too long, because the sight of him stunned me nearly as much as my fall.
I blinked, trying to keep my eyes open and my thoughts coherent. We’d gone to College de Synthese together in Paris, and met and played together a few times as children because our parents frequented the same political circles. But he shouldn’t be on the road to Pemberley unless he lived in the area.
“Henry?” I asked again.
He must’ve had his arm around me or something, because he was close enough for me to sense the warmth of his touch. “Yes, still me, Georgiana. We need to get you some medical care.”
My brain couldn’t stay on topic.
“My horse… there’s a storm rolling in… where’s Luna?” My vision slowly cleared, and I made out the features of Henry’s face—defined jaw, dark brows, sandy hair, and stormy blue eyes. How was he so tanned in December? What was happening?
“I’m sure we’ll find the horse, but you need an ambulance. Who knows if you’re bleeding internally, or...”
I was still leaning on Henry but didn’t dare attempt to stand on my own. “But the snow…” I swear my thoughts made sense, but I couldn’t verbalize them to save my life.
“It’s okay.” Henry pulled out his phone. “I’m calling 911.”
I looked down at my scratched-up arms and legs and registered the searing pain near my ankle. A sharp gust whistled through the trees and whipped my hair across my face.
“No, please. We’re too far away from those kinds of services. We need to get to Pemberley now. A snow squall is coming in.” My mind finally processed enough to recognize the danger. “We have trained healers there.”
Henry paused and rubbed his brow. “What? Well, at least let me drive you.”
