She yawned and nodded. “Will you stay with me?”
He brushed her knuckles with his thumb. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”
Her eyelids fluttered, heavy with exhaustion. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep them open.
“Lex, I have so much to tell you…so much to s-s-s-say…”
“Sleep, my darling,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk when you recover.”
And so she let herself drift off again into a healing sleep.
The doctor returnedthe next morning and, after a thorough examination, pronounced Winnie to be well on the mend. She was to remain at Du Priest Manor for at least two more days, he instructed them, and then—if all continued to go well—he would follow up with a visit to her home in Wiltshire.
By then, most of the guests had already departed. Only Winnie, Felicia, Tess, Lex, and his mother remained. The accident had caused a fright across the household, but none more so than for the dowager baroness, who had been nearly inconsolable with worry until the doctor assured her that Winnie would be right as rain within the week.
Later that day, when Winnie was feeling more like herself, she took her grandmother’s hand. “I know I’m the last remaining heir to the baronetcy, and if anything were to happen to me—without an heir of my own—it would throw the succession into question. I’m sorry I caused you such distress.”
Felicia’s lip trembled as she shook her head. “No, you silly, foolish girl. That’s not why I’m upset.” Tears coursed down her cheeks. “I’m upset because I love you. Because you areallthat’s left of my immediate family. I couldn’t bear to lose you.” She gave Winnie’s hand a fierce squeeze. “Now, no more foxhunts. Ever.”
That did it. Winnie burst into tears as well. They often butted heads, she and her grandmother, but love ran deep between them—and in this moment, it was raw and undeniable.
The next fewdays passed in a strange, hazy blur.
Lex, Winnie was told, had sat by her bedside through that first harrowing night. Tess mentioned it in passing, with a knowing smile that only deepened Winnie’s confusion. The knowledge brought her comfort, yes—but also raised questions. Since then, she hadn’t seen Lex.
They hadn’t spoken of the future. They hadn’t spokenat all.
And she still hadn’t told him the truth—thatshewas theLace Bandit.
When the day came for her and Felicia to return home, Lex was nowhere to be found. Tess and Lady Capel had left the day before, their estate nearby and requiring little travel. Basil had offered a polite explanation: Lex had escorted his mother and sister home and had pressing business to attend to. “But I’m sure he’ll call on you very soon,” he had added with an encouraging smile.
He didn’t.
A week later, the doctor visited her at home and declared her “fit as a fiddle,” prompting an audible sigh of relief from Felicia.
But still, no word from Lex.
Not a letter. Not a note. Not even a whisper.
Winnie sat by her bedroom window, staring out at the garden below. What had changed? He’d been so tender that night after her fall—so loving. He had held her, kissed her, promised to stay by her side. And yet now…silence.
Had he changed his mind?
Or—God help her—had he discovered the truth?
What if she’d revealed something in her sleep? What if she’dmutteredsomething about lace or robbery or her covert highway exploits? What if Lex now knew what she had done—and wanted nothing more to do with her?
She pressed her hands to her temples, her thoughts swirling like a storm.Why didn’t I tell him? From the beginning, I should have told him the truth.
Her heart twisted at the thought that she might have lost him for good. And yet…hope stirred. She remembered something Basil had said—that every Friday, weather permitting, he and Lex went riding near the River Lea.
And tomorrow was Friday.
The doctor had granted her permission to ride again, so long as she avoided jumping or anything that might jostle her still-healing body. It would take about an hour to reach the River Lea across the countryside,but it was doable. Masquerade would be thrilled for the exercise. Andsheneeded answers.
It might be her only chance to speak with Lex—to look him in the eye and ask why he’d disappeared from her life. It would also be the moment to finally reveal the truth. About the Lace Bandit. About everything.
How ironic. At first,shehad been the reluctant one, asking for time, dodging her feelings. And now? Now she was the one pining. Desperate. Ready to fight for the man she wanted to spend her life with.
