Rising from the ground, he made ready to mount his horse but turned back to the graves once more. “I miss you both. I wish you were here to meet Jillian.” Deep sadness gripped his heart as he swung into his saddle. With one final look back at where his parents rested, he galloped off.
###
To Justin’s credit, he hadn’t pressured her about her decision. Three days had passed since his proposal, and the subject remained unbroached. They spent the days in comfortable companionship and the nights behind the closed door of Justin’s bedchamber.
The first week of January, the weather changed, becoming unseasonably warm. Jillian took advantage of the unexpected upsurge in temperature and went for a walk over the grounds. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Her mind was still in a whirl, trying to make sense of the last few days.
Why did he want to marry her? He wanted her. That much she knew, but his offer of marriage had stunned her. She was everything he didn’t want in a duchess; he had made that abundantly clear on previous occasions. Had he felt obligated because of what he had learned about her marriage? It didn’t make sense. None of the reasons seemed likely enough to explain his marriage proposal.
A feeling of longing surged through her, so strong in intensity that it threatened to overwhelm her. But she was familiar with longing. It was the way she had approached her marriage with Lucas, and the reality had nearly killed her. She couldn’t bear another disappointment, couldn’t take the chance that Justin’s interest was feigned. Like Lucas’s.
Sighing wearily, she walked along the edge of the stream, gazing absently at the gurgling water. She didn’t really compare Justin to Lucas. In her heart, she knew Justin was different, but still, she could not let go her fear that once she said yes, once they married, he would regret his hasty decision. She wouldn’t be able to bear it once he regretted marrying her, once he realized that she was not the proper woman to be his duchess.
And in the back of her mind a nagging thought assailed her, one she could not rid herself of, no matter how much she assured herself she was worrying for naught. What if it all was a façade? What if after they married, he turned against her as Lucas had done?
No. Again, she was being overly dramatic. Lucas had needed her money. Justin certainly didn’t need her paltry inheritance. Then why had he asked her to marry him?
She was nearing the edge of the wood, and she flirted with the idea of venturing beyond the imposing trees that guarded the entrance to the forest, when a distant popping sound caused her to look up and then she felt a burning pain in her arm. She gripped her arm in an attempt to ease the pain. When she drew her hand away she was shocked to see her palm covered with blood.
She blinked and then shook her head to free herself from the cobwebs that seemed to be obscuring her thoughts. On wobbling legs she started back to the house, gaining speed as her pace grew steadier.
As she neared the house, she saw Justin emerge from the stables. He stopped when he saw her approaching and smiled welcomingly. His expression faltered as she drew nearer.
“Jillian, what’s wrong?” he asked in concern.
“Justin—I think—I think I’ve been shot!”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Justin looked stunned by her outburst and rushed over to her. “Where are you hurt?” he demanded.
She took her hand away from her arm, wincing at the throbbing pain. Her arm felt as if it were on fire.
Justin paled as he took in the amount of blood that covered her hand and arm. Scooping her up in his arms, he dashed towards the house shouting for Edward.
“Justin, do calm down,” she protested. “I am perfectly all right. I think the bullet must have only grazed me.”
The look of concern in his eyes did not diminish, nor did he slow his pace. He set her on the couch in the sitting room and bellowed for Greta.
Edward appeared first and Justin dispatched him to the village to fetch the doctor. Greta was close on Edward’s heels, and Justin sent her to get water and clean rags.
“Sweetheart, I need to see how badly you were hit. Tell me if I hurt you.”
She nodded and winced as Justin set about tearing the sleeve away from her arm.
He muttered an oath as he caught sight of the bloody gash in her arm. “I think you’re right, the bullet just grazed your arm, thank God. What happened?” he asked as he gently wiped away the blood.
“I don’t know. I was out walking near the edge of the wood and I heard a noise—a gunshot. Then I felt an awful pain in my arm.”
“I need you to think, Jillian. What direction did the shot come from?”
She pursed her lips and pondered for a moment. “I was facing the woods and the shot came from behind me.” Her eyes widened suddenly. “It had to have come from the house!”
Justin’s lips tightened into a grim line.
Jillian looked up as Edward hurried in with the physician who looked her over carefully and then set about bandaging her arm.
Justin drew Edward aside while Jillian was being attended to. “Take Ben and conduct a thorough search of the grounds. Whoever shot her cannot have gotten far. I want the villagers questioned, as well.”
