Though he wanted to force Miss Alden back to the house, Evangeline could be in the ravine. If she was, there might not be enough time to save her if an argument broke out.
And having another set of eyes will be good.
Felix turned and ran toward the ravine. “Eva! Eva!”
No sound came back except the rushing of the water as it rose with the onslaught of rain. His heart seized in his chest as he moved some of the underbrush out of the way.
Perhaps she had fallen and hit her head. If she did, there was a possibility that she was unconscious and couldn’t hear him. Still, he kept calling her name as loud as he could.
“I have her!” Miss Alden’s voice rang through the trees. Though it was distant, it was clear. “We need help!”
His heart dropped to his feet as he ran through the mud. His legs shot out either way, slipping and sliding as he tried to get as much purchase as possible. By some miracle he stayed upright.
“Eva!”
“Over here!” Evangeline yelled, though there was something off about her voice.
Felix broke through the trees and his heart plummeted to his stomach. Evangeline was on the ground and covered in mud, her ankle tangled in some of the roots that crawled along the ground.
Miss Alden crouched near her, nearly as smeared in the mud as Evangeline. Even as dirty as Miss Alden was, there was something fiercely beautiful about her. “I have not been able to free her. I think we need to lift her straight up and untangle her at the same time, but I cannot do so alone.”
Felix rolled up his sleeves, giving him more room to move. “I will lift her a little at a time. You work on the roots.”
He crouched down and looked at Evangeline with a warm smile. There were tears shining in her eyes and clear tracks down her muddy cheeks where they had fallen. She held up her arms and he scooped her up beneath them, lifting her high enough to keep the roots loose but still allowing Miss Alden room to crawl around and remove them.
She made quick work of the roots. As soon as she was done, Felix lifted Evangeline free and set her on her feet. Evangeline threw her arms around him in a tight hug, pressing her face into his shoulder as her tears fell.
Felix held her. “Everything is fine now. You are safe. We are going to take you back to the house and get you warmed up.”
He kept one arm around Evangeline and led their way back to the path. Or at least he tried to. It seemed like it was taking far too long to go back the way they came, but he had lost the position of the ravine at the same time.
“Are we lost?” Miss Alden asked, breaking the longest stretch of silence the two of them had ever shared.
Squinting, he tried to see through the pouring rain, but it was of no use. Thunder kept rolling and the lightning flashes came more frequently. They needed to find somewhere safe as quickly as possible to wait out the storm.
“We are not lost,” he said as he finally caught sight of a path. “We must go this way.”
Evangeline reached back and took Miss Alden’s hand, linking the three of them together as they journeyed through the forest. Each time the thunder boomed, Evangeline jumped and drew closer to Felix.
Before he knew it, they were standing outside a little stone cottage. He had no clue where they were but as he knocked on the door all he could do was hope that the people inside were kind and accommodating.
The door opened and an older woman appeared in the doorway. She took one look at them before opening the door wide. “You must come in and get dry. Hurry now.”
Felix towed the other two into the house and the door shut behind them. “Thank you. Would you be so kind as to allow us to stay with you for the duration of the storm? I seem to have lost my way trying to get back to the Viscount of Tewers’ estate.”
The woman’s thin lips pursed. “I know him well. You may stay here. Sit by the fire. I will make something to warm you.”
A man came lumbering down the hall and looked at them from beneath bushy brows. “Who are they?”
“Felix Berrymore, Duke of Windham. This is my sister, Lady Evangeline, and my ward, Miss Alden, daughter of the Baron of Elington.”
The man inclined his head. “Mr. and Mrs. Peregrine, Your Grace.”
“None of that, please. We are guests in your home, and I will not have formalities. You can call me Windham.” Felix ushered Evangeline past him and to the fire. He turned to Mrs. Peregrine. “You say you know Lord Milton?”
“I was the cook at the estate until his father passed.” Mrs. Peregrine shuffled into the kitchen where a pot of what smelled like pork stew was already bubbling on the wood stove. “I was let go after the late lord’s passing.”
Miss Alden smiled as Mr. Peregrine brought her a cloth and a basin of warm water to wash some of the mud from her skin. “Thank you, Sir.”
