He pulled her closer, as if to silence her. It was effective. She shut her lips tightly on another useless demand, nestling into his arms. He smelled wonderful—manly, and clean.
Lord Debnam called to Hunter, who raised his head from rooting about in a pile of leaves, and without further comment, strode with them along the path.
She began to feel foolish. “I am too heavy.” She wriggled.
“Light as a feather,” he said, though his voice was strained. “What is that scent you use?”
“Lily of the valley,” Laura said, unnerved. She gripped his coat. He meant to distract her. And she was. Very distracted. It was really very pleasant to be in his arms. She fought to resist laying her head back against his shoulder.
They emerged from the trees, and he crossed the drive to the lawn and walked through the gardens. Gardeners at work in the flowerbeds raised their heads to watch them. Her gown had ridden up and revealed too much of her legs. She was sure her face was scarlet. “You can put me down now.”
“And make a poor decision a worse one?”
Laura considered that comment unkind and unnecessary, but her objections would have to wait until she was back on her feet. She took advantage of her position to study him at close quarters. He was hatless and without his neckcloth. Had he raced from the house, fearing something had happened to her? She liked to think so. His shirt, open at the neck, revealed the strong column of his throat and a glimpse of dark chest hair. Overcome by a powerful emotion new to her, she listened to his heartbeat. “Heavens, Icanwalk.” Her voice sounded shaky, and she pushed at him half-heartedly, while her anguished breath drew in the slightly salty, musky scent of his skin.
“Be still or I’ll drop you on your bottom.”
That shook her into silence. How had he made it sound so erotic?
“What drew you into the woods?” he asked as he strode along. At least he wasn’t panting with strain.
“I caught sight of the temple roof from the window, and naturally, wished to see it.” Laura shifted in his arms, fearing she tired him. “Would you like to rest?”
“No.” As he strode on, she studied the hard line of his jaw painted with the slight shadow of a heavy beard.
“Why were you there?”
“Mm? Why was I where?”
He seemed to be having difficulty focusing. She was too heavy. “Walking in the woods,” she said patiently.
“I wasn’twalking in the woods, as you put it. Naturally, when I was informed you had disappeared and been gone for some time, I came to find you.”
“I’m sorry. I should have told Redfern,” she said, feeling guilty.
“Yes, you should have. I can’t have guests wandering about the estate willy-nilly. They can come to grief.”
Willy-nilly? She clamped her lips together at the temptation for a smart rejoinder. She supposed he had a point. There was nothing she could offer in her defense. She frowned. There was no getting the better of this man.
The house came into view. He rearranged her in his arms, his hold on her firmer. Such an intimate gesture that Laura screwed up her eyes, overwhelmed and embarrassed. His big hand gripped her thigh. He wore no gloves, and his warmth penetrated her clothing. A man had never put his bare hands on her before, even to help her. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
“I’ll have ice brought from the icehouse. It will prevent any swelling.”
She sighed. Her ankle wasn’t worth all this fuss. She had twisted it once before and knew how to treat it. “Surely, that isn’t necessary. I can raise my foot on a cushion. I’m sure it will be perfectly all right after a night’s rest.” Her injured ankle might keep him from her bedchamber tonight, and that was a reprieve, she supposed. What sort of lover would he make? Practiced, was the answer. And she, the antithesis of skilled, and nothing like the women he would have known in a carnal sense. She tensed. Must she add boredom in the bedchamber to her list of embarrassing failures? Horrified at the thought, she struggled. “Really, my—Debnam, why won’t you put me down?”
“You like to argue, Laura,” Lord Debnam said, making no attempt to do so.
She sagged against his chest, the amused rumble of his voice taking the sting out of his words. “I don’t believe I do,” she said, her objection milder than she’d intended. She was at a great disadvantage in this position. “My request was perfectly reasonable. It is you who are being stubborn.”
“There, you see? Still arguing.”
Carrying her up onto the porch, he entered through the open front door. The footman struggled to hide his surprise. As embarrassed as she was at her predicament, Laura stifled a giggle.
“Redfern!”
At Lord Debnam’s call, the butler miraculously appeared through a doorway.
“Miss Peyton has injured her ankle. Inform the housekeeper,” the earl said. “Mrs. Brandt can find her in her bedchamber.”
