Silence, except for her quick breaths and horses’ snorting, filled the air. The thief lost his smile yet kept his warm gaze on her.
“Please forgive me, my lady. I shall not amuse myself at your expense any further.”
She nodded and adjusted herself on his lap. “Will you please let me down?”
“Not until you tell us what you’re doing here. This is private land. You’re trespassing.”
Realizing now what their purpose was, she nearly sighed with relief. “Oh dear, forgive me. I did not know.”
“Obviously, but you have not yet explained why you are here.”
Shouts from down the road rang out, along with the crunching of leaves under horses’ hooves. Squeezing her eyes closed, she gritted her teeth.My servants found me.
She met the thief’s gaze again. “I beg you, sir, let me down. I cannot allow those people to locate me.”
“Why?”
“Because they want to take me somewhere I do not wish to go.”
“And where might that be?” asked the other man.
Judith glanced at Hawthorne before looking back at the man holding her. Her vision grew blurred for a moment as dizziness assailed her. Why did she feel as if she would pass out? Perhaps she should have eaten this morning to give her body more strength.
She blinked to refocus. “I cannot explain now. They are coming upon us quickly.”
“Then I suggest you give me some hint to your situation, my lady, because I’m the only one who can protect you.”
Voices from the searchers grew nearer. She didn’t have any other choice. “Sir, I’m the newly appointed ward of the Dowager Duchess of Kenbridge. There has been a terrible mistake, and I cannot be the dowager’s ward. I’m here to meet my fiancé, a lieutenant in the King’s Navy, so we can be married.”
The handsome thief holding her hitched a breath, his arms loosening as if she’d suddenly burst into flames. Seizing the moment, Judith slid from his horse and quickly stepped away, putting some distance between them. Her heart raced with a mix of lingering fear and newfound determination as she prepared to face whatever came next.
“Thank you, sir. You don’t know how much this means to me.” Glancing around the glade, she searched for her horse.
The man jumped from his mount and took her by the elbow. “You are Miss Faraday? Lord and Lady Manderville’s daughter?”
Her heart bounced to her throat as panic consumed her. “How—how do you know?”
He shook his head as he ran his fingers through his wavy black hair. “Oh, my dear Miss Faraday, this is certainly not your lucky day. Nor mine.”
“Explain yourself, sir.”
He released her arm and gave her a mock bow. “Lord Trey Worthington, at your service. We knew each other as children. The dowager duchess is my mother.”
Oh, no!The fog thickened in her head as dizziness completely consumed her. Her chest tightened, making it impossible to breathe. Voices and sounds from all around grew dim as the ground rose up to meet her. Everything around her dissolved into darkness.
Chapter Two
Trey instinctively caughtthe unconscious woman before she hit the dirt, her limp body pressing against him, a stark reminder she was no longer a child. He closed his eyes and groaned, the weight of the situation sinking in. What had his mother done this time? No, it was his brother, Trevor, who should bear the blame, passing his ward to their mother for safekeeping without a second thought.
Trey looked at Hawthorne’s wide-eyed stare and shook his head. “This cannot be happening.”
A broad grin stretched across his friend’s face, and his eyes twinkled with humor. “What a delightful day it has turned out to be, do you not agree?”
Trey grumbled under his breath, not wishing to voice how he truly felt. “What am I going to do about her now?”
Dominic Lawrence, Marquess of Hawthorne, shrugged. “I suggest you rouse the poor woman. Her search party is getting closer.”
“Don’t you see?” Trey growled. “If they think she has run away, her name will be ruined. In turn, my mother’s reputation will be tarnished for accepting this girl as her ward.”
