Rhys quickly settled Midnight into the adjoining stall, removing his tack and providing him with a meal as well.
Then, bracing himself against the wind, Rhys braved the elements again. After closing the barn door, he sprinted across the slick grass to the cottage porch. He banged on the door with his fist, but didn’t wait for an answer before swinging open the door and barging inside.
Julianna’s head snapped to face him. She was sitting in a pile of blankets on the floor in front of a roaring fireplace. The fireplace and a few random candles blinking around the room were the only light.
“Rhys?” Her face was filled with confusion. “What are you doing here?” She had to raise her voice to be heard over the roaring wind and the rain.
“Looking for you. Your mother’s worried sick,” he shouted back.
“You’re soaked.” She eyed him up and down.
Rhys glanced down at himself. His shirt was plastered to his chest and his breeches left even less to the imagination than usual. He discarded his water-logged hat. Then he stamped his feet on the rug in front of the door before taking a seat on a nearby stool to remove his drenched boots.
Julianna clambered up from the pile of blankets and went immediately into the small bedchamber that adjoined the main room. He could see her shuffling around in the wardrobe before she returned carrying a dry white shirt, no doubt belonging to the gamekeeper.
“Here, take this,” she commanded, tossing the shirt to him. Then she returned to the pile of blankets and pulled a fur from the heap.
Rhys caught the shirt in one hand. He’d finished removing his boots and quickly pulled his wet shirt over his head, before Julianna handed him the fur, which he used to dry off as best he could before pulling the dry shirt over his head.
The shirt was smaller than his own, but it was dry and clean, and at the moment, that was all that mattered.
Rhys wrapped the fur around his waist and Julianna offered him a spot on the pile of blankets. “Would you like some tea? I made some,” she offered.
He nodded. Now that he’d found her, he wasn’t entirely certain what to say to her. They could hardly leave for the stables again, given the current weather conditions.
Moments later, she returned from the small kitchen with a steaming mug in her hands. She handed it to him, and he gratefully took it. She sat down beside him, and they were both silent for several minutes while he sipped.
“How did you find me?” she finally asked. The wind and rain were still whipping outside, but now that they were closer together, he could hear her better.
“I guessed.”
She nodded. “Is Alabaster safe in the barn?”
“Yes, he’s fine. He’s with Midnight now.”
“They’re both excellent horses,” Julianna replied. “I would have never forgiven myself if Alabaster had been hurt in the storm. I wasn’t entirely certain where I was going today. I’d been riding around for a while before I remembered this place. I managed to make it here before the storm broke.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Alabaster is quite special to Clayton and not just because of his lineage. Clayton credits him with his marriage. If it weren’t for that horse, Clayton might still be a bachelor,” Rhys said with a wry chuckle.
Julianna stared into the fire and nodded. “Yes, Lady Clayton told me the story. Quite a tale.”
“Quite a way to become leg-shackled,” Rhys replied, taking another sip from his mug.
The smile faded from Julianna’s face. “I didn’t mean to frighten Mama. I just had to get away.”
“Away from what?” Rhys asked, narrowing his eyes on her.
Julianna shook her head and stared down at her hands that were clasped in her lap. “Away from my life.”
He set the mug in front of the fireplace. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” She paused for a moment. “And everything.” She let out a loud sigh.
Rhys nodded slowly. “Well, I seem to recall the last time I saw you, you called me a horse’s arse, but I’m willing to listen if you want to talk.”
Julianna appeared to contemplate the offer for a moment. She rubbed her forehead with one knuckle. “I just thought…I thought it would all be easier, you know?”
“What would be easier?” he prompted, studying her face.
