Emily looked at Stratton. His face was more severe in profile, but the smile he sent Peter softened the edges. Disturbed that she’d even notice such a thing, she clasped her hands behind her back and agreed that a treat would be lovely.
“Here you are,” said Stratton once the vendor had finished preparing four portions of sweetmeats. They’d been wrapped in brown paper cones so they could be easily carried.
Stratton handed the first one to Emily, the second to Georgina, whom he’d been thoughtful enough to consider, and the third one to Peter.
“That’ll be sixpence,” said the vendor.
Emily pulled on the strings of her reticule.
Stratton frowned at her. “What are you doing?”
“Searching for the right coins.”
“Absolutely not.” He’d placed his hand over hers to stop her movements. Their eyes met and her stomach instantly tightened while everything else slid into the background. His voice when next he spoke was firm. “I’ll pay.”
“But—”
“I insist.” He removed his hand from hers and collected some coins from his pocket, then counted them out quickly and gave them to the vendor.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” said Georgina. She peered at her cone with utter delight.
Emily stared at Stratton in wonder, then remembered to thank him as well. His touch had left her a bit lightheaded. Or maybe she’d simply not eaten enough for breakfast?
Puzzled, she followed Peter who’d just resumed walking, and selected a green piece of sweetmeat from her cone. She popped it into her mouth and savored the tangy flavor of lime dipped in sugar. They’d been lucky today with the weather, which could be so unpredictable this time of year. Instead of rain, the sun shone from a cloudless sky and the air was warm enough for her to be comfortable without having to wear a spencer, though she had brought a shawl.
The path curved up ahead as they approached the lake. A dog barked in the distance and someone started shouting. Emily turned and almost dropped her sweetmeats. The dog was massive and it was charging directly toward them with a young man in pursuit. Both barely managed to avoid a lady riding a horse. The horse reared, the lady screamed, and now she too was coming their way at a mad gallop.
Emily spun toward Peter who’d not yet realized he was about to get trampled. So was Heidi. The other dog was headed straight for her while the runaway horse bore down on Peter. Emily leapt forward while shouting his name. He turned and froze, so she did the only thing she could think of. Propelled by instinct, she tossed her sweetmeats aside and shoved Peter forward, placing herself in the horse’s path instead.
She prepared to get out of the way, but the massive dog arrived before she was able and blocked her escape. The horse’s breath landed upon her face and Emily said a quick prayer. Someone grabbed her upper arm and she flew backward, straight into a solid surface.
“I’ve got you,” a low voice murmured against her cheek.
Emily blinked and she realized she was wrapped in a strong embrace. Stratton was holding her from behind, one arm wound tightly around her waist, the other still gripping her arm. His chest rose and fell with rough movements against her back. For a second his hold tightened, as though he were hugging her to him, before he relaxed.
He slowly released her, and as he turned her to face him, she realized his hands were shaking. The depth of concern in his eyes nearly stole her breath.
“Are you all right?” Clutching her shoulders he swept his gaze over her body as though seeking proof that she was unharmed.
She nodded. “Yes. I am well. But what about Peter and Heidi?”
Stratton straightened and released her completely. “Georgina has them. Peter will be fine, thanks to you, and I believe Heidi avoided harm too. From what I’ve managed to gather these past few seconds, the larger dog simply wanted to come and greet her.”
“You ought to keep that dog on a leash,” said the lady riding the horse. Having finally managed to reign in her mount and circle back to join the group, she glared in anger at the young man.
“I’m terribly sorry,” the young man replied. He did look remorseful. “Hercules has a leash. See? He just managed to pull it out of my grasp. It was an accident.”
“One that could have ended in tragedy,” Stratton informed him, his voice suddenly hard and unyielding. “In the future, I’d ask you to make sure a stronger man walks your dog.”
“Of course.”
Stratton jerked his head to one side and the young man hurried away, pulling Hercules after him. The lady on the horse gave Stratton a curt nod before moving away at a trot. With tension still rippling off him, Stratton crossed to where Georgina waited together with Peter and Heidi. Oblivious to the danger that had occurred a few moments ago, the dog sat on the ground wagging her tail as if all of this had been wonderfully entertaining.
Emily went to her while Stratton checked on Peter.
“Are you unharmed?” Emily heard him ask of the boy.
She saw Peter nod out of the corner of her eye while she stroked Heidi’s back and proceeded to scratch her behind one ear.
