Enchanting the Duke - Lana Williams Page 0,20

say nights?—with her had allowed the lure of her to override his better judgment. That couldn’t continue or he’d find himself love-struck and more than willing to set aside his duties to spend time with her.

Never before had that temptation been so...tempting. He shook his head at his wayward thoughts and focused on the search. How to deal with the distraction she presented would have to wait until he found her. He refused to consider possible failure in his quest. Not when it made his chest ache at the thought.

Would she prefer the openness of the fields for her walk or the secrecy of the woods? How unfortunate that he didn’t know her well enough to say for certain. Thank goodness he had a basic understanding of the land surrounding the area given his previous tours with Burbridge since visibility was so poor, else he’d be in danger of becoming lost. The fog was disorienting.

He rode toward the fields, but the lure of the trees soon called. Somehow, he could more easily see her walking along the woods. His steed seemed in agreement and acted eager to get into the limited shelter the branches provided.

After riding for some time, he reined in, unable to believe she’d gone so far. Had she changed her path after the butler watched her leave? He could be riding in the opposite direction of where she was without knowing. She might have returned to the house by now.

Yet the continuing sense of worry wouldn’t allow him to turn back. With a muttered oath, he decided to go a bit farther before trying another direction.

The fog in this area was even worse, and the wind made it pointless to call her name. He kept his horse along the edge of the woods with one eye on the field and the other in the trees, his worry steadily building.

An oddly shaped tree with a large lump along its trunk came into sight, catching his notice. He tipped his head to limit the icy rain striking his face. “Eleanor?”

The shape moved, as did his heart.

“Eleanor!” He directed his horse toward the dark form then leapt from the saddle the moment he reached the huddled figure at the base of the tree.

“Douglas?” Incredulity was clear in her tone despite her chattering teeth. She gripped the edges of her cloak near her neck even as her entire body visibly trembled. “Wh-what are you d-doing here?”

“Looking for you.” He offered his hand to help her rise, but she made no effort to take it. “Are you hurt?”

“Only a-a l-little.” Still she didn’t move, only sniffled.

“A little?” Her lack of clarification didn’t reassure him in the least. He bent low and scooped her into his arms, immediately aware of how damp her cloak was. “You must be chilled to the bone.”

“I d-didn’t realize how far I’d walked.”

“You picked a poor afternoon for a stroll.” His remark caused her shoulders to hunch.

“I didn’t ask you to fetch me. I was on my way back. I only paused to rest my hip.” She pushed at his shoulder with her gloved fist. “I’ll be fine. Put me down.”

“Don’t be silly.” His concern for her continued to grow and made him grumpy. She wasn’t acting like her normal self.

“I’m not silly. Not anymore.”

He frowned at her remark. She’d never been silly—only merry. To him, there was a big difference. He risked a glance at her as he turned toward the horse. The rapid blinking of her eyes alarmed him. Was she about to cry? Because he’d called her silly?

Women. He didn’t pretend to understand them. But he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he didn’t want her to cry. Especially not because of something he’d said.

He smothered a frustrated sigh as he lifted her onto the horse to sit sideways then paused to steady her before mounting behind her. He reached for the reins, his heart easing at the feel of her in the circle of his arms. The unsettling sensation of having her right where she belonged filled him.

Then her words struck him. “You’ve never been silly. But what do you mean, ‘not anymore’?”

“I’m now known as the dour duchess,” she said after a long moment and several sniffs.

Outrage swept through him at the thought as he held her closer. The fact that she was no longer shivering wasn’t a good sign as it meant her body had given up trying to warm itself.

He needed to get her back to the house as