Felicity widened her eyes and grimaced. “It was not the worst journey I’ve ever taken, but it was quite possibly the second worst. There were lame horses, broken wheels, and impassable roads between here and Plymouth. It is a miracle I arrived at all.”
“My dear, you look pale,” said Aunt Imogene, examining her niece with a gimlet eye. “You haven’t been taking care of yourself.”
“It is the strain of travel, but all will be well now that I am here.”
“Come, the servants are preparing a repast for you,” said Aunt Imogene, motioning for her to follow down the hall. As much as a warm meal sounded delightful, Felicity’s heart sank at the thought of remaining indoors.
“Would you think me terribly ungrateful if I begged off at present? I know I only just arrived, but I have been cooped up for almost a sennight, and I am desperate for a stroll. Might I spend a quarter of an hour visiting your grounds before we eat?”
“Of course,” said Aunt Imogene, patting Felicity’s cheek with a wrinkled hand as though her great-niece was little more than a fretful schoolchild. “I am the same. I cannot bear to remain caged for too long. I would join you, but I fear I am not as steady on my feet, and this winter is far too frigid and icy for my good.”
“Unsteady?” asked Felicity, standing back to examine the elderly lady.
“Not to worry, my dear. It is merely age demanding I pay it more heed,” she said with a smile.
Felicity’s brows furrowed, but Aunt Imogene waved away any concern, bundling the younger lady out the front door with a promise that she would return before her fingers and toes froze through.
Opening her lungs, Felicity took in a deep breath, filling them to capacity. The air was biting but so very bracing that she took several more before making her way around Buxby Hall. Even in the midst of winter, the gardens were lovely. Or perhaps because of it. Though the blossoms were long dormant, the woody plants boasted a fine smattering of ice that sparkled even though clouds filled the sky.
With a tug of the ribbons, Felicity pulled off her bonnet. It was too cold to do so for long, but she reveled in the breezes tugging at her curls. Her hair must look a fright, but such mundane worries faded to the background as she plopped her bonnet back on, allowing the ribbons to hang free. Each step from the house took her further from the weight of her cares and worries, as though the very land she stood upon held some magical properties to erase heartache and troubles.
Yes, this was precisely where she ought to be. Away from the constant demands of business and false suitors. Free of the unending troubles and strife. Unshackled by the expectations of an heiress. Here, she was simply Felicity Barrows.
Though her promise to Aunt Imogene had her thinking she ought to return to the house, Felicity could not keep herself from wandering towards a particularly lovely copse of trees, their dark trunks contrasting against the winter’s white. Just one quick look—
Felicity’s left foot shot forward, her right keeping her tethered to firm ground but without the ability to steady her. She had no time to react to the sudden disruption of her balance, and gravity pulled her down. If pressed, she would have no thought as to what it was she slipped on—the ground looked as sturdy as any patch—but such details did not matter, for they did not alter her present course.
The whole of her weight slammed onto the frozen ground, her right foot wrenching as the force of her fall twisted her. Every joint screamed at once, the impact radiating through her. Her bonnet went flying, her cloak and skirt tangling around her as she landed with a thud.
Staring up at the cloudy sky, Felicity lay there, her body throbbing in time with her heartbeat. Like a howling winter wind, she moaned, the noise pulled from deep within. It was a horrid sound, but her rattled bones demanded it, and another built inside her, growing in volume.
Felicity dared not to twitch. She simply lay there amidst the snow and ice and hoped nothing was broken. She needed only a moment—or an hour—and then she could attempt to regain her feet. No doubt, that would be a painful undertaking.
And then Fate played another cruel trick on Felicity, for a voice called out