Page 5 of Duke in Shining Armor
Those eyes widened, and James winced at the terror in the depth of her gaze. Her lashes swooped down, and a quick perusal of his body had her shoulders relaxing. James surmised it was his gentleman’s attire that eased some of her tension.
“Are you hurt?” James asked insistently.
He did not receive a reply because the lady promptly fainted.
Bloody hell!
He doffed his tailcoat and placed it over her. After ensuring she was comfortable, he attended the second woman who offered another soft moan. Although she groaned, he shook her and slapped her cheeks, but she would not awaken. He discerned the blonde-haired woman was a lady of genteel breeding, and this woman was likely her lady’s maid. Where were they travelling to and where the hell was the coachman and his tiger?
James had a sense of foreboding. He needed to get help. There was a farm not far away, and James must reach it. Once there he could commission a buggy to take the ladies to Pembroke Estate immediately. He would send for the physician forthwith. He hoped neither of the ladies was seriously hurt, but it would be best for the physician to see to them.
He rode like the devil was after him, and when he arrived at the farm his horse was slick with sweat and breathing heavily. The farmer saw his approach and came out to meet him. James did not wait for a greeting.
“Hobbs, I need your assistance straight away,” James said as he jumped from his horse. “I discovered two ladies who appear to have had a terrible accident and taken a fall.”
“Do ye know how it came to be so, Your Grace?” Hobbs asked.
“I am afraid neither of them can speak so I do not know the details,” James replied as his thought flickered back to the ladies.
“I need your buggy to get them to Pembroke Estate forthwith. Get the groom to fetch Dr. Blackwell, for he needs to attend to them straight away.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Terrible news that is,” Hobbs replied as he shook his head.
“Take a few of the farm hands with you. I did not see a coachman, but he should be somewhere about. If you find him, he should be brought to the estate.”
“As ye wish, Your Grace,” Hobbs said as he hurried to carry out James’s instructions.
“I will leave my horse here and send a stable hand to fetch it on the morrow.”
Hobbs returned shortly with the buggy, and James decided to drive it himself. He wanted to return to the ladies as soon as possible so he did not tarry.
As James approached the ladies in the buggy, he heard one of them utter.
“Be warned. I have my pistol trained toward you, and I can assure you I am a dead shot. You do not want to find out.”
For a brief moment, he faltered, narrowing his gaze. This he had not expected. “Woman, are you addled? You would shoot the gentleman that has come to your aid and summoned a physician to tend to you?”
“Show yourself, very slowly,” she retorted. “I will have no tricks.”
James cautiously entered the clearing and noticed she did indeed have a derringer pointed at him. Her hand did not waver. She was no longer lying down, rather her back rested against a tree, and he could see a bit of color had returned to her cheeks. Even as she sat there looking unkempt, her golden curls a wild mess, it did not mask her beauty. He felt a stir inside and chastised himself; this was not the time or the place.
“Who are you, sir?”
A sense of bemusement rushed through him. “I discovered you here and you appeared to be in distress. I covered you with my tailcoat while I went to the nearby farm to commission a buggy. I will take you to Pembroke Estate, and Dr. Blackwell will tend to you there. We should not tarry for it will be getting dark soon. Do you think you can put that pistol away?”
“I am sorry, sir…er…we have not been introduced,” a corner of her mouth lifted as she gave him a half smile.
James gazed at her face, and he could see a look of contrition.
“I am James Hastings, Duke of Pembroke, and I suggest we delay the other introductions until you ladies have been attended to. Have you noticed your right foot is at a rather odd angle? It is most certainly broken.”
She grimaced and swallowed. “I am afraid you are right, Your Grace. I tried to stand, but my feet would not obey, and there is a throbbing pain there.” She pointed to her ankle. “My lady’s maid has fared worse, and I wonder if she should be first placed in the buggy.”
James moved to place the lady’s maid in the back of the buggy, cushioning her head with one of the quilts Hobbs kindly placed there.
“I am going to place you beside the lady and use the tailcoat to lift your ankle higher. This should make the journey more comfortable for you.”
As soon as he uttered the words, James understood he did not want her to be hurt. He was protective, and he wondered at his feelings since this was the first time he made her acquaintance. He had to admit she was intriguing, being the first lady to point a pistol at him. Thehaut tonwas awash with ladies who would have had a fit of the vapors or deep fear when faced with such a challenge, but when he looked at her, he saw defiance and determination. An anomalous beauty. How refreshing.
