Page 76 of The Meaning of Love
“I will, indeed,” Melissa confirmed. She glanced at Julian, then at Felix, who had crouched and was helping Hockey and Edgerton. “Once we have this sorted out, I daresay we’ll all want some tea. And perhaps some cake as well?”
Veronica nodded with something of her customary decisiveness. “I’ll see to it. Join us in the parlor as soon as you can.”
Julian watched Frederick offer Veronica his arm and was relieved when she took it and allowed Frederick to lead her toward the castle.
Julian returned his gaze to the mantrap Edgerton, Hockey, and Felix had unearthed. It didn’t require any great effort to imagine what might have been.
The vision chilled him to the core.
Although he’d eased his compulsive grip, he kept his arms loosely around Melissa as two undergardeners and a groom rushed up, carrying crowbars, picks, shovels, and several screwdrivers.
Edgerton took charge, and at his direction, the men heaved and strained and prized the jaws half open. Edgerton poked a screwdriver into the mechanism, then grunted, “Got it,” and the jaws relaxed and settled apart.
Melissa reached down and, with Felix’s help, lifted her wrecked train from the steel teeth.
Edgerton, who had continued to work on the mechanism, sat back and nodded. “That’s fixed it. I’ve unscrewed the spring. It can’t be made to snap shut again.” He waved to his men. “You can lift it now—it’s safe.”
Although the two groundsmen took him at his word, they nevertheless avoided the sharp metal teeth. But Edgerton was an old hand and knew what he was about; when the pair hoisted the contraption free of the ground, the heavy spring rolled out, and the jaws remained wide and inert.
Everyone breathed silent sighs of relief.
As Edgerton levered to his feet, Julian caught his eye. “Can you and Hockey examine the thing—see if you can get some idea of where it came from?”
Both men nodded. “We’ll take a good long look, my lord,” Edgerton assured him, “but I doubt there’ll be anything useful.”
Julian accepted that with a nod. “Let me know if you find anything or have any other ideas. Once you’ve finished examining it, take it apart. I don’t want it to be useable again.”
“Aye, we’ll do that,” Hockey said. “Terrible things, mantraps.”
The undergardeners carrying the trap, along with the groom with most of the tools, had already trudged back up the path. With nods to Julian, Melissa, and Felix, Hockey and Edgerton followed, heads together as they discussed mantraps.
Julian turned to find Melissa examining her train. “It’s ruined,” he said.
Melissa gathered the ripped and marked velvet into the crook of her elbow. “I’ll get Jolene to cut the damaged bits off and rehem it. That will do for now. I’ll send to Madame Henriette to have another riding skirt made and sent up.”
He nodded, then looked down at Ulysses. In the wake of too much excitement, the pup had curled up and fallen asleep at Julian’s feet.
He sighed, bent, and scooped up the bundle of golden fur. As he settled the puppy in one arm, Ulysses woke, but only to sleepily register who was carrying him. Then he yawned widely, tucked his head down again, snuffled, sighed mightily, and fell silent.
Julian took Melissa’s hand, and without another word, he, she, and Felix headed back along the path.
By the time they reached the lily pond, Ulysses had decided that he didn’t like being carried by someone who was walking. He wriggled and squirmed until Julian set him down.
Still on the leading rein but heading in the right direction, the pup started to quest about. When they walked out of the shrubbery and started across the lawn toward the rear terrace, he was nosing several yards ahead of them, at the limit of the leash.
Abruptly, Ulysses’s head came up. He halted, alert, standing and staring at the line of trees that bordered the woods. His body quivered, as if unsure whether to dart back to Melissa and safety or stand his ground. Then he started barking, clearly in warning, darting a few steps, then retreating, but with his attention fixed on the woods.
Julian, Melissa, and Felix halted and rapidly scanned the shadows.
“There!” Melissa pointed to a figure flitting deeper into the woods. Eyes narrowed, she squinted. “Isn’t that our mystery man?”
Julian and Felix looked.
Then Felix shook his head. “I didn’t see him.”
Julian grunted. “I did, but not well enough to identify him.” He looked at Melissa.
She sighed. “He’s vanished. Again.”
