Page 26 of The Duke of her Dreams

Theodore did not know what came over him, but he broke into a run as well — after the strange woman in her purple dress.

ChapterEleven

Theodore spun around quickly, not wanting to lose sight of the strange woman. He leaped over the tree trunk in one fluid motion, his hands grazing the mushrooms that grew on the rotting bark.

“Wait, dammit!” he yelled, but the woman did not stop.

She kept running downstream, hefting a small leather bag across her shoulder. Not only did she seem shady to Theodore, but the woman was also trespassing. The woods were a part of his estate, stretching deeper even across the bubbling stream.

His feet pounded into the soft earth as he sped down the woods, the wind breathing on his face. It had been so long since his heart raced the way it did, craving for excitement.

“Miss! Are you in some kind of trouble?” he breathed, panting.

The woman slipped on the smooth stones but held her ground, running even faster. All Theodore could see was a challenge. Something sparked in him at that moment — at the blonde curls as the wind made them flounce around her head.

He propelled himself to move faster, his muscles rising to the challenge. Before long, his body became accustomed to the run. It became easier to move, and thus, Theodore was a lot faster.

Coming closer, he reached out, and his fingers could almost graze her satin dress. Theodore could see the exquisite handwork of the seamstress on the hem of the dress. Beautiful embroidery in the finest navy blue curled all around the dress, and he easily deduced that the woman was no commoner. She exuded wealth, but was running away from someone. It only made him all the more concerned.

“Miss!” he bellowed, and his voice echoed through the woods.

He saw her slip and fall into the stream and heard a string of words. None of them were even close to being complimentary, and Theodore knew that they were meant for him. A sigh escaped his lips as he got closer.

“I gave you a head start,” he said in a jocular tone, hoping to ease the tension that already filled the air.

“Head start?” she asked, her back turned away from him. “Is that what this is? A race?”

“I was merely joking, Miss. I was simply concerned at the way you were barreling down the path. Is something the matter?”

“Your concern is not necessary,” she shot back and winced. “Besides, I did not mean to cause you concern.”

Theodore heard the sarcasm in every word that came out of the lady’s mouth. It made him feel a little angry, but nothing else.

“You were running on my estate,” he said curtly. “I just wanted to know why you were trespassing.”

He saw her trying to get up, and he rushed to her side. Theodore extended his hand to help, but she flitted it away, heaving her sopping wet body from the stream.

“Trespassing? My apologies, Sir. I never intended to.”

The sudden change in attitude irked Theodore. He was hoping for some obstinacy and challenge, but she was like every other woman he knew. He suddenly wished he had not told her about his authority over the estate.

He looked around and waited, wondering when her pursuer was going to come barreling into the clearing. “I do not see your attacker, Miss. Might I ask what you are running from?”

She turned to face him. “I am sorry, Sir. But that is none of your concern. While I express my deepest and sincere apologies for trespassing on your land, I must leave.”

Theodore tried to hide the surprise on his face. There was no way he could forget the blonde hair and beautiful face. Even if her hair was wet with leaves sticking out of it, and her face was covered with mud. The rich contralto of her voice serenaded his mind, and he felt something inside him crack.

It was the Jarvis girl he met in the garden. The girl who awakened something in him after not feeling anything in years. The girl he kissed and talked literature with.

He wanted to ask if she recognized him, but when she did not acknowledge him, he shoved the questions that formed in his throat. Theodore felt hurt and tense. His heart was racing at the sight of her, and his body shivered right down to his boots.

“Leave? I saw you running down on my land? Are you in trouble with someone? Has that caused you to flee?”

“Too many questions, Sir. I must leave immediately before the day loses its light.”

“I do not see any pursuers,” Theodore pointed out and extended his hand to her. “It is quite dangerous to keep traversing these woods at night.”

She sighed. “That is why I must leave immediately, Sir. Before I become food for the dangers that lurk in these woods like you said.”

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