Page 38 of The Fearless Miss Dinah

Now, there truly was nothing more he could do other than wait. Was he a fool for having asked her to breakfast with him? Probably. He’d never upended his life for another woman before.

Well, at least not since Emily.

It had been many years since he’d truly thought about that moment when things between him and Emily had come to an end.

* * *

Henry breathed in the crisp air. He loved Kingcup during autumn. Of course, he truly shouldn’t be here at all. His university professors would be quite upset with him when he was marked absent come Monday. But he’d thought through this plan enough times that, though the austere old men of Cambridge might be displeased, Henry felt confident that a few days’ visit home was in order.

He reached a small rise in the path, a particularly pleasant spot where several of the farms came into view. In the distance, Steven was atop his horse, probably traveling between one side of his field and the other. Henry waved, and Steven gave him a cheeky salute before riding off. Was he still courting that young woman he’d written Henry of month before last? Though he was away at university most of the time and Steven was here farming what used to be his father’s farm, they still remained in constant correspondence. Still, Steven hadn’t mentioned the young woman as of late.

Which probably meant not only was he still courting her, but things were growing serious. First of all, Steven would have told him if he had either changed his mind or if she had jilted him. Second, never was there a topic Henry heard men discuss less than a woman they sincerely cared for.

For example, Henry hadn’t yet told Steven the true reason he was back at Kingcup Estate, no matter that they’d stayed up until two in the morning, night before last, catching up and sharing news.

Steven disappeared behind a ridge and Henry faced the path he was on once more. It was better that he see to the details first, then he’d tell his friend. Henry moved forward, his stride lengthening. Emily was waiting for him at the turn in the road. They greeted one another politely and fell into step, her on his right side.

She had been well these past months while he’d been away. Her family was in fine health. He was finding his studies enthralling, and his classmates were likable chaps. As they talked, Henry couldn’t help but tick off in his mind, yet again, all the reasons Emily would make a fine wife.

She was poised and polite, almost to a fault.

She’d been a friend of the family for as long as he could remember—it wouldn’t surprise him if her parents fully expected a match between them.

She knew much about the Stanton holdings, due again to their families being close, so it wouldn’t take her long to grow comfortable as mistress of them all.

It was logical, easy, quite possibly a perfect plan.

He’d considered waiting until the Christmas holidays to speak with her; then, after she’d accepted him, he would speak with her father. But now that he’d decided on this course of action, he was restless to see it to fulfillment.

They took the small path which wound down through a wooded area. Emily always said she loved to hear the birds singing in the trees. This seemed a fine place to propose.

“My mother is particularly pleased with the new vicar,” Emily said, her tone and words proper.

“I am glad to hear it.” He’d had rather a devilish time finding a good vicar when Mr. Thompson had grown too old to continue delivering sermons. “I had hoped he would be good for the neighborhood.”

“I believe he is.”

The conversation lagged a bit; perhaps this was the right time to bring up...

A rustle came from off to their right and up the path a ways. Henry’s brow dropped, and an icy apprehension filled his stomach.

Which was unwarranted, certainly. He’d walked these woods many a time as a lad, even more as he’d grown into manhood. There was nothing here to be worried about.

A low growl came from the same spot as the rustling. Henry reached out, stopping Emily with a hand at her elbow. Unwarranted or not, Henry’s gut adamantly told him something dangerous was just around that bush.

“Turn around,” he instructed Emily in a low voice, “and slowly walk back the way we came.”

“Why?” she asked. “Can we not continue on a little long—”

“Emily.” His growing concern etched its way into his tone, turning it hard. “Turn around and go back—”

A beast leapt out from behind the bush. Every muscle in his body tensed, instantly ready for what might come next. Emily let out a scream. It took Henry a second to realize that the large thing on all fours before him was, in fact, the biggest dog he’d ever seen. What scared him most, though, was not the animal’s size, but its matted fur and the white foam coming from its mouth.

Henry stepped between it and Emily, hoping his large form would block her from the rabid animal’s view.

“Get back to the house, now,” he commanded.

Emily’s only response was to mumble something incoherent.

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