Page 42 of A Duke Under Her Spell
“As will I,” Felix replied. His features took on a sad expression as he reached out and fondly caressed her cheek. “If only the world we inhabit were different.”
Marybeth nodded her head leaning her face into the palm of his hand. “If only,” she whispered.
Chapter 18
When the weather cleared, Felix and Marybeth returned to Arkley Hall. They rode along in silence, both thinking of what had transpired between them. Unable to change either how she felt about Felix or that there was naught that could be done about it, Marybeth’s thoughts turned to Lord Enfield.There is much amiss there,she mused angrily.
He was not at all forthright with his answers about how he had known so much about my family and I. How did he even know of my existence if he left my mother for dead in the forest?
Marybeth tightened her hold around Felix’s waist in an effort to draw as much comfort from his presence as she could. She felt as if her world had been turned upside down, yet somehow even in his refusal of her affections, Felix had managed to right it once more, if only for a moment. Laying her head against his back, she closed her eyes. An image of her mother fighting for her life flashed through her mind and her eyes flew open in horror.
“Are you ill?” Felix asked. In her dismay she had jerked, nearly falling off of the horse and taking him with her.
“My apologies. No, I am not ill, simply disturbed by all that has transpired. Learning of Lord Enfield was quite a shock. I cannot cease from thinking upon what he did to my mother, how I came to be in existence.”
“A horrifying thing,” he shook his head in a gesture of rejection of Lord Enfield’s actions. “Any man who terrorizes women thus should be drawn and quartered.”
“A gruesome punishment for a gruesome crime.”
“Exactly so.”
They returned to silence, each lost in their own thoughts. His hand moved to rest upon hers. She appreciated the gesture of comfort and laid her head against his back once more. Several moments passed before Felix spoke again. “I find myself concerned for your safety. Were you to return to the croft unguarded, I fear I might go mad from worry for your wellbeing. The mere thought of what happened to your mother happening to you…” Felix shook his head with such force it startled the horse. “It is unfathomable.”
“I wish I could say that I did not share your fears, but I find that I do. I never once feared living in the forest alone before now, yet I find I am greatly discomfited by the notion of returning to my solitary life in the croft alone. How did he know so much about me?”
“I do not know. The Earl of Bredon and I had gone to Blackleigh Castle during our hunt to check on the guard stationed there and encountered Lord Enfield riding through the woods covered in blood. We stopped to offer our assistance and when he asked if I knew where the healer from the croft might be for the sake of his son, I did not hesitate to inform him of your whereabouts. I feel exceedingly foolish for not having asked more questions. All I could think about when I heard his story was to save the young man’s life.”
“And rightly so,” Marybeth soothed his guilt. “I would have done the same.”
“And you did. You saved your brother’s life.”
It was such an odd sensation to hear someone being referred to as her brother. “Yes, I did.”
“I should have disregarded the Earl’s desire to continue on and accompanied Lord Enfield to Arkley Hall, but we had long been neighbors and it never once occurred to me that His Lordship could have been such a dastardly fiend.”
“If cruel men could be identified by simply looking upon their visage, the world would be a much safer place would it not?”
“Indeed. Nevertheless, you have my sincerest apologies for my lack of precautionary action.”
“I thank you, but they are not needed. I have a feeling he would have found me whether you had pointed him in the right direction or not.”
“Yes, I too have that distinct impression from your and mother’s description of his behavior as he barged into her bedchamber unbidden.”
“How did he even know where the Duchess’s rooms were?”
“He has been to many dances and parties at Arkley Hall over the years, just as we have been to his residence.”
“Your families were friends?”
“No, I would not go so far as to say we were friends, but we afforded one another the hospitality of neighbors within the peerage.”
“I see. It must have been quite a shock to your mother then, his behaving in such a manner.”
“Yes, it was. She was quite distraught when I last spoke to her.”
“Understandably so. I will go and see to her needs the moment we return to the manor house.”
“I thank you for your kindness and care of her. Without you and your ministrations, I fear she would be forever lost to me.”
