Page 4 of If the Slipper Fits
As she very well knew. She lapsed into a pensive silence while Lady Wentworth, humming, peered through her lorgnette.
Anna estimated the number of guests present at fifty. Fifty sets of eyes that had the potential to bring disaster down on her head. Or, more specifically, around her neck. They still hung murderers, didn’t they?
Not that it had been murder. She’d merely defended herself. But would the court see it as such? Certainly Angelique would not testify on her behalf.
She fingered the brim of her bonnet, assuring herself it still sat low over her brow, while telling herself for the thousandth time herposition as Lady Wentworth’s companion made her invisible for all practical purposes.
Stumbling across Caden Thurgood this morning had simply been a stroke of bad luck—wrong place, wrong time. They’d not have crossed paths at all had Lady Wentworth not decided to join her on her morning walk, then insisted they aim for the lake.
When they happened upon a man facedown on the shore, Anna reacted without thinking, rushing to his aid. She credited her years of trailing after her father while he tended his patients for the inane impulse.
Closing her eyes, she relived the horrifying moment when she rolled the wall of a man onto his back and found Caden Thurgood, dead.
Not that he’dbeendead. But for that split second, her heart seized and time itself seemed to stop ’til her father’s voice sounded in her head reminding her to check the patient for signs of life. She nearly wept when she felt his hot breath tickling the fine hairs on her cheek.
It never occurred to her not to see to his injuries after that. Frankly, she’d quite forgotten the potential danger to herself—’til the moment he’d asked her name.
She feared he'd recognized her, at first. But then she realized he’d asked her name because hedidn’trecognize her, even up close. She’d gotten quite a bit taller, lost some baby fat, and, too, her hair color had gone from sun-kissed gold to dark brown.
She chewed the inside of her cheek. Might she chance a peek into the crowd to see how he fared? From afar, of course.
Heart pounding in her ears, she searched the crowd. Once she had proof he’d recovered, she’d turn away.
Numerous party guests having finished their meals traversed the lawn, their lounge chairs and picnic baskets abandoned. A handful of liveried footmen scooped dishes and blankets into wicker baskets. Caden, however, was nowhere in sight.
“Any luck? I could lend you my lorgnette?”
Anna gave a start of surprise. She placed a hand over her heart and schooled her features. She should have guessed her shrewd employer would know exactly what she was about, searching the crowd.
“Thank you, madame, but that’s not necessary. I only wanted to see he survived his ordeal.”
“That magnificent specimen of a man? Of course he has."
Anna cocked her head. “I beg your pardon?”
“I’m old, Anna, not blind. All the men of the Claybourne clan boast exceptional good looks, and Caden Thurgood is no exception, or didn’t you notice? Tall and vital with that chiseled jaw. Thick tawny-gold hair a woman could sink her fingers into.” Lady Wentworth shivered in dramatic zeal. “If I were only ten years younger.”
Anna laughed. Lady Wentworth was sixty if she was a day, whereas Caden was closer to Anna’s own age of four and twenty—perhaps one year her senior. “Only ten?”
Lady Wentworth smirked. “Very well.Twenty.I’d settle for either of the Thurgood brothers, but Claybourne’s heir, Ezekiel Thurgood, recently married, crushing hearts across England.”
“Did he really? I always thought him too busy adventure-seeking to take the time to choose a wife, let alone marry.”
Her employer cast her a side-long look. “You’re acquainted with the family, then?”
“Not at all. I’m sure I read something to the effect in the society column.” She bit her lower lip then added, “I’ve never laid eyes on either man before today.”
Lady Wentworth returned her attention to the crowd, once again employing the lorgnette. “There’s the handsome rogue now, apparently none-the-worse for wear. I do wonder what laid him out to begin with.” She sniffed. “We could have waited to find out.”
Anna’s heart pounded so hard she wondered it didn’t crack her ribs. She spotted Caden in less time than it took to blink, no lorgnette necessary. He stood a head taller than every man present, and his thick head of tawny-blond hair gleamed in the afternoon sun.
Like a visiting dignitary--or a prince--he strolled amongst the other guests. “Charming everyone in his path with that pirate’s smile, no doubt,” she muttered.
“Beg pardon?”
She’d spoken aloud? She wracked her brain, finally coming up with, “I said it appears he could walk a mile.”
“Seems true enough.”
