Page 68 of The Gift of Patience
As Montford and Vivienne paired off with Grace and began chatting, Patience followed along behind, which perfectly suited her mood. She wanted to help figure out this mystery, and chatting idly would not leave her time to think.
So what were they missing? Something was nagging at her that she could not put a finger on. Were all of the situations the men investigated like this?
It was as though they had reached a dead end, literally with Rupert now being killed. Hopefully, the men would find some clue in London before anyone else was hurt.
As they approached a hedge, she returned her attention to the jump, which her horse handled beautifully. However, something spooked Midnight at the last moment and while she cleared the fence, she shied on the way down, throwing Patience to the side.
As she lay on her back, the wind knocked out of her, she tested all of her limbs, and everything was in working order. Slowly, she regained her breath, while watching the clouds move across the sky. Midnight nudged at her in apology, and Patience was relieved to see the horse was unharmed.
How long would it be until the others realized she was not with them? She would catch up in a few minutes once her body stopped smarting.
A rustling in the hedge reminded her that Midnight had spooked and she turned to see a figure running away. That spurred her to her feet and she found the strength to pull herself up and look around for who she’d seen. She ran towards the hedge, finding a small opening she could crawl beneath. Looking around, it seemed as though he had headed into the woods. She took off running, but quickly lost any sight or trace of him. She cursed her frustration before heading back to where Midnight was lazily grazing beyond the hedge.
Boosting herself into the saddle ungracefully, she hurried to catch up with the others. A proper adventuress would have given chase to see who’d been watching her, but with a murderer out there, she did not care to be the next victim.
After the ride, they changed and met in the drawing room where the dowagers and the aunts were about to take tea. Patience was still shaking from her incident, but did not tell the others what had happened yet.
Faith and Westwood entered the room, and all of the gentlemen promptly stood.
“Are you certain you should be down, my dear?” the younger dowager asked.
“Oh, yes. If I stay abed any longer, I shall go mad.”
Faith had never been one to lay about, and Patience did not think she would be capable either.
“Do you think we should call on the Fagges today?” the Dowager asked Westwood.
“In fact, I was planning to go now. Out of both condolence and as magistrate. I need to question Sir Horace if he has composed himself enough to talk now.”
“I was afraid you would say that.”
“You need not go.”
“Well, one of us should go with you, and Faith should not be making calls yet,” his mother explained.
“I can go,” Patience offered.
The surprise on the Dowager’s face was quickly changed into relief. As much as Patience did not wish to go, she felt she might learn something to help solve the mystery.
“Are you certain, my dear? I know I should probably go, but I never could abide Agatha Fagge, and she will be more unbearable than usual if yesterday’s display is anything to measure by.”
“If she is not prostrate in bed, she will be castaway on the chaise with her smelling salts being wafted beneath her nose,” Aunt Flora added.
“There is no need to be cruel. She did lose her son,” the elder dowager scolded.
“If the truth is cruel…” Aunt Flora held up her hands.
“I will call for the curricle,” Westwood said to Patience as he took a ginger biscuit and popped it in his mouth.
“I am as ready as I will ever be.”
They were soon on their way, and Patience decided to tell Westwood what had happened earlier.
“Dominic,” she began. “When we were out riding earlier, something spooked my horse.”
“Did you see what it was?” he asked with appropriate concern. “You are unharmed?”
“We are both unharmed, thankfully. It only knocked the wind out of me for a moment. As for what spooked Midnight, when I regained my wits, I heard a rustling in the hedge and saw someone running away.”
