thought you had. But I ran faster than Iâve run in my life before and reached a tree by the hedge just before the bull caught up with me.â
Rosa gently took Emilyâs bandaged hands in hers. âI suppose thatâs when these got so damaged. What happened then?â
âI found I was stranded and waited for a while to seeâ¦to see if anyone would come to rescue me.â
Emily was not used to lying, especially with Rosaâs clear blue eyes, wide with sympathy, looking at her. She took a deep breath and went on, âButâ¦but no one did. Soâ¦so I jumped down.â
âEmily! That was so dangerous!â
âYes. Yes, it was. The branch broke, and Iâ¦and I rolled down the slope. It was steeper than I had thought.â
âYou could have been killed! I shall certainly have something to say to Philip when he comes back. I asked him to go when the carriage arrived back without you, but he said youâd be perfectly safe walking home. He really should have gone to look for you,â
Emily gave a weak smile and tried not to show how profoundly grateful she was that her brother had refused. What he would have said, or done, if he had discovered her in that hollow, lying in the arms of a perfect stranger in an intimate embrace, was too awful to imagine.
âBut where was Will?â
âWho?â
Rosa looked puzzled. âWill Darby.â
Emily, who had been thinking of quite a different Will, tried to speak naturally as she responded, âWill Darby⦠Oh, yes, of course.â
âHe must have been on his way home about that time. Didnât you see him?â
ââErâ¦no. I didnât,â said Emily, avoiding her sister-in-lawâs eye. She could feel her cheeks getting hot.
There was a slight pause, after which Rosa said, âYoumust be tired. I think you should have a rest now. Are you hungry? Iâll have some soup or something easy to eat sent up.â Bending over to kiss Emily good night, she said softly, âA nightâs sleep will work miracles. Weâll see you in the morning.â
Â
Emily lay awake for some time after Rosa and the maid had gone. She was still bewildered by what had happened that afternoon. WillâWill the strangerâhad called her an enchantress, but judging by the effect he had had on her, it was far more likely that he was the sorcerer. She grew warm as she remembered how she had behaved. Wantonly. Shamelessly. Other words came to mind to torment her. But when she finally fell asleep, her last thoughts were oddly com fortingâa strangerâs arms protecting her as they rolled down the slope, a strong body holding her so close, laughter in a manâs eyes as he held her and kissedâ¦herâ¦soâ¦sweetly⦠And her dreams that night were surprisingly pleasant.
Â
The next morning Emily got up, determined to put her en counter with the stranger and her own in explicable reactions behind her. She nodded reassuringly when Rosa raised her brows in a silent question as she entered the break fast room, and held up hands now free of bandages. Philip had apparently been told an edited version of her arrival the night before. He asked about her injuries and she assured him they were all purely superficial. He frowned when she told him of her visit to Mrs Gosworth, then said, âI canât under stand what possessed you to go through that field.â
âPhilip, I canât tell you. I donât know! I agree it was madness, and that I was luckier than I deserved.â
âPerhaps I should have a word with Pritchard.â
âPlease donât. Iâm sure the field is perfectly secure. No one else in the village would be so stupid!â
They talked of other things for a while, but then Philip asked, âBy the way, did you happen to see any strangers on your way back? They were saying down in the stables that some fellow or other was wandering about