Kay Springsteen (41 page)

At Jon
’
s light squeeze to her hand, Annabella glanced at him, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“
Annabella is far too spirited to be anything but strong-willed. Unbreakable.
”

****

Lively chatter and laughter seeped into Annabella
’
s
awareness
. She yawned and stretched… or rather tried to. With a jolt, she sat up and opened her eyes.
F
lames danced across her face.
Devil
’
s bells!
She
’
d done it again! Used Seabrook as a pillow.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
she grumbled as she smoothed her dress.

“
It was my pleasure. I
’
ve grown accustomed to listening to the sound of your snoring while traveling.
”
Grinning, Jon handed over her hat.

Annabella narrowed her eyes.
“
And I
’
ve grown accustomed to traipsing around the country wondering when you
’
ll lead me to the devil
’
s lair.
”
She took a cautious sniff of the air but found it fresh, not like the light sulfur smell that sometimes closed around Blackmoor.

“
My lady, were you my companion, I
’
d gladly make the trip on a daily basis.
”
He lowered his head, keeping his eyes locked on her.

A mixture of anticipation and anxiety set Annabella
’
s heart fluttering. Her mind warned her to move away, not to let him kiss her. But her body was drawn to him, and refused to budge… welcomed him as a drowning man would water.

Rustling and a low moan drew Annabella
’
s attention to the
other
seat, the spell broken, and she jerked away from him.

The dowager sat up and rubbed her neck.
“
Why must carriages be so cramped and uncomfortable? I
’
ll be unable to bend my neck to the right with ease for days.
”
Gran peered out the window.
“
Thank heavens
we’ve arrived
. I need to stretch my legs.
”

Panic set in. It had been so long since Annabella had attended a large social gathering. She
’
d grown accustom
ed
to spending most of her time alone or in the company of Juliet. The prospect of socializing, while exciting, unnerved her. Worry coiled in her throat, squeezing until her eyes stung. Her heart pounded faster, and she pressed one hand to her chest, trying to calm the erratic beating. What if she made a fool of herself? Embarrassed Jon and the dowager? What if—

Jon covered her hand with his and squeezed.
“
Annabella, are yo—
”

“
You aren
’
t being led to the gallows, my dear. Even if you do like the French.
”
The dowager cast a reassuring smile.
“
Now, sit up straight and hold your head high. Be mindful of the amount of port you drink, and you
’
ll be fine. And stay away from the lemonade, no matter how much Lady Winslow tries to convince you to try it.
”
She gave an exaggerated shudder.

The dowager needn
’
t have worried on that score. Annabella preferred never
to see
that foul fruit again.

“
P-Perhaps I-I—
”
The words caught and she cleared her throat.
“
Perhaps I might just watch—
”

“
Annab—
”

“
I find it hard to believe you have it in you to quit,
”
the dowager murmured without turning from the window.

“
To be perfectly honest, I don
’
t have it in me to
lose
,
”
Annabella shot back.

The dowager shifted her gaze from the carriage window to Annabella, eyes piercing.
“
Which is why you
’
ll not quit. Losing is
nothing more than
someone who quit trying, after all.
”

“
Well said, Gran.
”
Jon winked at Annabella.
“
At any rate, the hard part is behind you.
”

She crossed her arms.
“
And that would be?
”

“
Shooting well enough to impress Gran.
”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles one at a time.
“
You
’
ll be splendid.
”

A tiny jolt of delight chipped away some of her fear. Jon and Gran didn
’
t seem a
t all concerned about her ability. Mayhap she should just take their advice and enjoy herself. Besides, after the position she
’
d put Juliet in by sending her to London so the poor girl, according to Jon, was being subjected to the torture of social events,
being placed on display for the amusement of the
ton
, it seemed fitting that Annabella should suffer some of the same fate.

The carriage stopped and a footman opened the door. Jon — every inch
t
he Earl of Seabrook — descended and offered first the dowager then Annabella
a hand down
.
So many people!
Why, t
he whole town had to be in attendance. A number of the
m
had on the same uniform she
wore
.

Several tents in varying sizes sat on the outer edge of the clearing. The biggest tent sat atop the hill at the far end of the field. Two footmen stood at the entrance.

“
What
’
s the big tent for?
”

Jon turned to follow the direction of her gaze.
“
That
’
s the banquet hall. After the contest, the club members will hold a feast with music and dancing. The winners will be presented with their arrows.
”

“
Oh.
”
Annabella hadn
’
t realized just how grand an affair the archery contest would be.

“
Don
’
t be uneasy. I meant what I said. Everyone will adore you. You
’
ll fit right in,
”
Jon whispered.

“
Excuse me, dears. I see Lord Anthony, and I must speak with him about the preparations.
”
She settled a sharp stare on Jon.
“
Remember what I told you.
”
Gran hurried off without awaiting
a
reply.

Annabella stepped to the side and tilted her head to better see her husband.
“
What she told you? Did she warn you to behave yourself, then?
”

“
Now, that would prove no fun at all, would it?
”
quipped Jon with a chuckle. He shook his head.
“
No, just a matter of Gran
’
s
‘
gift
’
again. It seems she had a vision about a dark, dangerous man. She seems to be worried for your
welfare
.
”

Annabella
’
s heart stammered at the thought that someone might care so deeply about
her
.

Jon raised an eyebrow and laughed again.
“
Really, I
’
m quite certain
‘
tis nothing to worry overmuch about. We
’
ve all grown used to Gran
’
s
‘
sight,
’
and I assure you, what she sees is seldom what comes about.
”

The wind
ruffled
the shock of dark brown hair falling across his forehead. Smiling, Annabella reached up and pushed it from his eyes. Then she drew her fingers down along his strong jaw.

“
My darlin
g Seabrook,
”
she murmured, stifling her giggles.
“
Your
grandmother
might well have been describing
you
.
”

Jon
’
s eyes
flared with warmth
as he captured her hand
in
his. He said nothing, just held her gaze as though speaking a silent language. Annabella
’
s blood
heated
and her lungs squeezed against her chest.

A child jostled past, startling her and restoring her wits.
How had she forgotten the sheer number of people
surrounding them
?

“
May I show you
about
?
”
asked Jon softly.

“
Please
.
”
Annabella accept
ed
his arm.

Her gaze darted all around the field
. So much to see!
Wooden benches had been scattered about the lawn — some close to the tents, others clustered in front of makeshift tables with groups of people eating and drinking. A number of
archers
shot at targets, with the
bystanders
cheering when they hit their mark and jeering when they missed. Barefoot children
chased
each other, laughing and playing and scooping up
spent
arrows
from
the ground.

“
Goodness
!
”
S
he frown
ed
at the bedlam.
“
Does no one worry about accidentally shooting a child?
”

Jon coughed and hid his expression behind a stroke of his chin.
“
In the case of some of them, I should think they
’
d be considered good for moving target practice.
”

Annabella stared at her husband, shock rendering her speechle
ss. But his obsidian eyes were dancing with the laughter he held inside. She slapped her hand against his chest.
“
You…
”
she murmured, leaning close,
“
…are at
least
as bad as Gran.
”

He winked and then motioned toward the refreshments.
“
Would you care
for
a drink?
”

Annabella
’
s throat
was
dry.
“
Yes, please.
”

Jon offered her his arm and they headed toward the festivities. Several people greeted them as they strolled through the crowd. Some of them smiled at her, others
simply nodded
. One man seemed to bore a hole through her, he
stared
so hard. She averted her gaze, but when she stole a glance back in his direction,
he
was still staring.

“
Smile, my lady. Everyone here will adore you.
”
Jon stroked his thumb over her knuckles and ended with a reassuring squeeze.

Annabella looked at Jon, forgetting the strange man, and forced her lips into a tentative smile. These people had no knowledge of her true identity. They wouldn
’
t associate her with the Duke of Wyndham. To them she would simply be Lady Seabrook.

They stopped at a small tent with several barrels
clustered about
the entrance. A strong aroma that seemed to be both sweet and sour clung to the air. Annabella couldn
’
t recall
ever smelling
anything like it
, but
the scent did tantalize
.

A curvy
serving girl
wearing a brown dress made of sturdy cloth stepped up to them and curtsied.
“
Good day, my lord. What can I be getting
’
y
e
?
”