Rescued by a Duke (10 page)

Should she focus on the man's severely protruding two front teeth, or the fact that his wispy hair stood straight up toward the enclosure's ceiling? Surely some bird would like to build a nest there.

Garrett stood, stepping between Sasha and their guest. Lord Phillbush kept trying to lean over so he could get a look at her. Every time he tried, though, his unwieldy body almost toppled. The whole endeavor seemed to leave the man out of breath.

Garrett crossed his arms and sighed. Was he resigned to the fact the lord wasn't leaving until he met Sasha? "Lord Phillbush, may I introduce Miss Douglas?"

Lord Phillbush giggled.
Actually giggled!
Sasha bit her lip again. At this rate, while trying to keep from laughing at the man, she'd wear a hole in her lower lip. He waddled around Garrett and bent in a low bow in front of Sasha. His long, thin strands of hair, and not an abundance of them, fell forward and dangled toward the floor. Sasha bet anything Douglas the cat would love to bat at them like string.

"Miss Douglas, it's a pleasure." He tried to unbend and stand up straight, but seemed to be stuck in that position. Out of the corner of his mouth he whispered, "A little help, your grace?"

Garrett rolled his eyes and reached down, grabbing the other man's arm. Giving a good yank, he righted Lord Phillbush, almost causing him to sway in the opposite direction.

Sasha sputtered a laugh, covering it by pretending to cough. "A-and it's my pleasure as well, my lord. Pray forgive me for not curtseying. I'm afraid my leg is injured and my balance is still a bit off."

Garrett eyed Lord Phillbush. Was he making sure the other man wouldn't fall over? "Miss Douglas is just… visiting."

Phillbush donned his hat, finally at least hiding his wayward strands of hair. "Visiting? How nice. I don't believe I've made your acquaintance before." He grinned, looking like a bucktoothed jackrabbit. "And believe me, I would have remembered someone as lovely as you, Miss Douglas."

"Um… thank you, my lord. Yes, I'm…"

Garrett indicated Sasha. "She's just… visiting. A family friend."

Phillbush lifted both bushy eyebrows, which forced his hat higher on his head. A hank of hair escaped from beneath the hat and floated in the breeze as if waving at her. "A family friend, you say?"

Sasha gasped. If Phillbush believed her to be a
friend
of Garrett's, then he might think her more available to
him
.

Garrett darted a glance toward her. When she widened her eyes at him, he lifted his eyebrows. "Miss Douglas is staying here while… her mother is undergoing treatment at Bedlam."

Lord Phillbush continued to smile gleefully at Sasha, as if he'd like to devour her on the spot. Garrett had said the lord was looking for a wife. It seemed to matter not to him that her supposed mother had gone
mad
. Wouldn't he be concerned that madness might run in her family? Either that, or he wasn't listening to Garrett. And if he'd heard of her presence here from Lady Johnsing, it also did not appear to bother him that an unchaperoned woman was staying with the duke.

She swallowed hard. He stared at her with a goofy look on his chubby face. She wasn't sure where to look. There must be somewhere.
Anywhere
. A movement to her left… It was Douglas.

Sasha sighed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Here, kitty." She wiggled her fingers down close to the floor. Douglas trotted over to her and leaped up on the swing, purring and rubbing his head against her hand.

"Ahhh!"

Garrett swiveled around toward Phillbush. "My lord? Is something amiss?"

His face was pale as he pointed toward Douglas. "It's a ca-ca—"

Garrett raised one eyebrow. "A cat. Yes, that's correct. Douglas is in fact a
cat
."

"B-but I-I…"

Sasha stared at the man. What on earth was wrong with him? Why was he sweating?

"I'm s…s…"

Garrett frowned. "Sorry. Didn't quite catch the last."

"Sensitive!" Lord Phillbush spun on his heel and bolted across the enclosure. Forgoing the stairs altogether, he leaped from the enclosure to the ground, tripped over his own feet, and rolled like a large pumpkin in a hat across the lawn. He only stopped when he bumped into his carriage wheel. Jumping up, he climbed into his carriage, yelling at his horses to hurry.

In his haste, Lord Phillbush had forgotten to collect the reins, which hung uselessly from the horses' bridles. One horse angled its large head around and peered at the man in the carriage. Finally seeming to ascertain the problem, Phillbush lunged forward and grabbed the reins. He gave them a snap, and the horses took off in a trot.

Sasha stared after the retreating lord. "Goodbye," she called. "It was lovely to meet you!"

She inhaled, bottling in the laugh that threatened to burst forth from her mouth. Garrett's lips were pressed together, his eyes opened wide. He hurried toward her and collapsed on the swing as they both laughed until nearly breathless.

Sasha leaned forward and petted the cat. "Thank you, Douglas. You saved me from a fate worse than death by getting the poor man to leave!"

****

Garrett's gloved hands were warm on Sasha's waist as he helped her into the curricle. Was it not sweet of him to escort her for an outing? As much as she loved staying in his beautiful home, she had missed being out of doors, even though she did enjoy sitting in his rose garden. She settled beneath a light blanket for the ride as Garrett climbed up beside her. The groom assisted Maryann onto the rumble seat.

Sitting so close to Garrett, images, unbidden, floated across Sasha's mind. They were holding hands, Garrett's fingers entwined with hers as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. Leaning close, they shared body warmth and hugged, pressing close together, their breath coming in quick gasps. Inhaling his scent, she sighed as he angled his face toward hers. He smiled and then his lips pressed softly against hers and increased the pressure as he—

"—don't you think?"

What?
Sasha widened her eyes and peered at Garrett. What had she missed? He'd asked a question, obviously, but she had no clue as to what it had been. She shrugged her shoulders, hoping the warmth on her face was from the sun and not redness from embarrassment. What could she say? "I… don't know?"

Garrett raised one eyebrow. "You don't know if it's a lovely day?"

"I…" Her entire body warmed. She wished she'd been paying attention.

He chuckled, as one side of his mouth rose in a grin. "Never you mind. It seems you needed to escape the confines of the house more than I'd realized."

Sasha sank lower in her seat. He must think her a dolt. A quick glance over her shoulder toward Maryann showed the maid biting her lip. Was she holding back amusement? Sasha would have to pay better attention to what was happening in front of her, rather than dwelling on wonderful, enticing daydreams of her and Garrett, his hands caressing first her face and then her neck. Her tilting her head to the side when he placed tiny kisses from her earlobe to her—

"… isn't it?"

She whipped her head toward Garrett. She'd done it again! Sasha shrugged and nodded, hoping it an appropriate reaction to his question. Garrett raised both brows this time and turned his head back toward watching the road in front of them.

Sasha, determined to pay attention, grasped her gloved hands together so tightly an involuntary squeak emerged from between her lips.

"Pardon?" Garrett tilted his head.

Sasha cleared her throat. This wasn't going well. "I… you see…"

"Yes, you definitely needed to experience more than the inside of my house." He flipped the reins, signaling the horses to increase their speed. Sasha settled back into the seat, glancing around her for the first time. A stream of carriages traveled the Great West Road toward the city. The people in the carriage in front of them nodded and smiled. But the passengers in the carriage behind them did not.

As they passed a large private coach pulled by four matched black horses, Sasha caught a few words from the fashionably dressed ladies inside.

"… who she is?"

"Why is she with Ravensworth?"

"… servant…"

Sasha swallowed against a lump in her throat. Were they talking about
her?
She darted a glance toward Garrett. His eyebrows were lowered and crimson colored his face. Was he angry on her behalf? He cleared his throat, but kept his focus straight ahead. His jaw clenched in a hard line.

As they passed Kensington Gardens, the line of carriages grew heavier, forcing Garrett to slow the horses. A group of sparrows flitted about a row of bushes along the side of the road. Large towering trees swayed in the light breeze, their leaves twisting as if in a dance. Sasha pulled the blanket a little higher on her lap. Not from cold, but for comfort. Why were people so rude? And it's not as if they'd ever even met her to have an informed opinion.

But what bothered her more than their words about her was what effect it might have on Garrett. She hadn't been bothered by what others might think of her staying in Garrett's home, but maybe she should have taken it more seriously. She had no wish to be the cause of a smudge on Garrett's good name. Was he now regretting he'd brought her out for the carriage ride?

Something touched her shoulder. Startled, she glanced behind her. Maryann squeezed her shoulder once, then released it and glanced away. Warmth filled Sasha's heart and she sighed. Maryann must have heard the offensive words, too, and offered comfort. Such a sweet woman. Sasha was blessed to have crossed paths with the thoughtful maid. And Garrett. What would have become of her if he hadn't found her in the well? And even after that, when he took her into his home and cared for her every need?

The horses' hooves clip-clopped along the street. Uneven ground had the four in the carriage bouncing around a little. Sasha bumped into Garrett's shoulder. When she glanced up at him, his mouth turned up at one corner. Yes. Definitely a blessing, the day he'd rescued her.

He slowed the carriage, guiding the horses to angle over onto the grass along the side of the South Carriage Road. Beautiful ladies in gorgeous dresses carried white parasols against the bright sun along the adjacent footpath. Men in black hats accompanied them, walking arm in arm, or with fingers lightly at the small of the ladies' backs. What would it be like to live in Mayfair and be able to visit Hyde Park regularly? Surely it would never become tiresome. Did the people who were fortunate enough to be able to spend time here appreciate the tall trees? The singing birds and babbling Serpentine?

"Sasha?"

She glanced around. Garrett had already climbed down from the carriage. What he must think of her! If caught woolgathering much more, he might think her daft. She smiled and stood as he reached up to help her down. Maryann was next, grasping the groom's hand to step safely to the ground from the rumble seat.

Garrett held out his arm to Sasha. "Shall we? We won't go far, and we'll walk very slowly. The physician said to walk a little when you can. Just hold onto my arm. If you tire, please let me know."

"Yes. Of course." She looked around. "The park is quite lovely, is it not?"

He nodded. "I have not been here… in quite a long time. Not since we were children and my brother and I and…"

She tilted her head. Why would that be? Was it because he was so busy with overseeing his estate? He was a busy, important man, after all. Sasha shrugged. The downcast look in Garrett's eyes saddened her. What could be the reason? Would anyone notice if she touched his hand with hers? Offered him comfort?

Glancing around the park, she changed her mind. No. She could not do that. There were several people close by. By their dress, apparently all were wealthy. It would be unseemly to ask such a personal question in public. What if someone overheard her? She needed to watch her words and actions around others. Like it or not, she would be a reflection on Garrett's character for as long as he allowed her to stay under his roof. She had no wish to tarnish his good name.

Maryann followed behind them, a proper chaperone for their outing. Sasha almost pitied the woman. Because truth be known, the maid and Sasha were in the same class. If Garrett had allowed Sasha to work for him as she'd wanted, she certainly would not be here at this park, or on Garrett's arm. And even more, if he had not rescued her, she would not be here.
At all.

Determined to enjoy the day for the gift it was, Sasha tilted her head back slightly, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. Would it not be wonderful if she and Garrett were a couple, strolling along, heads together in shared conversation? Laughing at the antics of someone's child playing at the Serpentine's edge? And what if they were married, and the child they watched was—

"Good day, your grace."

At the man's words to Garrett, Sasha widened her eyes and lowered her head, embarrassed at not having been paying attention. When would she learn to control her wandering thoughts?