Page 61 of Pursuing a Duke
“No wonder we received more attention than I expected,” Andrew said as he indicated riders up ahead.
“Is that Caldwell with Lady Beatrice?”
Andrew burst out laughing. “I knew he was sweet on her. Let’s say hello.”
“This is quite a shock seeing you two together. And in public, no less,” Andrew said with a crooked grin as they rode up.
“I had no idea we would cause such a stir,” Caldwell said with a cunning grin.
“You did this on purpose?” Emmeline said, shocked.
“We did.” Caldwell glanced at Lady Beatrice, his brown eyes alight with mischief. “I mentioned the other night that I would help Lady Beatrice in any way she needed me, and to my utter surprise, I received a missive this morning from her asking for my help. Lord Hartford refused to send word to the press about breaking the betrothal. But I believed that if Lady Beatrice accompanied me to the park it would give the gossips something else to spread, including the dissolution of your engagement.”
“Please accept my apologies for my parents’ behavior of late,” Lady Beatrice said, looking pale. “My mother should never have gone to the gossip rag and supplied them false information, and for that I am very sorry.”
“I accept your apology even if you did nothing to warrant censure,” Emmeline said with Andrew agreeing.
Caldwell glanced at Lady Beatrice and smiled. Emmeline could never remember seeing Caldwell look as besotted as he did now. “I asked Lady Beatrice if I could court her—for real—right before you joined us, and she said yes.”
“Congratulations,” Andrew said. “I’m very happy for you both. I knew there was a mutual attraction between you two the other night.”
Hearing the conversation, Emmeline experienced a sudden lightness in her chest, and for the first time in days, air flowed freely through her lungs.
Lady Beatrice blushed. “Caldwell caught my eye at the first ball of the Season. However, many people told me he would never settle down, so I concentrated on Baron Godfrey. I even believed myself in love with Godfrey. What a fool I was. Then when the scandal happened, I thought my chances with Caldwell had ended.”
“Do your parents know?” Andrew queried.
Lady Beatrice squirmed in her saddle. “No, but they will soon, as gossip flies faster than a honey bee. And I don’t care what they say. My father will be pleased that I’m courting James, but Mother... well, needless to say, my relationship with her has suffered, and I no longer listen to her.”
“Speaking of Lord and Lady Hartford,” Caldwell said, “I shall accompany you home and speak to your father. He dipped his hat. “Good day, Andrew, Emmeline. Try to stay out of trouble.”
Before either Andrew or Emmeline could respond, Caldwell, Lady Beatrice, and her groomsman returned the way they’d come. “Shall we continue?” Andrew asked with a genuine smile—the first she had seen on him in a while.
“Yes. I will enjoy our ride much more now that our lives can return to normal.”
He laughed. “Since when were our lives ever normal?”
She laughed along with him. “True. Although what constitutes normal?”
The deeper they traveled into the park, the thinner the crowd became. Suddenly a loud blast rang out as they approached an outcropping of dense shrubs and trees. Marigold froze in place, but to Emmeline’s horror, Andrew’s horse went up on his hind legs, came down, and took off with Andrew barely holding onto the reins.
She watched, her eyes wide, her heart constricting inside her chest as she urged Marigold forward. Then Storm suddenly stopped, throwing Andrew over his head.
“No, no, no!” Emmeline screamed while jumping off her horse and landing on her knees. She stood, pulled up her skirts, and ran. More screams penetrated her ears. The animal-like sound came from her. “Dear God, please don’t take him from me.”
Several gentlemen had circled around Andrew before she reached him. She shoved one gentleman aside and dropped to the ground beside him. She kept her eyes on his chest, afraid to see his empty eyes wide open in death. Sobs escaped her.
“Please stay back. He’s been shot. I was a surgeon’s assistant with the army. Let me help.”
“He’s... he’s alive?” Her eyes fell on Andrew properly, lying on his back, his eyes closed and blood spreading on his upper arm. “His neck... is not broken?”
“No. The only injury I see is the gunshot wound to his arm and a nasty bump on the back of his head. He is unconscious but very much alive.”
Emmeline scooched forward and cradled Andrew’s head in her lap. A moan broke from his lips, but his eyes remained shut. It was enough of a sign of life that her fears diminished somewhat, at least for the time being. But she would never be at ease until the person responsible for these actions was caught and punished. Several minutes went by as the surgeon’s assistant attended to Andrew, examining his arm and putting pressure on the wound with a handkerchief. “Luckily the bullet went straight through. Did anyone see where the shot came from?”
“Yes,” said a man Emmeline didn’t recognize. “They were apprehended.”
“Who?” she asked without taking her eyes off Andrew’s face, praying he would wake up soon.
