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J uliana tamped down the hurt that had risen at Felix Davies’s thinly veiled censure.

Why had his words stung her? She’d tried to learn to ride sidesaddle, but it felt too unnatural and foreign.

But it would seem, even the modiste’s elegant riding habit, the design guided by Mama and Honoria, wasn’t enough to keep the wagging tongues at bay.

Try as she might to make her family proud, or at least not embarrass them, she failed miserably.

How did she ever think she would fit in with society and all their silly rules and judgmental attitudes?

People like Lord Felix made it clear she would never be accepted as one of them, not that she needed him to point it out.

Like her attempts at riding sidesaddle, pretending she belonged among the ton felt alien, as if she were wearing someone else’s skin.

Victor had been a dear to come to her aide. But she worried that, like Honoria and Drake, he would also be an innocent casualty of any repercussions. Sounds of his horse rejoining her drew her attention to him.

He leaned toward her and whispered, “That was bloody brilliant.”

Both the grin on his face and his words lifted her spirits. “Such language, Victor!” She laughed, hoping he knew she didn’t mind at all.

“Forgive me.” His own tone implied he wasn’t the least bit sorry.

They followed Drake and Honoria, riding in companionable silence for a while when Dr. and Mrs. Somersby approached, accompanied by three children, all of them also on horseback.

Juliana tilted her head in their direction. “Is that the boy called Pockets Lady Montgomery spoke of?” Blond hair poked out from beneath the boy’s cap, and one hand gestured animatedly as he spoke to the younger girl on his left.

“I believe it is,” Victor answered.

An older girl of about ten-and-four rode on Pockets’s right, her dark curls bouncing in rhythm with the horse’s gait.

As the family stopped to exchange pleasantries with Drake and Honoria, the girls nudged their horses forward toward Juliana.

“Hello,” the older girl said. “You’re riding like my papa,” she said, a smile in her voice.

Juliana smiled at the child, who sat straight and tall in the sidesaddle. Thank goodness the girl wouldn’t receive the derision Juliana faced after she made her come-out into society. “I’m afraid I didn’t learn to ride sidesaddle as you are.”

“I’m Victoria, but everyone calls me Tori,” she said, her incredible blue eyes sparkling. “I like your riding habit. It’s pretty.”

“Thank you, Tori. I’m Juliana, and I’m very pleased to meet you.” She turned toward the younger girl. “And what is your name?”

“Eva.” The girl’s dark eyes darted up to meet Juliana’s, giving her a shy smile before returning her attention to her hands.

Eva appeared to be no more than five or six, and she glanced nervously over to her brother who had remained with the adults. “Pockets.” The need in her soft voice tugged at Juliana’s heartstrings, and a commotion from someone yelling in the distance swallowed the girl’s cry.

“I’ll get him for you, Eva.” Tori’s gaze met Juliana’s. “This is Eva’s first outing on her new pony, and she’s a little uneasy. Pockets calms her.”

Tori rode over to where the rest of the adults, including Victor, huddled together on the path.

Snippets of the conversation drifted over to Juliana as she caught Simon’s name, and Dr. Somersby’s enquiry as to his health.

Juliana shot a nervous glance toward Victor.

Simon didn’t want anyone to know about his ongoing fight with malaria.

But Victor seemed distracted, his attention turned toward shouts coming from farther down the path.

Dark shadows passed over them, and Dr. Somersby glanced up, his voice a little louder. “Looks like rain.”

No sooner than had he spoken the words, than lightning flashed, and a roll of thunder followed.

Shouts in the distance grew louder. “Out of the way! Out of the way!” a man’s voice cried. People on foot, in carriages, and on horseback scrambled to clear the way. But Eva’s eyes widened and locked on Juliana’s, the message clear. The girl was terrified and didn’t know what to do.

Eva’s horse shifted, its hooves stamping the dirt and its nostrils flaring.

Oh, no!

Well acquainted with a horse who became spooked, Juliana reached for the pony’s bridle to steady it. But before she could gain purchase, a man on horseback shot past them.

Eva’s horse bolted, taking the girl with it. Without a second thought, Juliana jumped into action, racing after the runaway horse. Hoofbeats pounded behind her, no doubt Dr. Somersby, Drake, or Victor also in pursuit.

Juliana leaned forward, bending low over Sunshine’s neck and rising enough to avoid her bottom pounding against the saddle. People gawked and shouted, their faces a blur as Juliana raced past, and Eva cried out for help.

Finally, neck and neck with the pony, Juliana managed to get close enough to grab the reins from Eva’s hands, and slow the pony to a halt. Moments later, Dr. Somersby and Drake appeared at their sides.

“Thank God.” Dr. Somersby vaulted off his horse and swooped Eva into his arms, lavishing her face with kisses and hugging the child so tightly, she cried out.

“Papa! Papa! You’re crushing me.” Yet she clung to Dr. Somersby’s neck as if it were a lifeline.

“Well done, brat.” Pride shone in Drake’s eyes.

Victor was next to arrive, followed by Honoria, Mrs. Somersby, Pockets, and Tori. Every one of them gazing at her as if she’d hung the moon and stars in the sky.

“Huzzah!” Pockets shouted.

“Juliana, that was marvelous!” Honoria exclaimed.

“I wish Manny could have seen that,” Tori said.

Tears brimmed in Mrs. Somersby’s eyes. “How can I ever thank you, Miss Merrick?”

“No thanks are necessary, Mrs. Somersby. I was simply the closet to Eva.” Juliana peered over at the child still clinging to her father. “Are you all right, Eva?”

The child nodded, her face pressed cheek-to-cheek against her father’s. A much wider smile crossed her lips. “You saved me.”

“You have an admirer for life, Miss Merrick,” Dr. Somersby said. “In fact, I believe you have five.” His gaze darted to Victor. “Or six.”

Uncomfortable with the attention, Juliana brushed off the compliments. “Really, Dr. Somersby, I’m only glad I could help.”

“Call me Oliver and my wife, Camilla.”

Camilla nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Whatever you wish, Juliana, say the word, and if it is in our power to grant it, it shall be yours.”

“Your friendship is more than enough. I’ve always wanted a little sister, so perhaps Eva—and Tori—could be my sisters in spirit, much like Honoria is my sister by marriage.”

“Hey, what about me?” Pockets complained.

“Well, I have a big brother.” She peeked at Drake. “But it would be nice to have a brother who didn’t tease me mercilessly.”

Drake laughed.

“I want a riding habit like Juliana’s,” Tori said.

Victor, who had been silent during the exchange, smiled. “That’s an excellent idea, Miss Victoria. I dare say it was Juliana’s ability to ride astride that helped her move as quickly as she did and stop Miss Eva’s horse before a calamity occurred.”

Oliver and Camilla examined Juliana’s riding habit as if only first noticing she was riding astride.

“It does seem more sensible,” Oliver said.

“Goodness, such a gallant rescue.”

Juliana peered over Drake’s head at a somewhat familiar voice. Lord Felix trotted up to them.

Where had he come from?

“I could hardly believe my eyes when you raced past me like a hound on the hunt, Miss Merrick.” Lord Felix yawned, the action adding to his bored tone. “Here I was enjoying a chat with Lord Highbottom and?—”

“Shouldn’t you be with Miss Whyte?” Victor veritably growled the question.

Lord Felix waved it off. “If you’re referring to when you saw me with Miss Whyte earlier, I was merely sharing some pleasant gossip for a moment.”

“ Pleasant gossip?” Juliana asked. “Gossip is never pleasant, sir.”

“Oh, it’s all in good fun. However, dear madam, since you find gossip distasteful, let us hope you haven’t provided fodder for those who spread it.” His gaze homed in on her position on Sunshine.

Drake moved his horse between her and Lord Felix. “Careful, Davies.”

Fat rain droplets dotted the ground and dampened Juliana’s clothing. Drake turned his back on Lord Felix. “Come, Juliana, the day has turned foul, but let us hope the rain will wash away the stench.”

With Drake in the lead, their little group departed. And although Juliana had no regrets about stopping the runaway pony, she worried she had, once again, drawn unnecessary attention to herself and, by extension, brought embarrassment on her brother.

She turned toward Victor, who appeared deep in thought. “Have I made a muck of it again?”

His head jerked back, a furrow creasing his brow. “What? No. No. You were magnificent, and anyone who fails to recognize it is a nodcock.”

Warmth spread through Juliana’s chest and settled low in her belly at Victor’s words. As they rode in silence, she wanted some small way to repay his kindness, and she remembered their conversation about his passion for painting.

Two days after the eventful day on Rotten Row, Victor sat in the drawing room of his parents’ home, scouring the scandal sheets for any derogatory reports regarding what had transpired. First, he scanned The Town Tattler , snorting with laughter at a particular on dit .

Has Lord FD discovered a way to mend his “broken heart” by courting Miss LW? This reporter wants to know!

Victor had no great love for any gossip rag, but although identities were easy enough to decipher, at least The Tattler didn’t use full names. Unlike The Muckraker.

Turning to the aforementioned abomination next, Victor’s gaze snagged on the mention of Juliana, his body straightening in his chair.