Page 6

Chapter Six

“ S o, sisters,” Wilhelmina chimed in from the doorway. “When were you going to tell me that dear Marianne had an encounter with a lord in the woods?”

Marianne had been sitting by the window, watching the late afternoon light cast delicate shadows across the room when Wilhelmina appeared. Her mind, once at peace, had been unsettled by the hunt and its implications for both the stag and the man who had killed it.

The poor stag.

And him .

Her thoughts had faltered, and the tranquility she had found was gone. She’d fidgeted with her dress, the mud on the hem a reminder of the hunt, of the man—of everything .

Both she and Victoria had to change.

Elizabeth sat nearby, humming softly, but Marianne could not tell if the quiet comfort of the moment was real or a facade, a brief illusion before their world fell apart again. Their father would never let them find peace, not with his plans for their futures.

While Elizabeth embroidered, Serafina played with a ball of yarn, both appearing blissfully unaware of the storm brewing overhead.

Marianne’s mind, however, was still on the rifle shot that had pierced the air, and the feeling of helplessness that followed.

Apparently, the Duke had caught the stag.

Yes, according to the staff’s whispers, the man Marianne had encountered in the woods was a duke .

She’d jumped in front of a duke’s rifle.

Just her luck.

And men like him, who hunted and killed animals that had never wronged them, were celebrated. She wished Serafina didn’t have to witness it.

But it wasn’t just the hunt that troubled her.

It was him . The man in the woods, his gaze heavy with intent.

It made something tighten in her chest, a warmth she couldn’t explain.

She dismissed it as curiosity, though she knew better.

In Grisham Manor, company was scarce, and their father hardly counted.

“An encounter?” she echoed, sounding totally offended. “You make it sound like I arranged a tryst! I was merely there to fetch Victoria. And defend that beautiful stag from that brute.”

“I know how much you love animals, Marianne,” Wilhelmina relented. “However, don’t you think you are being too hard on him? What do you think he should be doing during a stag hunt?”

Marianne had no answer for that, nothing that would not give rise to another question from her sister anyway. She should be the one telling the story, but Victoria had taken it upon herself to do so.

“Even so, why do you think I was there in the woods? And why was the little miss there, too?”

Wilhelmina sighed. “Victoria will be the death of all of us,” she complained.

“It’s true,” Marianne agreed. But she also remembered the terror of not finding her sister quickly.

There were so many dangers in the forests, even if their twelve-year-old sister seemed capable enough.

The wild animals.

The guns.

Their father.

“I am also curious, Marianne,” Elizabeth said softly. “Do you know who the mysterious lord was? Could we identify him when we join the guests? If we are allowed, that is.”

“Listen, my dear sisters. I am merely grateful that we have our sister back safe with us. The encounter, as you call it, was nothing but an accident. I ended up in a quiet part of the woods, thinking that our sister would keep away from the hunt and watch it from afar.”

“A quiet part of the woods is certainly where couples meet for trysts,” Wilhelmina teased.

“Y-You can’t possibly think—” Marianne spluttered.

Wilhelmina shrugged. “I don’t know what to think. I am bored, but at the same time, I know that seeking any kind of happiness in this family would undoubtedly be punished by our father,” she said, sobering a little.

“The real question here is would the lord tell Father about the incident,” Elizabeth volunteered, looking worried. “He’d seen you out there in the woods, Marianne. He also saw Victoria. None of us was supposed to be there.”

Elizabeth was right. Marianne’s blood ran cold at the thought of the lord complaining about the Grisham sisters frolicking in the woods. He would have been especially annoyed by the fact that she had interrupted his shot.

“Oh, no,” Wilhelmina blurted. “The lord must not have been too happy about missing the stag. Perhaps you should have kissed him in exchange for his silence!”

“Wilhelmina! Seeing how loyal these men are to Father, or anyone of their own sex, you’d think he would keep even that a secret? He’d probably say it was my idea,” Marianne protested.

Even if such a thing had occurred, Marianne would deny everything, but her father would never believe her. Of course, he’d take the side of his fellow noblemen.

“Then what if this lord tells Father about you and Victoria?” Elizabeth demanded to know. She often needed reassurance.

“Even if he does, I will handle Father,” Marianne promised.

Elizabeth nodded uncertainly while Wilhelmina looked down at the floor. Serafina was content nuzzling Marianne’s feet.

“If he must take his frustrations out on me, then so be it,” Marianne said quietly, her voice steady. “But I won’t allow him to hurt any of you again.”