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“ R oyce!” Shouted Helmsdon.

Jane screamed, spilling wine down the front of her gown.

Straining and bunching his muscles, the earl twisted, throwing himself sideways.

He came down on his left side, landing on his leg.

His face twisted in agony as pain shot up his leg.

Edward fell forward from the force of the earl’s movement to save him, his little body sprawling across Millicent as she landed on Royce’s chest. The earl’s breath went out in a whoosh, leaving him stunned and gasping.

Millicent screamed hysterically and batted at Edward, pushing at him.

"Get off, you little monster! Oh, you’ve smashed my bonnet!

It’s all your fault, you miserable brat!

” she sobbed, clasping the earl’s broad chest. The earl winced and gulped air, his head shaking negatively, though no words would come.

Edward scrambled off her. "I didn’t do anything!” he cried. His lower lip trembled.

“Of course you didn’t,” Jane snapped, her face white, her eyes glittering angrily. She grabbed Millicent by the arm and yanked her off the earl.

“Wha—Oh, my arm! Stop that; you’re hurting me!” Millicent wailed.

Jane ignored her, finally letting go of her arm when she was clear of the earl. Millicent landed smartly on her posterior and let out another screech. Jane gathered her skirts and crouched down next to Royce.

“My lord, don’t move,” she said earnestly. "Are you hurt?” She quickly scanned his body.

He nodded. "My ankle. Sprain, I think,” he rasped out.

“Let me see,” said Lady Elsbeth, coming up behind Jane.

"Jane, we need to get him to lie back. Put his head on your lap and support his shoulders. " She knelt next to him and began to prod his legs gently. With the marquis’s assistance, she carefully lifted one leg off the other, then straightened the left leg, which had taken the brunt of the fall. The earl stiffened, his face white. Jane bit her lower lip as she watched him stoically accept Lady Elsbeth’s ministrations.

“We’d best cut that boot off,” Lady Elsbeth said, raising her head to call out to Jeremy to fetch a knife.

“No!” protested Royce. "Pull it off.”

“But my lord, your leg is already beginning to swell.”

“Don’t cut the boot, damn it! Pull it off! I’ll not die, woman.”

Lady Elsbeth raised an eyebrow at his rough manner, then pursed her lips.

"Very well. Bertram, Edward, fetch cloths from the picnic hampers, then run down and dip them in the lake. We’ll need cold water to relieve some of the swelling.

Millicent, have Jeremy bring the barouche down here.

Sir Helmsdon, please help Jane hold Lord Royce down while John and I pull the boot off. ”

Jane’s eyes flickered upward at the use of Lord Conisbrough’s Christian name, but she did not comment. She felt Lord Royce’s muscles bunch as he prepared himself for the agony of having his boot removed.

Millicent opened her mouth to protest, then thought better of it. She flounced out of the Folly, meeting Jeremy halfway as he came to ascertain if there was anything he could do. Rudely she ordered him to bring the carriage about, then flung herself at her mother, sobbing of her aches and pains.

Serena requested Burry to bring her daughter a glass of wine to settle her poor nerves. "A fine mess you’ve made of this,” she hissed, perfunctorily patting Millicent’s shoulder.

“But Mama—” Millicent protested, her brown eyes wet with tears.

“Anyone can see he’s dotty for those boys. Probably out of guilt for the way he treated his son. You’d have done better to pretend a similar interest.”

“In those brats?!”

“Hush! Yes. Your behavior was disgraceful! You’ll never win Royce now. We’ll have to arrange another situation.”

Millicent brightened and sat up. "When?”

“Not until we’ve taken care of Jane. In the meantime, I want you to apologize to Lord Royce and Edward very prettily. Probably to your cousin, as well. Play up ill health, or whatever.”

Millicent slouched back, mutinous. "I told him I felt faint. That’s why I leaned on him.”

“Good. We’ll use that. Here’s Burry with your wine. Drink this, and then I want you to lie back here and look interestingly pale and wan. When we return to the manor, stay in your room for the rest of the evening.”

Down in the little temple, everyone was slowly relaxing. The earl’s boot was off. Carefully Lady Elsbeth wrapped the cold cloths brought up from the lake around the swollen ankle. Jane used an extra cloth to wipe away the perspiration beading on the earl’s forehead.

“I advise you to rest for a moment before we jostle you further to get you into the carriage.”

The earl smiled thinly. "At this point. Lady Elsbeth, I do not think I could do anything but rest.”

Lady Elsbeth rolled back on her heels and allowed Lord Conisbrough to help her to her feet.

She shook out her skirts. "I have some salves I should like to put on it when we get back to the house. They will help relieve the pain and take down some of the swelling. You will, of course, remain at Penwick overnight. Lord Conisbrough is welcome, as well. We shall send a groom to Royceland with a message to your people. They can send over anything you’ll need. ”

Lord Royce opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. He turned his head to look at Conisbrough. "Wellington could have used her on the peninsula,” he observed, faintly smiling.

Everyone laughed, the tensions broken. Lady Elsbeth blushed.

Royce struggled up on his elbows. "If I must get up sometime, we might as well get it over with.”

Helmsdon and Conisbrough each grabbed an arm and hoisted him up, then they put his arms about their shoulders and half carried, half led him to the carriage.

Lady Elsbeth got in first and instructed Jane to get in as well and sit opposite her.

"Do not try to get up on a seat, my lord. Just slide backward on the floor. The less weight you try to place on the ankle, the better.” She looked up at Conisbrough and Helmsdon.

"Please see that the others get back safely. Give them our apologies, of course. We’ll meet you back at Penwick,” she said, waving her arm at the groom and signaling him to set off.

At Penwick, two strapping grooms carried the earl into the house. Lady Elsbeth directed them to take him to the third bedroom in the ground floor family apartments. Jane looked at her quizzically.

“It is fortunate we had these rooms cleaned. The stairs would be much too difficult to maneuver,” her aunt responded.

"I agree. But won’t the others think it a trifle odd?”

“I am more concerned with Lord Royce’s speedy recovery than I am the glib tongues of our guests.”

Jane laughed. "Just remember the quote about gossip you copied in your journal and made me read.”

“Touché, my dear. It is always easier to preach than to practice. But what would they expect a man with a game leg to be able to do? Let alone wish to do, under the circumstances,” she said, a hint of biting humor coloring her words.

"I have to go to the stillroom for my salves. Would you please request Mrs. Phibbs to get some clean linens to wrap the ankle in? Then you’d best see about taking his lordship a large medicinal glass of port.

After the jarring the ankle has taken already, it will hurt when I touch it, but we have no choice. ”

“Lord Royce was correct. You would have been an able commander!” Jane wryly observed before she went off to do her aunt’s bidding.

The guests and the children arrived at Penwick as Elsbeth was preparing to slather one of her salves on the earl’s ankle.

Lady Serena insisted on visiting with the earl to offer her sympathies.

The rest of the picnic party followed, trooping through the small bedroom to see for themselves that he was not seriously hurt and that Lady Elsbeth could be trusted to bandage his ankle.

While their questions ruffled Lady Elsbeth, they served to amuse the earl.

Soon he was laughing and exchanging quips with the marquis and promising Sir Helmsdon he’d serve him a like turn.

Lady Serena came up beside her younger sister, her back pointedly to the earl. "Elsbeth, a word, please,” she said sotto voce.

“Not now.” Elsbeth turned toward Jane, who stood at the side of the bed cutting linen bandages. "Hand me that piece of cloth, would you please? I want to put it over the bedclothes before I put the salve on. This mixture stains dreadfully.”

“Elsbeth! This is important!”

“Then talk to me while I rub salve over Lord Royce’s ankle,” Lady Elsbeth returned, her attention on her work.

Lady Serena looked at her, disgusted. "I don’t think the earl should be in this isolated wing with you and Jane. It’s unseemly! He should be moved upstairs with the rest of the guests. Frankly, I can’t see why you stay down in this drafty old set of rooms. There are plenty of rooms upstairs.”

“Why do you want the earl upstairs?” Jane asked softly, not caring if her aunt knew she eavesdropped. She made a mental note to chastise herself later for succumbing to Jeremy’s failing. "Would it be so Millicent can conveniently walk in her sleep again?”

Lady Serena glanced disdainfully at Jane as if she were unworthy of notice. Lady Elsbeth looked at her sister and then at Jane. "Mr. Hedgeworth?” she asked, amused. She suddenly understood how Millicent had captured her husband.

Her sister’s nostrils flared, and her jaw grew rigid. "Don’t be ridiculous!” she snapped. She spun away and stood stiffly by Mr. Burry.

With mock gruffness, Lady Elsbeth shooed everyone toward the door so that she could bandage the earl’s ankle.

Ignoring her sister, Lady Serena folded her hands in front of her and sighed theatrically for the others' benefit. "Two invalids from an outdoor entertainment. I warned you how it would be, Elsbeth.” She was outwardly calm, but anger colored her words.

“Two?” Elsbeth repeated, puzzled.

“My poor dear Millicent is right now upstairs, alone, prostrate from the heat.”