Page 18 of Never Beguile a Duke (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #30)
At least, that’s what Winifred assumed the girl said; Miss Juliette mashed all the words into one without taking a breath.
Nora peeked into the corridor, rubbing a faint line of worry etched across her forehead. “Ah! Winifred. I was concerned you might still be on the floor.”
“How is Mother?” Winifred asked, pushing the door open wider and peering into the dim room.
“She’s still sleeping.” Nora dropped her gaze to Miss Juliette. “I wish I could go with you, but one of us needs to stay until my stepmother wakes.”
“Is she going to live?” Miss Juliette asked, twisting her fingers together.
“Yes. Because of you,” Nora replied, tapping Miss Juliette on her nose.
Beaming, Miss Juliette turned and floated down the staircase.
“Miss Wilmington.” Pulling the door closed behind her, Nora curtsied. “I’d invite you to spend the morning with me, but I believe sledding outweighs just about every other option.”
“And, as honored as I would be to receive your invitation,” Miss Wilmington mirrored Nora’s curtsy. “I’d be forced to decline, as refusing my previous engagement would cost me a hair ribbon.”
“A hair ribbon?” The line returned to Nora’s forehead, and her eyes slid to Winifred. “Why would Miss Wilmington pay a hair ribbon to forego sledding?”
“No reason.” Winifred tilted her head, grinning, and wrapped her arm through Miss Wilmington’s. “Come, we mustn’t tarry. I’m not certain where the stables are located, and if we lose Miss Juliette, we’ll spend the remainder of the morning searching for her instead of sledding.”
Thankfully, Nora didn’t chase them down the staircase, though her scowl expressed her disapproval at the idea of Miss Juliette gambling again.
Miss Juliette rushed toward them as they reached the base of the steps, slipping on the slick foyer tiles and grabbing hold of the banister post to prevent herself from crashing into Winifred’s legs.
“I feared you may have changed your mind,” Miss Juliette panted, her hazel eyes filling with tears.
“Certainly not.” Winifred released Miss Wilmington’s arm and sat on the third step, bringing herself eye level with the young girl. “My sister is disappointed she cannot accompany us this morning, and to offset her absence, she’s also volunteering a hair ribbon to the winner.”
Unsure of Miss Wilmington’s character, Winifred prayed the woman wouldn’t call attention to the tiny falsehood.
Instead, Miss Wilmington sank beside Winifred and said, “Before we depart, perhaps you should verify there are no guests in the parlor who’d like to participate.”
“Me?” Paling, Miss Juliette took a hesitant step backward.
“As the sole remaining host, the duty falls to you to entertain the guests,” Miss Wilmington replied, then she leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin. “Imagine how many ribbons you could win.”
With a whoop, Miss Juliette took off running toward the parlor.
She burst into the room, her exuberance ricocheting into the foyer.
A mixture of ‘ayes’ and ‘nays’ responded to her indecipherable, staccato question, and one minute later she emerged with Miss Braddock, her fiancé, the Duke of Lennox, and the Duke of Mansfield, an addition Winifred found most peculiar.
“Your Grace,” Winifred curtsied to the Duke of Mansfield, “I’m surprised the suggestion of sledding appealed to you.”
He offered a stiff bow in return. “I lost several hands of cards to Mr. Braddock last night, and my tithe is assuming his place as his sister’s chaperone for the whole of the day.”
Leading Miss Braddock across the foyer toward the main door, the Duke of Lennox scowled at the Duke of Mansfield and muttered, “I would have preferred Mr. Braddock’s company. You have been irritable since breakfast.”
“Solely, because I find myself at the mercy of your whims.”
“We’ll relieve you,” Miss Wilmington said, adding a curtsy. “If His Grace prefers to remain inside the residence, Miss Fernsby-Webb and I can act as chaperones, and then you can resume your duties upon our return.”
The Duke of Mansfield’s dark gaze flicked to Miss Wilmington, then slid from the top of her head to her feet and back. She didn’t shrink from his inspection; instead, she stood as still as a statue, patiently waiting for him to speak.
“I appreciate your offer, Miss Wilmington.” He inclined his head. “However, you should know from your previous encounters with me that I don’t foist my duties onto others.”
“Then, I suppose you’re racing for hair ribbons as well?” Miss Wilmington’s eyes twinkled.
“What other reason is there?” he replied, earning a giggle from all three ladies, excepting Miss Juliette, whose wary gaze locked on him as she hovered on the opposite side of Miss Braddock.
“How is your mother?” Miss Braddock asked, retrieving a fur-lined pelisse from the coatrack near the front door.
Winifred grabbed the smallest greatcoat from the same rack and passed the garment to Miss Juliette, who seemed pleased by the idea of wearing attire three sizes too large.
“Mother slept through the night without incident,” Winifred replied, buttoning Miss Juliette’s coat, then retrieving a pelisse for herself. “And though I’m grateful for Miss Venning’s invaluable assistance, I shall feel much more at ease after His Grace returns with the doctor.”
She didn’t mention the second guest the Duke of Beaufort intended to transport back to his residence or how her heart raced when she imagined facing Mr. Hollingsworth for the first time since her arrest.
Grateful for the morning’s distraction, Winifred yanked open the front door and led the group through the snow to the stables. Upon entering the warm building, they discovered there were not enough sleds available to accommodate every person.
Before someone could excuse themselves, Miss Juliette said, “We should ride in pairs. I select Miss Fernsby-Webb as my partner.”
The Duke of Lennox selected Miss Braddock, leaving Miss Wilmington to ride with the Duke of Mansfield, and the six of them trekked south from the stables toward a large hill.
Dragging the heel of his boot across the top of the hill, the Duke of Lennox created a starting line in the snow, then he pointed at a wooden fence post, roughly ten feet beyond the base of the hill. “The sled that passes that post first is the winner.”
With Winifred holding the rear of the sled, Miss Juliette climbed onto the front, crossed her legs, and tucked her skirt beneath her feet, ensuring the material wouldn’t become entangled with the runners.
“When the Duke of Lennox yells to start,” Winifred said as she crawled onto the back of the sled and assumed the same seated position, “dig your hands into the snow and push forward; we’ll get an extra burst of speed.”
Miss Juliette nodded and curled forward, her fingers hovering over the ground.
“Go!” When the Duke of Lennox shouted, three toboggans tipped forward, sliding down the hill at an alarming rate.
Yanking the steering rope, Winifred maneuvered their sled into the lead, cutting off Miss Wilmington and the Duke of Mansfield. Behind them, Miss Wilmington screamed, her shriek followed by a muffled thud.
Winifred peeked over her shoulder, discovering Miss Wilmington and the Duke of Mansfield tangled together near the top of the hill, their riderless toboggan heading for the back of Miss Braddock and the Duke of Lennox’s sled.
“Watch out!” Winifred waved her arms, attempting to garner the Duke of Lennox’s attention.
He twisted around, swore, and jerked the rope, steering himself and Miss Braddock out of the path of the runaway sled and into a small snowbank, burying the front end of their toboggan.
“We won!” Miss Juliette said, glancing back and clapping her gloved hands together. “I knew you were the correct partner to select.”
One of their runners struck a buried rock, sending them careening toward a large grove of beech trees.
Winifred grabbed Miss Juliette to keep her from falling when the sled picked up speed.
As she struggled to maintain their balance, Winifred reached for the toboggan's steering mechanism, but her fingers found only air.
“Where’s the rope?” Winifred’s hands frantically searched for the cable. “We need to turn before we get closer to those trees.”
“I don’t know.” Miss Juliette’s voice cracked as the sled’s momentum increased, the curved front of the toboggan aiming for the base of an ancient beech. “What do we do?”
Winifred wrapped her arms around Miss Juliette and hugged the young girl tight against her body. “If we strike one of those trees, you’ll be gravely injured, and your father would never forgive me for allowing any harm to come to you… Therefore, I’m going to hurt myself.”