Page 11 of A Temporary Bride for the Duke

“Are you sure?” Lydia asked anxiously.

“Yes. Go. Your father is frowning impatiently, and Lord Delamere is looking all too eager.”

Lydia snorted. “That chinless wonder? He’d better be enthused. Aside from his wealth, he has little else to offer,” she whispered with a grin.

Daisy shook her head, pushing her friend towards the Viscount. “Go. I shall see you shortly.”

Lydia waved a hand and then sauntered over to her father. Daisy watched her leave before turning away with a sigh and heading for the trees. Whatever excitement she’d felt about seeing the balloons was long gone. She’d come here to escape her problems and ended up running right into them.

The crowd thinned as she sought a secluded place to regroup. Daisy wandered away from the thatched umbrellas that dotted the pavilions. She veered away from a group that was clustered around a server holding a tray of refreshments. Even though Daisy had only been to Vauxhall Gardens once before, she knew that if she tried, she might find a spot where she could rest and get away from others.

Daisy followed a bend in the pathway and was busy deciding which way to turn next when she heard the sound of a boy talking loudly.

“Hullo, there,” the child said as he grinned beatifically. “Shall we play a game?”

He could not have been older than ten years old, and his voice carried all the sweetness of a lilting melody. The child’s chestnut hair grew a little too long and unruly. The wind ruffled the locks as he stared up at a large cart-horse tied near a supply tent.

She frowned, looking around in an effort to find a parent or guardian. The boy was a little too well-dressed to be a stable hand or groom. He continued speaking to the horse with his right hand outstretched and a look of wonder in his warm browneyes. He did not seem to be in immediate danger. The horse was calm and tolerant of his touch, but Daisy was still worried.

What is he doing all on his own?

“I’ll wager he ran away from his guardian,” Daisy murmured to herself.

She had five sisters, all of whom were married with their own children. She’d been present a few times when one child or another ran away from their nurserymaid because they had become distracted by some shiny thing.

The carthorse was certainly not shiny, but itwouldcatch the attention of an inquisitive child.

Daisy took a step closer, opening her mouth to greet the child when there came a loud boom, and fireworks exploded above them in a kaleidoscope of color and sound.

Daisy jerked in surprise. She knew the air balloon was supposed to launch soon, so she had not anticipated an accompanying fireworks display, especially since it was still daylight.

The boy looked up at the sky, his mouth agape. But the horse startled, reared up, and whinnied in fear. The beast’s large hooves began pinwheeling in the air. Daisy gasped and dived for the boy, towing him away just as those hooves landed with a thud, exactly where he’d been standing a moment before.

Heart racing, Daisy pulled the boy to her side. “Are you all right?” she asked with a shaky voice.

The boy nodded, clutching her skirts as if he would never let them go. Daisy got to her feet, grabbing the still-agitated horse’s ropes and speaking softly to him. “It’s all right. Just some fireworks,” she said soothingly as she tried to settle the horse.

It took some time to stop it from trying to trot away as the beast pulled at its tether and whinnied nervously.

“Is he angry at me?” the boy asked.

“No, no, he’s just afraid. The sound terrified him.”

“You mean the fireworks?” the boy asked, peering at the horse from behind Daisy.

“Yes. The fireworks, the lights, and the noise.”

“Itisrather frightening,” the boy agreed.

Daisy turned to him. “You’re safe, don’t worry. Do you see, the horse has calmed down now?”

The boy took a peek and then nodded in agreement.

“What’s your name?” Daisy asked.

“Lord Harry Foster, at your service, my lady.”

Daisy smiled at him. “What a proper young man you?—”