Page 73 of A Temporary Bride for the Duke

She worked her reins so that her horse pranced onto the strategically placed stones and got to the other side with no mud touching either of them.

“Well done.”

She turned to see that Edmund was following along on the side of the track. She looked away quickly.

I’ve no desire to see him…

But then, she peeked in his direction, for Daisy could not fool herself. The Duke nodded encouragingly at her, and her heart broke when she glimpsed the smile on his face.

Daisy harumphed loudly, then turned in her saddle so she could ignore her partner entirely.

The next hurdle was a bump in the road, which the horse was meant to jump over ideally without unseating her. Daisy wasn’t worried. She’d done just such a maneuver plenty of times.

She held onto the reins and tensed, ready for the jump, but then she felt something beneath her shift and the next thing she knew, the horse was jumping, and she was falling. She managed to roll away in time to escape getting trampled by the horse’s hooves, but she knew it had been close by the screams from the crowd.

Then Edmund was sliding to a stop beside her, managing to do what she’d been avoiding before and splatter her with mud.

“Daisy! Are you all right?” he asked frantically, feeling her body for breaks.

“I’m…fine. Just a bit shocked is all.”

“Can you stand?”

She thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I think so.”

He helped her to her feet, keeping an arm around her waist as he led her off the track. “We’ll forfeit the round if I don’t finish.”

“Forget the game, Daisy. If you’re hurt, it doesn’t matter.” She could not help feeling a bit gratified by his concern.

He led her off the track towards a bale of hay and sat her down on it. She was glad to see that this secluded spot was away from the main crowd. Her fall had been embarrassing, and she did not wish to share her humiliation with anyone other than Edmund.

“I saw that buffoon Dulforth leaving the stables and marching in your direction before the competition. I should’ve taken his appearance as an ill omen and been on the alert,” Edmund said as he examined her leg for any swelling. His hands were on her calf, and her ankles were showing. She was doubly glad there was nobody else around to see. “I think he must have cut your saddle.”

“There’s no way to prove that definitively,” she said quietly.

“I know.” He looked up at her, his jaw tense, his fists clenching so tightly the knuckles turned white. “He cannot get away with this. He must pay?—”

Daisy’s heart sank. She knew if Edmund retaliated in any way, Dulforth would carry out his threat to report her father’s misdeeds to the town gossips. “Please don’t. It’s not necessary. No harm’s been done.”

“Daisy, he tried to hurt you?—”

She shook her head. “Please. I don’t want any trouble. I am fine now. I’d truly rather we just let it go.”

She leaned forward an inch, and he lifted his head until their lips were just a breath away from each other. She stared into his eyes, and he stared back.

His lips parted, and she felt his warm breath on her skin. He mouthed her name, and she almost whimpered in response.

There was a shuffling sound close by, and they both pulled back, Daisy’s cheeks heating in further mortification.

“I’m sorry,” they both murmured at the same time.

Edmund drove his aunt home after the races. She’d been informed of the possible sabotage of Daisy’s saddle and had seen fit to cancel the challenge, telling all participants that any attempts at cheating would result in disqualification.

There was some disgruntlement from a handful of players and claims of favoritism. Lady Archworth had declared that, as it was not fair to the other players to simply disqualify them all from the challenge, each team would receive a single point for the day.

Edmund was fine with the compromise, but Daisy left early. Miss Kerwood informed them that Daisy felt guilty about causing so muchcommotion, and she needed to leave.

Since that moment, Edmund had done nothing but think of Lady Daisy. He wished, most ardently, that she had told him how she felt and allowed him to take her home in his carriage.