Save a Horse, Ride a Viscount

by Valerie Bowman

  She’d spent the night tossing and turning in bed—as much as her broken leg allowed—thinking on it. Ewan was a gentleman. He wasn’t about to kiss her. It would be completely improper. Oh, did he even want to kiss her? She thought she’d read it in his eyes, but perhaps she was being ridiculous. Perhaps it hadn’t been a spark of longing that had leaped between them as they’d whispered together after dinner. Perhaps he had merely been doing his best to keep his friend’s identity a secret.

  And he’d told her the secret. That said something. Oh, she may have heard about it and asked, but she could tell he’d been telling the truth when he’d told her that he’d already been planning on asking for her help. The look in his eyes had been sincere.

  Her heart hurt when she thought about Phillip, the injured soldier, the would-be duke, who hadn’t spoken a word in months. Just like Mama. Phillip had basically been trapped in his rooms here. She’d never seen him leave. In fact, she probably never would have seen him at all unless she’d gone knocking on his door.

  She had to admit that it felt good to know that Ewan trusted her enough to tell her such an important secret. The intrusive young woman he’d met the night she’d broken her leg in his stables would never have wrestled a secret from him. She knew that much to be true.

  Meanwhile, she had yet to hear from her brother. She must have written Anthony half a score of letters and hadn’t received a single reply. It was unlike Anthony to ignore her. She was beginning to wonder if he’d taken ill, or perhaps he’d gone to London and the letters hadn’t caught up to him yet. But it had been days. Surely, he would have received one of them by now.

  A knock on her door startled her from her thoughts. “Come in,” she called, smoothing a hand down her middle.

  Ewan opened the door and stepped inside. “Good morning, my lady.” He bowed.

  “Good morning, my lord.” She inclined her head to him in return.

  He was dressed in buff-colored breeches and a dark blue coat with a white shirtfront. His cravat was tied negligently about his neck. Black boots completed his ensemble. Why did the man have to be so handsome?

  “Are you ready to meet Phillip?” Ewan asked next.

  “Yes, indeed.” She shook her head in an attempt to clear it of thoughts of Ewan’s hooded blue eyes.

  Ewan stepped behind her and began pushing her chair toward the door. Giles, who had been waiting in the hall, held the door open and allowed Ewan and Thea to enter the corridor.

  Ewan turned to the left and pushed the chair all the way down the long corridor, past a turn, and down another long corridor to the other wing of the house. Apparently, Rosalie had been correct. Phillip was hidden away in his own wing.

  “Phillip has a set of rooms,” Ewan explained as they went. “A bedchamber, a dressing room, and a sitting room. I’m taking you to the sitting room, of course.”

  Thea nodded. But she was looking forward to meeting Phillip. Was he confined to bed? Was he comatose? Ewan hadn’t mentioned details of his illness.

  When they came to the end of the second long corridor, Ewan stopped in front of the first of three remaining doors. He cleared his throat before knocking. There was no answer. They waited for several seconds before Ewan said, “I always give him a bit of time before entering.”

  Thea nodded.

  Giles, who had accompanied them, opened the door and Ewan pushed Thea’s chair inside.

  If Thea was expecting a dark, dank room filled with the smells of ether and laudanum, what she found instead was a brightly lit room with the curtains pulled back from huge windows and everything in place, orderly and freshly cleaned. While her own rooms were decorated in a decidedly feminine fashion, Phillip’s rooms were masculine with dark blue finishes and paintings of foxes and hounds. It was all as finely appointed as her own room, and the scent of lemon wax and starch hung in the air.

  After her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming through the lovely sitting room. she finally saw Phillip. Far from being confined to a bed, he was dressed impeccably in buff-colored breeches, a blue coat and white waistcoat and white shirtfront and cravat. His clothing looked much like Ewan’s. Phillip wore black boots and was sitting at a table, staring out the window. He looked perfectly healthy, but Thea knew better.

  At Ewan and Thea’s entrance, Phillip turned his head. From across the room, Thea couldn’t exactly tell, but she thought she saw a flicker of something—what?—flash through his eyes. Was he surprised to see another a guest, a female at that? Had Ewan told him she was coming?

  While Ewan rolled her chair to the other side of the table, Giles rushed ahead and moved the existing chair out of the way so Ewan could push Thea’s seat up to take the space.

  “Phillip,” intoned Ewan in a subdued, even tone. “May I introduce you to Lady Theodora Ballard. She is a neighbor.”

  Phillip stared silently at Thea and she inclined her head to him.

  Ewan barely paused. “Lady Thea, this is my friend, Phillip. He’s a captain in his Majesty’s army.”

  Thea acted as if receiving no surname during an introduction was perfectly normal. But she and Ewan had agreed that Thea would not mention Phillip’s family or his future title. “A pleasure to meet you, Sir,” she said.

  “I thought you might enjoy a lady’s company for a change, Phillip,” Ewan said next. He turned to grab the chair and sit with them when Thea lifted a finger to stop him.

  “I hate to be rude, my lord,” she said to Ewan, “but will you please leave us alone?”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  After the door shut behind Ewan, Thea rolled herself even closer to the small table that separated her from Phillip. She leaned across the table as best she could, placing her arms atop it and contemplated Ewan’s other house guest.

  Phillip had dark blond hair and green eyes. He was certainly young and handsome, but pain was obvious in the lines on his face. The man had been hurt, and not just physically. The slightest start of wrinkles touched the corners of his eyes and anguish was etched on either side of his mouth. He was too thin, and he looked quite … unhappy. Her heart immediately went out to him. Here was a man who was lost. The thought came out of nowhere. She immediately resolved to befriend him.

  She leaned forward and in a conspiratorial whisper, she said, “It’s nice to meet you, Phillip. I just discovered last night that Lord Clayton has more than one patient hidden in his house. Why, the man is practically running a secret hospital.”

  Phillip blinked at her and remained silent, but she could have sworn she saw the flicker of humor on his face.

  She watched him expectantly for a few moments before shrugging and saying, “It seems you and I are in somewhat of the same boat at the moment. That is to say, we’re both guests of Lord Clayton while we recuperate. As you can see, I have broken my leg. The details of which I shall spare you. But I will say that it happened under excruciatingly embarrassing circumstances. Quite a tale, I assure you. Perhaps a story for another day if you’re feeling up to it sometime.”

  She stared at him expectantly again. He stared calmly and silently back. The man might be ill, but he was certainly not comatose as she’d feared. He was awake, alert, and staring directly at her. Whatever was wrong with him, she had the distinct feeling that the reason he wasn’t speaking was entirely by choice, not because he lacked the ability. That was interesting.

  She tried to get him to speak by enticing him with the story about how she’d come to be a guest here. That hadn’t done it. She needed something more compelling. She glanced about. She needed something that was interesting enough to get him to ask questions.

  “Lord Clayton told me that your stay here should remain a secret, and you have my word that I shall keep it. But I must tell you … I have a secret too.”

  Thea spent the next fortnight having breakfast with Phillip every day. Her mention of a secret had not enticed him to speak that first morning, but that didn’t stop her from trying something new each day. The second day Phillip
said nothing while she spoke at great length about her life at her Father’s house. The third day he said nothing while she spoke at great length about Maggie and all the antics they’d got up to together over the years. The fourth day he said nothing while she spoke at great length of her mother and Anthony. The fifth, sixth, and seventh days, Phillip remained completely silent while she told him the details of her stay at Clayton Manor. The eighth through the thirteenth day, Phillip watched her quietly as she showed him the tricks she’d learned regarding how to maneuver her wheelchair.

  It wasn’t until the fourteenth day that she spoke of Alabaster. And it was after discussing the matter with Mr. Forrester, whom she’d met at dinner with Ewan the night before.

  Thea waited until breakfast had been served and the footman had retreated to stand near the wall. “Remember the day we met, I mentioned I had a secret to tell?” Thea began.

  Phillip stared at her silently as usual.

  “Well, you’re obviously too much of a gentleman to ask,” she continued, “but I’ll tell you just the same.” She took a deep breath. “You see, I deserved to break my leg.”

  She stared at him expectantly for a few moments before continuing. “The truth is that I sneaked into Lord Clayton’s stables not once but three times.” She paused to see if that would elicit a reaction, but Phillip just blinked at her. “In the middle of the night.” Another pause.

  Nothing.

  “I had a very good reason to, of course,” Thea continued. “You see, Lord Clayton stole my horse.” She glanced at Phillip again, hoping that strange-sounding bit of news might finally convince him to speak.

  “All right, very well. He didn’t steal my horse. He won it, at auction. But I’d sent my brother to buy the horse and Lord Clayton had the audacity to bid a ridiculously high amount of money. A small fortune, I tell you.”

  Phillip just stared at her.

  “He’s the most beautiful horse in the world, however. An Arabian, from the finest bloodline. His name is Alabaster.”

  Phillip’s head snapped up and a ragged sound emerged from his throat. He cleared it and tried again. “Alabaster,” he said in a rough whisper.

  Her heart pounding, Thea nodded and smiled. She wanted to laugh and clap her hands, but she knew she needed to remain calm. “Yes. Alabaster. He’s a gorgeous horse. You should see him sometime. He’s living in Lord Clayton’s stables. He’s absolutely perfect.”

  “Alabaster,” came Phillip’s whisper again.

  “Would you like to see him?” Thea prompted. She reached out and patted Phillip’s hand that lay on the table in front of him.

  He nodded.

  Thea nodded too. She knew from speaking to Mr. Forrester that she should leave well enough alone for the day. The fact that Phillip had actually uttered a word, not once but twice was a huge accomplishment. He would no doubt be strained and tired afterward. She should make her excuses and leave so he could rest.

  “Excellent,” she said, drawing back her hand. “Let’s plan to go out to the stables and visit him one day this week.”

  A sharp rap on the door interrupted them. “Come in,” Thea called knowing it could only be one of the servants who knew they were there or Ewan himself.

  Maggie came rushing in the door. A look of relief washed over her face when she saw Thea sitting at the table under the window. “There you are my lady. I’m awfully sorry to bother you, but you’ve just received a letter and I knew you’d want to read it immediately. It’s from your brother.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “He’s not coming to get me!” Thea announced in a voice that was rising with panic. Her hands shook as she held her brother’s letter. Thea had quickly made excuses to Phillip and rushed back to her room where she could read her letter in private.

  Maggie made her way to Thea’s side and hovered over her shoulder to look at the letter. “What do you mean he’s not coming to get you?”

  Thea scanned the letter again to ensure she hadn’t misread. She had to have misread. There was no possible way Anthony would ignore her pleas to take her home and leave her here to rot. She’d already been here for over a fortnight. According to Dr. Blanchard she may have to remain for up to four more weeks. Anthony couldn’t leave her here all that time.

  “Here, you read it.” She thrust the letter toward Maggie.

  Maggie grabbed the missive and swiftly read aloud.

  Dearest Thea,

  I hope this letter finds you well and that your leg is healing properly. As to that, Father has informed me of the dire circumstances involved if we were to move you in your current condition. I visited Dr. Blanchard in town myself and he has confirmed what Father said. I will stay away and not visit as I’m told that you’re in the house secretively and not accepting visitors. I look forward to seeing you when you return. Please do not be cross with me.

  Yours most sincerely,

  Anthony

  Thea grabbed the letter from Maggie and glared at the offensive thing. “‘Please do not be cross with me,’” she mimicked. “What other way would I be? Why? Why would he do this to me? I explained the situation to him. I told him he could be ruined. Father could be ruined. Does he not care? I even wrote him and explained there’s a maid who knows I’m here and already told me about Phillip. I even told him you’d resorted to drugging me. I’ve already been here far too long.”

  “I only drugged you once,” Maggie pointed out, rolling her eyes. “Besides, your brother is worried about your leg.”

  “He should be worried about my reputation. And his!”

  “I agree with you, Thea, but if Anthony won’t come, it seems you’re out of options.”

  Thea feverishly glanced around the room. “I am never out of options as long as my brain is functioning. Get me a quill and some vellum. If Anthony refuses to come to my rescue, I shall just have to write to Uncle Teddy in London. He’ll be worried about my reputation. I’m certain of it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Ewan paused outside Phillip’s door. He’d been about to knock, but he could have sworn he heard a man’s voice coming from inside. A man’s voice talking and … laughing? No. That couldn’t possibly be true. He listened for a few more moments and heard it again. First, the sound of Thea’s bright voice met his ears and then a voice he hadn’t heard in years—Phillip’s voice—replying in kind with a definite chuckle.

  Had Thea somehow managed the impossible and persuaded Phillip to speak after only a fortnight with him? Ewan had to find out for certain. He knocked quickly and then entered the room. Thea was sitting in her wheelchair near the windows. Phillip was sitting at a small table near her and they were in fact, smiling.

  Their gazes swung to Ewan.

  “Good morning,” Ewan muttered, feeling like a complete horse’s arse for barging in on their private discussion.

  “Good morning, Lord Clayton,” Thea replied with a bright smile. “It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?”

  Ewan’s gaze remained locked on Phillip. His friend tipped his head to the side and said, “Good morning, Clayton.”

  Ewan swallowed the lump in his throat. His friend had just spoken his first words to him in all these months.

  “How are you feeling?” Ewan continued. The idiotic question seemed to burst from his mouth.

  “I’m feeling quite fit,” Thea replied, still grinning. “And I’d venture to say Phillip is too. Aren’t you, Phillip?”

  Phillip nodded. “Indeed, I am, Lady Thea.”

  Ewan’s gaze flipped back and forth between the two of them. He stared at them both in wonder. They were acting as if this were any other day and nothing at all was amiss. Well, Ewan wasn’t about to put an end to the camaraderie. He, too, intended to act as if this was just a normal day. He didn’t want Phillip to feel uncomfortable.

  “In fact,” Thea continued. “Phillip was just saying that he would like to see Alabaster now.”

  Ewan wasted no time scrambling to get both Thea and Phillip out to the stable
s. He employed both trusted footmen to help carry Thea and her wheelchair out. Phillip walked alongside them.

  The moment Phillip entered the stables he made his way to Alabaster’s stall. He petted the horse and spoke to him softly. He rubbed Alabaster’s head, petted his nose, and fed him an apple.

  Ewan quietly pushed Thea’s chair to the far side of a nearby stall to give Phillip and the horse time to reacquaint themselves.

  As soon as Ewan stopped the wheelchair, Thea said, “Help me to stand, please. I want to watch Phillip and Alabaster together.”

  Ewan quickly complied, offering his arm to Thea as she pushed her way to stand on her good leg. Then he lifted her carefully in his arms and set her down next to the stall railing. Thea leaned against the thick wooden rail for support. She was able to see Phillip and Alabaster from there.

  “I must admit that you’ve amazed me, Thea.” Ewan said moments later as he watched Phillip yards away petting the fine horse.

  “Amazed you?” she replied with a laugh. “How?”

  “You’ve done what I could not do. You’ve somehow managed to convince Phillip to speak and to leave his bedchamber.”

  “I didn’t do much. Phillip was ready to do those things. You’ve taken excellent care of him, Ewan.”

  “He hasn’t said a word for months. Not until you began meeting with him.”

  “Do you want to know the truth?” Thea asked

  “By all means.”

  “I don’t think Phillip’s injury was physical as much as mental,” Thea replied.

  Ewan frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  “I’ve spoken to Mr. Forrester. If Phillip’s brain had been damaged, he may not have been able to speak when he chose. I think he was merely waiting for the right time. My presence has provided that.”