“There is little point in this discussion, as Daniel has shown he has no wish to pursue me.”
“And yet in the water that night, he showed you different,” Dimity said softly before turning to look out the window once more, leaving Abby alone with several uncomfortable thoughts.
Chapter 24
Daniel was ill-prepared when the rain started. Hard, driving sheets of water that drenched him in seconds and sent chills down his spine.
He had not heeded his mother’s advice and rested to recover after his illness and now was paying the penalty. It was, he believed, late afternoon, and heavy waves of fatigue meant it was taking all his strength to stay upright in the saddle. He knew there was an inn nearby, as the man he’d ridden alongside for a few miles had informed him of that, but if he did not find it soon, he would end up falling from his horse’s back, never to be seen alive again.
A trifle dramatic perhaps, but he wasn’t entirely sure he had the energy to continue on much longer.
Urging his tired and wet horse on, he felt weak with relief as, squinting through the driving rain, he found lights in the distance.
“Nearly there, Syd.” The horse didn’t reply.
Unlike Oliver, Daniel liked to ride, and since the day the Hetherington twins had taught him, he’d tried to do so often. It was his preferred mode of transport, even though there were carriages available in the family.
As the rain poured down on him, he wondered how his family had taken the hurried note he sent to them that he was departing London the following day. There would be questions, of course. Kate would pry, his mother would worry, and Oliver would be angry.
He’d felt foolish after he’d calmed down. The long-held anger was childish, now that he actually allowed himself to think about that time in his life. He was a man now, and not the boy who had fought for his life most days after Oliver had left. He also knew his brother believed he’d done what needed to be done. As it turned out, his leaving had changed their lives. So why, then, was he so angry?
“L-let it go, Daniel,” he muttered as he rode into the courtyard of the inn. In fact, he didn’t know why he hadn’t been able to.
He had a business interest near Devon, which was why he had chosen this direction. A piece of land he had been wanting to inspect for some time. That, and there was a reaping machine he’d heard someone was working on, and it was nearing completion. This would make cutting and gathering crops a faster prospect, if indeed it worked.
Dismounting, he clutched the horse’s mane to steady himself, then led Syd to the stables.
“Good day to you, sir. Nasty night out there.” A man approached as he entered the building.
“Could you feed and c-care for my horse, please?” Daniel’s teeth were chattering now, and his head felt light. He feared that his mother’s prophecy that he’d end up sicker if he did not have a care was about to come to fruition.
“Indeed I will. You get on inside now, and my cousin will find you a nice warm bed and a meal.”
The thought sounded like bliss and galvanized him to run through the rain and into the inn.
“A r-room and a bath, please,” Daniel said to the man at reception. His body was now shaking. He thought longingly of the bed he’d left behind at his parents’ house.
He was rarely a fool, but today he had been one. He should never have left London in his weakened state.
“Of course. Come this way, sir.”
“F-food, and a hot b-beverage too,” Daniel managed to get out as the man hurried around the desk. Clearly he could hear the desperation in his voice.
“Take the stairs, sir, third door on the left.” He handed over a key. “I’ll see to your meal at once.”
He nodded, as words were beyond him now, then clamped his teeth together to stop them chattering. Suddenly he just wanted to sleep. Get under the blankets and fall into a deep slumber. His limbs felt heavy, and each step was an effort.
Climbing the steps, he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Reaching the top, he made his way left, counting doors. Before he could reach his, another opened and out stepped a woman.
“’S-scuse me,” he slurred, trying to navigate around her. The effort was great, but he knew that a warm bed was close, so he must achieve it.
“Daniel?”
Lifting his head seemed a herculean effort, but he managed it for her.
“Abby,” Daniel sighed, slumping forward into her arms.
“Dimity, Gabe!”
He had a vague memory of someone lifting him. The sound of loud voices, some male, others female, one definitely his Abby. Daniel sighed as someone tugged his boots off. He forced up a heavy lid and saw Lord Raine. He shut it again.
“It is no pleasure for me either, Dillinger, and yet I must get you warm or you shall surely perish.”
“Ch-charming,” he managed to stammer.
“He is chilled through and wet. It will cause him to suffer an illness if we do not make haste to get him warm,” Abby said. Clearly he was the him concerned but as everything was a bit hazy now, he couldn’t form a coherent reply.
“A bath must be drawn at once, and the fire lit. Heat a bed warmer also.”
“And brandy, bring plenty of that,” a male voice demanded, and Daniel would be sure to thank him, even if it was the earl, when he could.
“Leave now, Abby, as I will have to remove his clothing before we throw him in the bath.”
“You are not throwing him anywhere, Gabe.”
“Simply a term, sister. Now leave.”
He listened through a haze of fatigue as the discussion took place around him.
“Oh, for goodness sake. Come here behind the screen, Abby, and let your arrogant brother tend to Daniel.” A new voice
