Page 65 of Winning Her Duke

“To a duke? And be hauled off to hang in front of Newgate? No. Besides, he didn’t do anything I didn’t want.”

Owen winced and shook his head.

“I’ve never been happier to see the end of a conversation. Here they come,” he nodded toward a group of horses coming into sight.

“Dante is in the lead,” she said excitedly, though she hoped Godspell was close by.

As they got closer, she was able to make out the horses better.

“Damn. Loiterer is gaining on Dante and Godspell is behind him. I can’t tell if he’s third or fourth,” she said and remembered her language when the two men beside her frowned in her direction.

“Not bad for the lad’s first run,” Owen said.

As the horses ended the race, Gia wanted nothing more than to go over to Hale and congratulate him for coming in fourth place. As Owen had said, it was a decent showing for the horse’s first official race. If Hale kept up with his training, he’d have a chance of winning at Epsom.

Not that she would be able to help.

Rather than go to him, she watched as the men around him patted his back and he offered smiles to the well-wishers. She caught his gaze for a moment, and he gave a brief nod before turning to someone else.

“Hmmph,” Owen said, or rather grumped. “I’ll go see to the carriage so we can leave immediately. It doesna look like this rain is going to hold off much longer. You’ll want to get out of here.”

“Yes. Thank you.” Though it wasn’t the rain that had her wanting to leave. It was the proof that her friendship with Hale was officially over. He couldn’t give her more than a nod?

They had shared so much in the last month. But one kiss—make that two kisses—and he could barely look at her.

“Let’s go,” she ordered and headed off in the direction of the carriage. She was done with this race, done with Hale, and done with men in general.

Chapter Nineteen

A few nights after getting back to London, Gia was shaken awake by Bess. Her room was still dark and she was muddled with sleep. She didn’t know what time it was, but it couldn’t yet be time to wake.

“You’ve received an urgent letter, miss,” Bess whispered quickly as she lit a lamp by Gia’s bed.

“What? What is it?”

“I’m not sure, but my guess is something is amiss, and the letter will explain it. Luther woke me so I could wake you. The rest of the house is still asleep. A footman from Roxburghe waits for your reply.”

Roxburghe?

Whyever would Hale send for her? He was no longer speaking to her.

Gia rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stared at the missive Bess had placed in her hands. She recognized the seal and snapped it immediately, to open the letter.

There were only a few words on the page and what little there were had been scribbled in a hurry. She held it closer to the light and squinted to focus.

Gia,

Please come. I need you. It’s Hera. She’s in distress.

Hale

Gia was out of bed and reaching for the shirt Bess held out for her.

As if instinctively knowing Gia wouldn’t want a gown, a pair of buckskins were thrust at her next. As she tugged them on, Bess braided Gia’s hair back and ran a cold cloth over her face.

And as Gia pulled on her boots, Bess packed a fresh shirt and trousers in a bag and handed them over. A few swallows of the tea Bess had brought, and Gia hurried from her room.

Only a few minutes had passed from the time she’d been woken until she was downstairs being helped into the waiting carriage by Hale’s footman.