‘I could have been standing in a sea full of women this evening and still noticed only one.’
‘Mrs Gargrave?’
‘Is it so obvious?’
He chuckled and bent down suddenly, ignoring the pain in his leg as he scooped her up off her feet and into his arms.
‘Lance!’ She squealed in surprise as he spun her round in a circle. ‘Your leg!’
‘Has it fallen off?’ He adopted a look of mock horror. ‘We’re in a tricky situation if it has. I may be forced to drop you.’
‘Don’t be silly.’
‘Then let me worry about my leg.’
‘All right.’ She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder, snuggling into the space beneath his chin. ‘Will you tell me what happened to it—your leg, I mean?’
He froze mid-step. ‘I told you, I was injured in a duel.’
‘You never said what the duel was about.’
‘No.’ He lowered her gently to her feet again, though he kept his hands clasped tight around her waist. ‘Although I did say you wouldn’t like me very much if I did.’
‘It’s a risk I’m willing to take.’ She looked up at him pleadingly. ‘Won’t you tell me now, Lance, please?’
He sighed and rested his chin on the top of her head, gathering her closer towards him. ‘I think I’d prefer it if my leg really had fallen off.’
‘It might make you feel better to tell someone.’
‘I doubt it.’
She pressed her face into his chest, though her muffled voice sounded distinctly guilty. ‘I asked Martin when we were in Scotland.’
‘And?’ He found himself holding his breath.
‘He wouldn’t tell me.’
‘Good.’
‘He did tell me that you were a good commander, though. He said that your men would have followed you into battle without question.’
‘Lucky we were in Canada then. There weren’t many battles.’
‘And that you saved his life. He said he fell down a rock face and you carried him ten miles to safety rather than abandon him in the wilderness.’
‘It was easy terrain.’
‘He said it was a forest full of wolves and bears.’
‘You know he’s always exaggerating.’
‘Stop joking.’ She gave him a small shake. ‘You still saved his life. And whatever your duel was about, Martin didn’t abandon you afterwards. He must not think what you did was so bad.’
‘Only because he thinks he owes me a debt. He doesn’t. He was my batman. It was my duty to get him back to safety.’
‘That’s not what he says. He says there were half a dozen of you in the scouting party and the rest told you to leave him behind.’
‘All that proves is that I’m stubborn. It doesn’t make me a hero, Violet.’