Page 48 of A Troublesome Circumstance

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then I do not know. But for now, I would rather hear more about this… gamekeeper.”

At the mention of Jude, Josephine felt warmth flood her cheeks. “He was the man who saved me,” she revealed.

“I gathered as much,” her mother replied, a knowing smile touching her lips. “But the way you speak of him… it sounds as though he was quite handsome.”

Josephine hesitated, her fingers tightening around the reticule that still held the muff pistol. “He was,” she admitted. “Very much so. But more than that, he was kind. He found me in the woods, tended my injury, and brought me safely to the Duke of Ashmoore’s estate. I would not be standing here without him.”

“Then we must see that he is properly rewarded,” her mother said firmly.

Josephine shook her head. “I already offered to compensate him, but he refused.”

Her mother’s brows drew together thoughtfully. “Then perhaps the Duke of Ashmoore can be persuaded to see him recognized for his service. Leave it to me.”

Before Josephine could protest further, a knock sounded at the door. Dupree glided across the hall and opened it, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered man with silver hair and a kind, weathered face.

“Uncle Leroy!” Josephine breathed, just as his expression broke into visible relief.

“My little poppet,” he exclaimed, crossing the threshold in three strides. He wrapped her in his arms before she could utter another word. “Thank heavens you’re safe. You must never scare me like that again.”

The familiar scent of tobacco and well-worn leather clung to him, and Josephine closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to breathe it in. For the first time in days, she felt something close to home.

Leroy eased back but kept his hands on her shoulders. “What happened to you, Child? Why did you leave the veranda?”

“I didn’t leave of my own accord,” she said, meeting his gaze squarely. “I was abducted by Mr. Broderick.”

Her uncle’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. “I’m going to kill that man.”

“You most certainly will not,” Josephine insisted, managing a faint smile. “I couldn’t bear to visit you in Newgate.”

“How did you escape him?” he demanded.

“I jumped from the moving carriage,” she said simply.

His brows shot up. “You what?”

“I leapt before it overturned,” she explained, a hint of pride in her voice. “Then I fled into the woods, where a kind gamekeeper found me. He brought me to the Duke of Ashmoore’s estate and saw to it that I was safe.”

Leroy exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little. “A blessing indeed.”

“It was,” Josephine agreed softly. “But I am home now. Safe.”

“Thank heavens for that,” her uncle said, pulling her into another brief embrace. “I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you. I promised your father I would look after you as if you were my own.”

Emotion caught in Josephine’s throat, and for a moment she could only nod. The world might doubt her, her brother might scorn her, but here—in her uncle’s arms and under her mother’s watchful eyes—she finally felt believed.

Her uncle dropped his arms and took a step back. “I do apologize for arriving as I did, but I have been watching from my study window for your coach to come up the street.”

“I am so glad that you did,” she responded.

Leroy turned to her mother, concern carved into the lines beside his mouth. “Are you well, Diane?”

Her mother gave a brave, tired smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I am rather fatigued, but nothing that a little rest won’t remedy.”

“Then I shall take my leave until dinner—unless you are too tired this evening,” Leroy offered.

“You are not getting out of dinner with us so easily,” Lady Redden insisted.