AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There he is,” Marcus muttered, feeling his own sense of fury beginning to return. He pushed the horse hard toward the lake, appearing beside Sherborne ,who looked up and nearly jumped back into the water in surprise. Marcus pulled the horse to a harsh stop, making the horse’s head rear back to the sky as it neighed loudly in complaint at the sharp movement. “You! Sherborne, you knew, didn’t you?”
“Ah…” Sherborne said, his body falling still. “I see you have discovered her secret, at last. I wondered how long it would take you.”
Flummoxed by the words, Marcus clambered down off the horse, throwing the reins over a nearby tree branch and marching toward the valet.
“Did you set this up?” Marcus asked, striding forward. “Did you encourage her to do this? Hide as a man! All for what possible purpose?” He reached out as though he would grab the valet’s jacket in anger, but Sherborne escaped, jumping back this time so that he truly did fall in the water, with the level reaching up to his knees.
“Me? I didn’t do anything!” Sherborne said.
“You knew, though, didn’t you? Did you put her up to it?” Marcus strode forward into the water, reaching for the valet again. Sherborne tried to run backwards but failed miserably. He tripped on the rocks beneath the waterline and fell under the water. “God’s wounds!” Marcus muttered, trying to get a hold of his anger.
When Sherborne didn’t jump straight back up above the water, Marcus realised the problem.
“You can’t swim?” He reached down under the water and grabbed the valet, pulling him above the water again. “Put your feet down.” Sherborne spluttered, coughing up some water before he lowered his feet to the bed of the lake. “You didn’t have anything to do with this?” Marcus asked, watching as Sherborne’s face grew red.
“No! I simply tagged along.”
“What does that mean?” Marcus asked, lifting the valet so that he was stood out of the water and pushing him to the safety of dry land.
“By the time I met her, she was already dressing as a man. I came across her in Covent Garden as a thief tried to steal from her. The rather girly squeal gave away her identity, without me having to try too hard to discover it.” Sherborne snatched his jacket away from Marcus’ grasp and sat down on a nearby rock. He tore off his jacket before wringing it between his hands, trying to draw the dregs out of it.
“I don’t understand,” Marcus said, finding his body still struggling to be calm. He wasn’t sure what he was more furious about. Was it his father’s presumption to marry him off to Lady Helen? Or was it the fact that Lady Violette was gone, and she had deceived him so easily? “You just came across her?”
“Yes.” Sherborne threw down the jacket and began to snatch off his boots, pouring water out of them and wincing at the sheer amount that came out. “Like I’d have the chance to be a valet any other way? She gave me a chance, my lord. I liked her. I thought it was bold what she was doing, courageous. Rare thing to find, so my mother says.”
“Courageous?” Marcus repeated in wonder. “What was the deal then? You pretended to be her valet, were paid and kept her secret?”
“Sort of,” Sherborne said with a wince. “I did also do many duties of a valet. Even though I didn’t help her with the dressing.”
“Well, I’m relieved to hear that much!” Marcus whipped his head away and ran his hands across his face, trying to sort things out in his head. “You said she was courageous. What did you mean?” he asked, without looking back to Sherborne.
“She wanted to leave her old life behind,” he said much calmer now. Marcus lowered his hands from his face, thinking on what Lady Violette had said just after she had kissed him, about how it all started to escape her home. “She wanted freedom. Who couldn’t admire that?”
“Freedom? Some freedom. Dressed as someone she was not. Hiding in another’s name. Why did she come here then?” Marcus asked, flicking his head back round. “Some ulterior motive? She must have needed money. Did she come here for that…for money?” he asked, dreading hearing the answer. He’d been so devoted to his friend, hearing that she had been there to try and get money out of him would have torn him apart.
“No!” Sherborne said, throwing his boot down to the ground with as much anger as Marcus had felt minutes before. “You were not part of the plan, but oh well, that happened anyway. Even when I advised her it was the most foolish thing to do.”
“You told her to stay away from me?” Marcus asked in wonder.
“Of course, I did!” Sherborne said hurriedly. “It was a foolish risk to take, for you could have discovered who she was, but she did it anyway.”
“Why? Why did she take it?”
“Because she fell hopelessly in love with you, you fool!” He baulked at his own words. “I mean, she fell hopelessly in love with you, my lord.”
“I’m a fool?” Marcus asked, not sure he could even deny it.
“Well, you were so blind not to notice that she helped you in pursuing another woman, even though it broke her heart in two. She was willing to do anything for you, and now everything has gone wrong. She’s gone, and I don’t even know where.”
Marcus stepped away, letting the words sink in. Lady Violette was indeed gone.
