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“Should I be perturbed, Your Grace? Surely, you did not ruin this young woman’s reputation?”
Theodore choked on the air in his lungs. “I did not ruin anyone, Perceval. I am much more responsible than that.”
“But I did see you in the garden with a young woman, Your Grace. The darkness prevented me from seeing her face, but you were in quite the difficult position.”
“You saw nothing. Besides, the woman was already married. I just took on her offer,” he lied swiftly. “I was merely offering help, you might say.”
Perceval cleared his throat loudly as they descended downhill. The day was losing its light already, and they were without game — not that Theodore took pride in his hunting skills. He hated it anyway but went with the hunting party because he liked being in the woods. It gave him time to be alone and think without being encumbered by papers to sign.
Theodore sighed, pushing thoughts of blame from his mind. He warned her beforehand what would happen if they were caught together. Surely, the girl had other plans of her own.
Does she want to ensnare me with nuptials?
He banished the cogitations in his mind. Theodore knew that if she wanted to trap him into marrying her, they would already be married. Besides, she wanted to marry a gentleman and be shipped off to the country. She had told him herself. Something else had happened after he left, and it was none of his business.
“There,” Perceval said, lifting his face eastwards.
“Have you found anything?”
His steward kept his lips sealed, nodding to answer Theodore’s question. He followed Perceval’s gaze slowly past the tree line and across the flowing water of the stream. Just a little across, he could see a buck grazing in the undergrowth.
Its coat was almost camouflaged with the color of the earth, partly invisible as it fed. When the deer raised its head, Theodore saw its ears perk up as if it was sensing danger.
“Your Grace, you may shoot it down,” Perceval said quietly, not wanting the animal to escape.
“I should?” Theodore raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps we should flank it on both sides. That should guarantee more success.”
“Your Grace, hunting should not be treated like the affairs of the estate. Any more unnecessary movements and the game will slip through our fingers.”
Theodore huffed a sigh and moved a little bit, his boots sinking through the moist earth. The deer’s head swiveled around, looking out for danger. Theodore felt his heart jump, and he froze, thinking it would find him and race deeper into the woods. When it did not run, he relaxed visibly.
He aimed, holding his breath. His hands trembled as he flexed his fingers with tension gripping him from all sides. Theodore stared at the deer, his breath slowing down. Perspiration broke out over his forehead as he recalled the same situation he had been with his father.
They went hunting together with Sebastian while Isadora was left to fumble through the watercolors. He enjoyed it at the time, but now that he was all alone, Theodore felt like he could not do it anymore.
“You have not held a gun in a while, Your Grace. Should I shoot this one down then we’ll hunt other deer on the path?”
“I am more than capable of keeping my own reputation as a good huntsman.”
Perceval nodded. “Your aim is off, Your Grace. Shall I help you adjust it?”
“I can hold a rifle very well, thank you. Leave me. I require no further instructions.”
“We should be quick then, Your Grace,” the steward answered, “before the daylight leaves us to fumble around in the dark.”
Perceval crept away quietly from Theodore, leaving to his shenanigans and went to search for another game to hunt. All this time, the deer only edged deeper into the woods on the other side. Theodore watched as the deer continued to feed on the grass, prancing around and occasionally lifting its head to check for danger.
Theodore’s instincts started coming alive as he moved through the shrubbery, darting under the cover of the trees, trying to get closer to the buck. He moved behind a fallen tree trunk to obscure the animal’s line of sight then Theodore aimed.
His hands fell into place as he held the gun to his chest. Theodore closed one eye, using the other to make sure his aim was perfect. He felt his fingers relax around the trigger, and his heart was racing wildly.
Theodore exerted more pressure, ready to shoot when a flash of purple obscured his vision. He caught a glimpse of lavender satin, and the deer took to its heels, running deeper into the woods for safety.
“Bloody hell!” he cursed, angry that he had missed his target.
But Theodore wondered what a woman was doing in the woods.
“Hey there!” he called out, but she kept running by the bank of the stream, not slowing down.
