An Earl's Guide to Catch a Lady Read Free Page B

passed through her, accompanied by relief. She remembered. The stranger. Another whimper escaped her. Not from the pain, but growing horror that her plan had failed. Was this then, to be her end? It was fine. She had no regrets, no unfinished business or words left unsaid. Her family and friends knew she loved them.
    She supposed as deaths went this would be better than most; a quick death. Having accepted her fate Evelyn finally surrendered to the darkness, relieved when it enfolded her in its silky caress and everything turned to black.
     
    Glaring down at the now unconscious woman who lay sprawled on the muddy ground like a pagan sacrifice, Matthew cursed her foolishness. He’d lost ten years of his life when she fell, seconds before his own cursed horse threw him into the mud. Normally he would have no difficulty controlling a horse in hairy situations, but the sound of Evelyn’s cry and the sight of her hitting the ground threw him.
    Now mud clung to him and the horses had bolted. He shook his head. Infuriating woman. What the hell caused such madness? Surely it had not been the sight of his face? Had she taken one look at him and she made for the hills?
    He ran a feather light touch over her chin and his anger gave way to concern when he noticed her pallor.
    “Damn foolish woman,” he muttered, his voice laced with worry as he reached out to tuck a muddy curl behind her ear.
    “Evelyn.”
    She didn’t respond.
    “Evelyn,” he tried again.
    Still she did not respond. Matthew cursed. He’d have to get her back to the Inn even if he carried her all the way. A quick study of their surroundings confirmed the horses were nowhere in sight. He would love nothing more than to throttle the bastard responsible for that shot. If not for the valuable time wasted to dress, he would have caught up with her sooner.
    In quick movements he inspected her small frame, searching for injuries, satisfied when he found none except a small bump at the back of her head. Besides the headache she would have when she regained consciousness, she would live. He let out a breath of relief. This odd woman awakened many unwelcome emotions from deep within him, and he wasn’t happy about it. Not one bit.
    “Wake up Evelyn,” he tried once again with more force than he intended. Why won’t she wake up? With a scowl he ran his fingers over where the bump had formed. Could it be more severe than he first thought? It didn’t sit well with him. She was quite small, and the fall had been hard. Would she be able to walk the distance back to the Inn? He knew instinctively she would never allow him to carry her. She would walk the distance even if it killed her. Stubborn chit.
    A wave of unease drew his attention away from her and to their surroundings. He found nothing out of place, yet the impression they were being watched did not fade. His focus once more on Evelyn he pressed his lips against her ear and whispered, “Wake up sweetheart.”
     
    Evelyn became aware of the stranger urging her to wake up. It seemed odd that he would whisper in her ear with such soft concern. It certainly made no sense to her addled mind. Why would he show her any concern? Were evil villains even capable of such emotion? Perhaps she might be a tad theatrical in her line of thoughts, she reflected, but an evil villain did sound better than a murderer.
    She certainly did not imagine them to be handsome. Oh stop it Evelyn! He’s dangerous and much stronger than you. She’d do well to be cautious. Now that her wits had returned she saw the truth of it. The villain sweeps in, pretends to be prince charming all the while planning to use the heroine against the hero. Only there was no hero… just the distinct possibility she’d been wrong. In which case her wits had failed her…
    Even so, the devil had to be faced. Raising her lids ever so slowly she peered through her lashes. The throbbing in her head subsided somewhat as her eyes adjusted to the light. Violet eyes