Chapter 28

What the devil was wrong with the woman?
Colin Fordyce, newly invested fifth Earl of Bruxton, watched the young servant waver, then stumble back into the wall of the old stone tower, her basket slipping from her fingers. It was as if she'd been utterly shocked to hear his name. Afraid she'd collapse completely and do herself harm, he spurred Jupiter into motion, setting him across a wooden bridge that had certainly seen better days.
"No," she cried, holding up a hand as if to halt his forward progress. Colin ignored the gesture. He was tired, dirty, thirsty and sick of sitting in the saddle. He'd ridden all the way to Scotland to deal with his spendthrift wards and to find out what the hell was going on with them. Be damned if he was going to let some slip of a servant deny him entrance.
All his cousin's - well, now his, he supposed - solicitor had given him was a list of five names and birthdates, along with the receipts for the generous quarterly allowance drafts that had been sent, via the earl, of course, to this remote castle in the borderlands, just north of Hadrian's wall. Never one to sit on his hands and ignore a problem, Colin had saddled his horse, recruited his friend Darius Whitcomb, Marquess Langston and headed for Scotland. He'd left Dare at the village inn with a pint, preferring to meet his wards on his own. As he clattered across the bridge - and honestly, who still had a moat these days, anyway? - he wondered if he should have brought the other man along for reinforcement. Nonetheless, Colin was determined to get to the bottom of this particular mystery. Today.
As he crossed the bridge, he could see her more clearly. She wore a shapeless gray pelisse and a brown straw bonnet that could not possibly have clashed worse if she'd tried, but under the abominable concoction was a very pretty face with a few freckles standing out in stark relief against her too-pale complexion.
Just as Jupiter's forelegs hit the packed earth of the path, Colin heard an ominous crack. Jupiter's rear hoof plunged through the board, loosening Colin's seat to a precarious perch. When the horse lunged sideways, kicking off with his other hind leg, Colin's knee was slammed hard into the bridge railing. One more lurch, as Jupiter managed to pull his leg free and Colin toppled off the stallion's back.
His shoulder hit the rail and he tucked his legs up to avoid Jupiter's iron-shod hooves. When he hit the ground, his head struck something and a flash of pain was the last thing he felt before the world faded to black.
"Oh, sir, please wake up."
Colin opened his eyes to see the young maidservant bending over him. Well, to be more precise, there were two of her, at least at first. Her eyes - all four of them - were a warm, soft brown, framed by thick dark lashes. A heart-shaped face, as it resolved into one single one, thank goodness, was bordered by wisps of straight chestnut hair.
Her small hands shook his shoulders with surprising strength. "Please Lord Bruxton, don't die on me."
"Not...dead," Colin managed, after sorting out her words from the ringing in his ears. "J-Jupiter?"
Her eyes narrowed? "My lord?"
"H-horse," he muttered. "Is...he...?"
"Oh." She glanced off to the side, then nodded. "He's putting his weight equally on all four legs. I don't see any blood. I promise I'll check on him as soon as I get you inside - if you don't think he'll run off."
"Am I...bleeding?" Now that the world was starting to come into focus, he was acutely aware of a massive pounding inside his skull.
"No, sir. Not that I can see."
"Then help me over to that wall you were leaning on. I can wait there while you go get help." His voice seemed to grow stronger as he used it, so he cleared his throat and continued. "Have a groom put Jupiter in a stall with some oats and water, then check his leg. He's had a long day as well."
"There is a slight problem with that, my lord." She bit down on her plush lower lip and Colin fought the ridiculous urge to sooth it with his fingers.
"What problem?" Christ, he already sounded like a lord, didn't he? Almost as pompous as his old windbag of a second-cousin. Gad, he'd have to stop that. Later.
"The problem is that I am the only one here. There is no one to help and there are no grooms."
What? One servant, alone in the entire castle? Granted, Cairnwyck wasn't a huge motte-and-bailey castle like they had in England, but even this simple stone tower keep was awfully large for just one small woman to take care of.
His confusion must have shown on his face, because she smiled. "The children are visiting a neighbor and I'm afraid the only groom went with them."
"Then we go to the stables," Colin said. Something about her speech was confusing him further, but his head ached too much for him to sort it out. He thought he could walk, though. "Jupiter will follow me and between us, I imagine you and I can get him settled."
She eyed him doubtfully, but held out her hands to help him to his feet. His head swam a bit as he stood, but he managed to stay vertical, though he didn't complain when the pretty chit tucked herself under his shoulder and put an arm around his waist for support. Leaning on her rather more heavily than he'd have liked, he whistled to Jupiter, who approached him with no trace of a limp. Good. Colin would heal from a sore head. Jupiter would not have from a broken leg.
Moving slowly, he let the young woman lead him around to the rear of the castle. The keep was set on a hill surrounded by the moat which looked to have been made by digging a second channel and diverting half of a small stream. On the far side of the castle, the two branches reconnected, creating the island, with the tower on top of the small mounded hill, with a few outbuildings behind it. Most looked to be in disrepair, but the stable had been maintained, or mostly so. The young woman led him inside, with the big black horse following behind.