“Still, thank you.”
He met her eyes, and the passionate intensity of his gaze sent a wave of heat washing over her. “My pleasure,” he purred, shifting in the saddle and making her acutely aware of his hard thighs beneath her. Even battered, soaking wet, and freezing, her body responded to his proximity with a blissful melting sensation.
“But, Mira,” he continued in his low, liquid voice, “please bear in mind how lucky we were today. If you had not caught that ledge, or if I had not happened to notice your shawl, things might have ended…badly. You must be more careful in the future to stay away from the ledge, especially in the rain.”
Mira stiffened, the sultry pleasure of his embrace forgotten. He thought the fall was her fault, that she had been clumsy and careless.
“I was careful, Nicholas. I am not a reckless, impulsive person. But I was run off the path by a horse and rider.”
His arms tightened around her as he drew up the reins and brought the horse to an abrupt stop. He cupped her cheek with one hand so that she could not avoid his penetrating stare.
“What horse? What rider? Mira you must tell me exactly what happened.”
“I was walking toward Dowerdu, keeping quite well away from the cliff edge,” she said pointedly, “and keeping an eye on the approaching storm, when I suddenly realized that the noise I heard was not thunder but a horse. I turned to see who was approaching, but the rider was already upon me. He pulled on the reins, directing the horse closer to the cliff edge and crowding me off. I had no choice but to move closer to the precipice. It was that or be trampled. And then I lost my footing and fell.” Her voice caught on a lump of tears as she relived the terrifying incident.
“Mira, who was on the horse? What did you see?” There was a frantic edge of panic in his voice.
“Nothing. I mean, I do not know. The rider was wearing a long hooded cape, and I could not see his face. But there was something…” She trailed off, uncertain whether she really did remember the detail, or whether it was only a flight of fancy.
“What?” Nicholas urged.
“It is probably nothing. I may have imagined it. But there was a smell, something familiar. I am not certain what, exactly, but it sparked something in me, seemed important somehow.”
“Mira, are you quite certain that the rider aimed the horse at you on purpose?”
“Absolutely. He meant to run that horse at me, to push me over the cliff.”
All the color drained from his face. “Bloody hell.” With a glance over his shoulder at Pawly, he pulled Mira tight against his chest, his strong arms stilling any protest she might have made. He shifted again, urging the horse forward along the path to Dowerdu.
For the remainder of the short ride, Nicholas was silent. Mira relaxed against his solid form, absorbing as much of his generous heat as she could.
She was beginning to doze again, when the horse stopped swaying beneath her. Mustering what energy she could, she looked around, eager for her first glimpse of Dowerdu.
The cottage was small, but appeared sturdy enough, the roof made of slate rather than thatch and the windows actually glazed. It was set in a small clearing, the surrounding woods obscuring any view of the ocean, but the sound of the surf indicated that they were not far from the cliff. To the right of the cottage, a small stream emerged from the forest, its water gathering in a pool in the center of the clearing before continuing on toward the sea. She realized that the pool must be the sacred well, the black water for which Dowerdu was named.
Nicholas gently handed Mira down to Pawly before dismounting himself. Before she could utter any protest, Nicholas swung her up in his arms and carried her into the house.
The drag in his step shook her gently. With the cold and the damp, not to mention the exertion of her rescue, his leg must have been throbbing. And bearing her weight could not help.
“Nicholas,” she muttered against the warm column of his throat, “Nicholas, please put me down. I assure you I can walk under my own power.”
“Hush.”
They moved through the main room of the cottage without pausing, and he began to mount the narrow stairs to the upper level.