Page 51 - RotalTutor

eventually landed flat in the mud in his best riding suit. The other men laughed and ridiculed him until she almost felt ashamed of herself... almost. As bad as that was, Alexander was especially upset when he found the burr. He treated Lady with such gentleness. He was far more concerned with the mistreatment she had endured than the abuse he had taken. He didn’t even question who had done it. There seemed to be no doubt in his mind. As he turned to look at Louise, it was the first time she could remember he wasn’t smiling. She saw an expression on his face that wiped the smile from her own and made her cringe. Sensing his disapproval, she found herself shrinking into the shadows to hide. Never before had she felt his condemnation. She tried to think she had gotten the best of him, though in reality she was feeling the same disdain for her own actions that she sensed from him. He still acted the gentleman; but as gracious and refined as Alexander was, he was not above getting even. After the men returned, it was time for her banquet and ball. Dressed in her favorite gown, she cut through the courtyard, as she often did. She much preferred this route instead of following the maze through the castle, and Alexander knew it. As she approached the banquet hall, with Marina and Elizabeth not far behind, a bucket of murky mop water doused her from the balcony above. She glowered up through her drenched locks in time to see 49