The Lord’s Desire

”This hackney is a little grubby, don you think, David? ”

”And not cushioned too. I felt like Im sitting on a rock. ”

Reed sent dagger looks at the twins sitting across from him. He couldn believe he actually agreed on letting them stay with him for a day.

Reed had to call for a hired carriage for his own was still being repaired by Stuart after one of its wheels hit a big rock on the way home yesterday.

”Stop acting like a girl, David. You are being oversensitive, ” Reed said.

”You are also oversensitive, aren you, Reed? You only wear clothes of top quality, sleep on the softest mattresses, you don want to hear music, you even don want a single stain in your coat, you don — ”

”Enough. ”

”Yes, I agree, ” said Ella.

Reed locked his jaw. These kids could really get into his nerves sometimes. It was a miracle they survived around him for years with their noisy mouths. Where did he get such bounteous patience? He himself had no idea.

”Remember this. Behave yourself in the palace. Do you understand? ”

”Yes, my lord! ” Ella and David said in unison, giggling.

”You better keep your word or else… ” Reeds eyes narrowed. ”youd be grounded for another fortnight. ”

The two groaned.

”But we won stay for long in the palace, are we? I want to see the shops in the town, and perhaps buy a new dress. I heard Arden has nice dresses. I want one with gold trim and real stones. ”

”A pair of boots sounds good as well, and maybe a coat in mint condition. ”

Reed just opened the book with him and started reading instead of listening to the endless whims of the twins. He wondered if it was the result of how he raised them, or maybe they were royalties in their past lives.

However, even before he could finish a page, he stopped when he heard Ellas frantic voice while peeking on the window.

”The carriage, Reed! Our carriage will hit a girl! ”

David told the coachman to stop but he must have failed to hear it. And Reed knew what he was ought to do. In just a matter of second, he was at the side of the coachman, pulling the reins of the horse just before it could hit whoever it was in front.

He managed to rein the horse to the right and successfully avoided running over the… lady?

Reeds gaze fell to the ladys light blonde waves falling down her shoulders. His jaw clenched at the scent that filled his senses.

He went off the carriage, irking words were at the tip of his tongue ready to tell her how careless she was, when she suddenly moved to look at her back where the carriage stood. There he saw a little girl in her arms.

Lady Lewis frightened eyes scanned the surrounding. It stopped at the carriage, then her clear topaz eyes met his, and her pink lips parted a tiny inch. The fast beating of her heart slowly calmed, going back to its usual rhythm as though she found refuge in the middle of danger.

And he hated the sound of it.

Melrose was in shock. Moments ago, she was so sure theyd get hit by the carriage. It would hurt, but she didn know how painful it would be and she could only hope for it to be bearable. She held her breath as she waited for the horse to crush her body.

Which didn come.

She looked at her back and to her surprise, the carriage had stopped half a meter away, with a familiar man standing in front of it.

Lord Knight.

He stared at her coldly as she wondered why he was suddenly present. He didn see her anywhere close earlier, or was he in the carriage? Before she could think of something reasonable, a girl and a boy both with bright blue eyes and chestnut hair came to her aid.

”Are you fine, my lady? ” the boy politely asked.

”Oh, the little girl! ” the girl said when saw Stephanie. ”She was the one I saw running, David. Perhaps, is she your sister, miss? ”

”No, ” Melrose replied as she shifted to face Stephanie. ”Are you alright, Stephanie? Why were you running? Is someone after you? ”

Stephanie only lowered her head, refusing to speak. Melrose sighed and stood, holding Stephanies hand. She had calmed down now that she knew the child was safe. She had never been so frightened apart from those moments when she was haunted by her nightmares.

”My lord, ” Melrose curtsied when Lord Knight went toward them. It was also when Felicity appeared at her side.

”Thank God you are safe, my lady! You scared me! ”

Lord Knight cleared his throat, which made Felicity step back.

”It is a shame that we met on such an unfavorable occasion, Lady Lewis. May I ask what exactly happened? ”

”You know her, Reed? ” The girl butted in, only then Melrose paid attention to her and the boy. She had never seen them before. Who were they?

”The adults are speaking, Ella. Watch your manners, ” Lord Knight demanded in a controlled tone.

”Were you in the carriage? ” Melrose asked, still wondering why the lord suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

”Yes. ”

She nodded. ”I apologize then— ”

”You have nothing to apologize, my lady. It was the coachmans fault for not paying attention. Thankfully my sister saw the girl running and Reed— ” the boy was cut off by a cough.

Lord Knight gave the boy a glare, then he looked at her.

”I will not count it as another trouble you have caused me, Lady Lewis. You saved a life, after all. But I have to admit, it was a bold and careless move. May I know who this young girl is? The King told me things about his fiancée, and I never heard you have any relatives apart from your father. ”

Melrose was relieved that the lord didn show hostility as much as he did last time.

”It is true, I have no other relatives. This child is Stephanie, she is from Vernice orphanage. She ran away this morning and the people from the orphanage have been searching for her. I happened to know about the incident… so I offered a little help. ”

”Help? ” Lord Knights tone was sarcastic. ”Should something happened to you, I am afraid it would not only harm the child but you would put the future of all those children in that orphanage at risk. If you have forgotten, you are to marry the King. The palace would not let it pass, especially Lord Lewis. ”

Melrose gritted her teeth. She should have never expected nicer words from this man. She returned his cold gaze, did not bother masking her disappointment.

”I had to do something with the problem present at that moment, my lord. Did you expect me to just watch while a childs life was at risk in front of me? I admit, it was a careless move and I didn think of what might happen to myself, but even if I have to do that again, I will. ”

”You could have asked your footman to run after the child. You think what you did was heroic but it was foolishness. ”

Melroses face flared in anger. She had never felt the urge to break the etiquette instilled in her and shout at someone without minding if they were in public until that moment.

”Felicity, bring Stephanie to the carriage. ”

”Ella, David, go back to the carriage. ”

Felicity left with the child immediately. The two other children looked reluctant to follow the lords command but when Lord Knight shot them a death glare, they marched back to the hackney. Melrose didn know how they were related to him but she couldn care less as of the moment.

”I did not intend to be heroic, Lord Knight, ” Melrose started, her heart pounding hard as she was drowned in anger. ”But I must say, you are being utterly absurd. How could you say all of that in front of the child? Life stripped almost everything from Stephanie at an early age. She was traumatized. She was yet to recover from her loss. She ran away from the orphanage for she must have felt caged. And yet you told those things in front of her like a soulless man. She must have felt that her life was worthless, that she just put her saviors life in danger, which happened to be more important than hers. Today, you proved you could not only be rude, my lord. You could also break someones heart. ”

And then Melrose turned away and left without giving the lord a chance to utter a word.

Reed remained at his spot, watching the lady walk away from him.

The image of her topaz eyes with beaming tears and anger lingered in his mind. How she spoke with such conviction as though her own heart was broken, how her lips quivered as she fought the urge to raise her voice, how her nose and cheeks turned pink as she condemned him in her soft yet strained voice, and how she still looked so beautiful even in the middle of fury.

The truth was, he never expected a lady of fine gentry like her was willing to sacrifice herself to save a life and to say straight to his face such strong words. He thought he was just like most ladies who only cared about themselves and only knew how to be proper and pretentious like the social etiquette taught them. But he was wrong.

And why did he speak too much, anyway? He didn understand himself. Something had gotten into him that moment when he knew it was her in front of the carriage and thought about what could have happened to her if Ella didn see the child running and if he didn rush out to rein the horse himself.

Lady Lewis was indeed something.

Something too dangerous for his own good.