Page 20 of Adeline

“We leave the horses here.” With both sets of reins in hand, he pulled the pair toward the nearest tree and tied them loosely to a low-hanging branch, giving the beasts ample line to graze at the base of the tree—or sample any low-hanging fruit from above. A pear tree, if she was not mistaken.

Relief eased the tension caused by Adeline’s assumption that they’d be hunting from atop a horse. The ground was preferable, a steady surface was key to a superb stance and accurate aim. Another lesson Theo had drilled into her head from nearly her second day at Miss Emmeline’s School.

“I do not doubt your competency with a bow; however, taking aim at a moving target requires much practice.” He did not spare her even a glance as he spoke—or more accurately, lectured her—about the finer points of bow hunting. “Our bounty today is turkeys.”

“A question, my lord?” When he halted, but did not turn to face her, she asked, “Why does a servant—your gamesman—not fulfill the hunting requirements for Faversham Abbey?”

Even her father had kept a gamesman at their estate. He’d been very accomplished at the position and had seen fit to send fowl and other meats to London for Lord Melton and his children to enjoy.

“I am the only gamesman at Faversham.” His words were clipped, spoken through clenched teeth. “Follow closely. Do not stray from my side. Do not make any commotion. And whatever you do, do not become lost. I will not take on the responsibility of notifying your family of your demise.”

“That seems rather morbid and uncalled for, Lord Ailesbury,” Adeline huffed. “I resent the implication that I am incapable of caring for myself while on the hunt.”

“You were certainly incapable of taking care of yourself on a proper roadway…” he mumbled, his words trailing off but stating all he’d meant to impart. “Regardless of the situation at hand, I have a responsibility to my people to provide sustenance, and I cannot allow anyone to jeopardize my ability to feed those who depend on me.”

She pursed her lips and inspected the man’s back as he moved farther into the trees ahead of her. If she’d had a proper floor beneath her, she’d have stomped her foot at Lord Ailesbury’s wicked rebuff. The earl acted as if his pantries were not stocked with vegetables, fruits, nuts, cheeses, and bread aplenty. Judging from the repast set before her that very morning, no one under Ailesbury’s care was in jeopardy of starving—at least not in the foreseeable future.

However, even if they found no turkeys this day, Adeline was reluctant to give the man any further cause to lay the blame at her feet.

“This way, Miss Adeline,” he hissed, motioning to the path he’d chosen into the underbrush, both of them keeping their bows slung on their shoulders. “We must hurry in case the storm decides to shift course and return with a vengeance.”

She carefully followed his progress deeper into the wooded area, lifting her feet high and mimicking his movements. The trees overhead were eerily silent except for the remnants of the wind that still lingered from the storm. Eventually, Adeline had need to use both hands to hold her skirts high to avoid them snagging or ripping on the thickening undergrowth. This was made all the more difficult as the canopy overhead blocked more and more of the sparse light attempting to penetrate the foliage.

From the angle in which she trailed him, she gained a clear view of the scars that covered the lower half of his cheek and down his neck, leaving his ear unmarred. They were unlike anything she’d seen before, and she could not pinpoint what could have caused them. Had he been born with them, or injured at some point? And how much of his body did they cover?

In the dining hall, his sleeves had been rolled to his elbows, and the scars had shown there, as well.

Suddenly, Adeline collided with Lord Ailesbury’s back, his solid warmth pressed to her front. She nearly fell to the ground before he reached out and steadied her, a frown marring his face at her distracted stumble. Far too quickly, he released her, and the spike of longing that followed was foreign to Adeline.

He pointed to an area not far off where a group of large birds—turkeys?—ambled about, obviously unaware of the hunters stalking them. They were huge, enormous in height for a fowl and wide in girth. She’d eaten turkey on many occasions, the Christmastide season being one of them, but never had she thought the creatures so colossal.

From his smirk, Adeline knew her shocked expression gave her away.

But, how were they to transport one massive turkey, let alone several, back to Faversham Abbey with only their horses for assistance?

“They are massive,” she whispered close to his ear. “One alone would be enough to feed my entire family.”

Lord Ailesbury’s chest puffed in pride. “Faversham is praised far and wide for our quality turkeys and pheasants. Will you take the first shot, or shall I?”

It was a challenge. Ailesbury was, in a way, calling her bluff. In that moment, Adeline had a choice. She could pass the first shot back to him, or retrieve an arrow from her quiver and load her bow. The large birds were grazing, much as livestock did in a pasture or meadow. If Lord Ailesbury took first shot, the group would likely be on the move, and Adeline’s chances of taking one down and bringing food back to the Abbey would be significantly decreased. Again, Theo would be able to calculate the exact decrease and variances in both scenarios, but there was no time to dwell on that.

Removing an arrow from her quiver, she set her stance, loaded her bow, and took aim.

As they’d journeyed deeper into the woods, the wind had died down and could barely be felt, but the dim light would certainly affect her alignment.

The turkeys were as large, if not bigger in size than the targets she and her friends used in Hyde Park and during tournaments. Her aim could be slightly off and still hit its mark. The bullseye was not as important…or was it?

“Is there a specific place it is best to aim for?” she asked.

“I think it wise to concentrate on hitting one before we speak of aim.” His shoulders lifted and fell several times as if he chuckled to himself over Adeline’s concerns.

The man did not believe her an expert markswoman.

“The heart it is.” She would show the fool that underestimating a woman, especially Adeline, was something many had lived to regret.

She drew a deep breath to quiet the thrashing in her head, aimed, and released her arrow.

It soared through the air in a straight line, veering slightly but correcting itself to drive deep into where Adeline assumed the bird’s heart lay. Her aim had been so accurate and her bow so silent, that none of the other turkeys seemed to notice their fallen comrade.