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“Thorne said he’d take me to Almack’s the next year, when the mourning period would be over. He was determined to return me to the society where I belonged, where I was always supposed to be. And the key to that was finding me a husband.”

Richard nodded. “Quite.”

“After a year in Whitechapel, I felt lonely. None of my previous friends or acquaintances wished to continue their association with me. I wasn’t yet out, and I couldn’t do much because of mourning. The only people I knew were my brother and his men.”

She looked down at Hercules and patted him on the head. “That was when Thorne gave me this little friend.”

She sighed and looked into the distance. “For a year, I had been dreaming of my first ball, thinking after the mourning period this would be the night I would return to where I belonged.” She chuckled bitterly. “I remember it so vividly. My heart thumped wildly, I was dressed in that beautiful gown, Ruby had done the best hairstyle she could. Thorne and I climbed out of the carriage in front of the Assembly Rooms at King Street. The voucher was in Thorne’s hand. As we greeted Lady Jersey, one of the hostesses, she surveyed us with a critical eye—her gaze lingered on me for a brief moment with approval. Then she heard Thorne’s name, and her face became so cold. She said there was a mistake and unfortunately there was no room available for me. She didn’t wait for our reply. She simply turned her back to us and left.”

Richard’s jaw tightened as he remembered the snooty reputation of Lady Jersey, Countess Lieven, and Lady Castlereagh, who were known to reject even dukes if their attire did not adhere to the strict dress code at Almack’s.

“I was dismissed so easily,” said Jane. “Rejected with a single glance. So why would I want to fit into a society that considers me unworthy? That is what you fail to understand. The children I teach are hungry and in need, and instead of helping, those in the ton are wearing a new dress every day and doing other frivolous things. I will survive if they look at me like I’m the dirt on their shoes. What I can’t bear is that they have so much when others have so little. And it is not by their merit but only because of their birth. I do not want to be a part of that.”

Richard swallowed hard. Ashamed, he realized he hadn’t considered any of that. He supposed he was just as guilty as Lady Whitemouth and the rest of them.

But Miss Grant wasn’t finished. “I do not want anyone to look at me as that woman did because the only family I have left in this life, the only family that loves me, that took me in and fed me and kept me safe, is someone of whom polite society disapproves. Why should I try to fit into a world like that?”

Her indignation brought more color to her face and made her eyes blaze and sparkle. A few locks of pretty, dark hair had fallen free from under her bonnet and wavered in the wind. He swallowed hard. Despite her mousy clothes and the poorly fitting bonnet and the spectacles, she wasn’t a wallflower.

She was a woman who created her own destiny and helped others.

She was a lioness.

“Because your brother wants you to,” he said.

Her shoulders slumped. “I feel so out of place here. So wrong.”

He supposed even a lioness had a weak spot.

She took his breath away—again.

Richard had just opened his mouth to say that when Hercules gave a series of tremendous barks, tugging on his leash in the direction of a small pond under some willows. There was a bark from another dog in response. In a blink, Hercules jerked free and tore off through the green field towards the source of the sound, his leash snaking behind him.

“Hercules!” Jane cried and darted after him.

Richard cursed. “Miss Grant!” he cried as he ran after her, soft grass disappearing quickly under his shoes.

“Richard, where are you going?” he heard Grandmama calling.

“The dog!” he cried back.

His heart pounded in his chest as he pumped his legs and arms. Jane was slow to navigate the uneven terrain, her skirts acting as a sail, slowing her down. So Richard reached her side quickly, his longer strides outpacing hers.

“Stay here, Miss Grant. I’ll get him,” he cried before speeding up.

His legs easily ate up the distance. But Hercules was faster still and disappeared into a thicket of bushes near the pond. The other dog, a much larger mastiff, followed after. There was a moment of silence, then a series of playful yelps.

Richard’s heart pounded harder as he ran, fear gripping him. He reached the thicket and plunged in, calling Hercules’s name. There was a rustling, then out shot Hercules. Richard grabbed the leash as the dog tried to dart past. The mastiff emerged next, but at the sight of Richard, it paused, then turned tail and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Richard let out a long, relieved breath and gripped the leash tight, patting the warm head of the very happy dog, who, no doubt, was as lonely as his mistress had confessed to be and missed exercise.

“Good dog,” he said to Hercules. Then Jane’s words seemed to echo in his ears—the only family that loves me… Thorne gave me this little friend… “But do not do this again. Your mistress needs you. She can’t lose you.”

Behind him, he heard the swish of skirts and the frantic panting that told him Jane had disregarded his command and followed him. He turned, and Hercules darted towards her, whining happily.

“Oh, Hercules!” Jane rushed towards the dog, dropping to her knees to hug him close. “You naughty dog. You gave me such a fright!”

Richard watched the reunion from a few steps away, his breath slowly returning to normal. He admired her spirit and resilience, and the fierce love she had for her dog.