The Lady

Chapter 16

Sighing softly I looked away from the handsome man beside me. “I’m so very sorry to have worried you and Elizabeth, I didn’t realise that I had been away for so long. I just needed to get away from the house and take a walk, I thought I would just sit here for a while.”

I turned my head towards him once more and shuddered when I saw how closely he was sitting next to me, his well muscled arm lay an inch from my own and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. Clearing my throat I raised my eyes up and away from his arm and stared unseeing out at the trees in front of me.

“Then what happened?” He inquired.

I gave a jolt when I heard his voice.

“Sorry, I must have drifted off for a moment.” I said as I could feel heat flood my cheeks.

Gabriel chuckled softly and stretched his legs out while raising his arms above his head working the kinks out of his hard body. “It is fine, little one, I have all day and I do not mind waiting for you to daydream until your heart is content.” he sighed slightly “But unfortunately for you there is a certain Lady who will be very unhappy with you if you do not return very soon.”

I gasped and stood quickly, my long dress getting tangled around my feet and before I could right myself I lost my footing and plunged headfirst towards the ground.

Suddenly a pair of well muscled arms wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me to my feet. “Oh my goodness,” I started to say as I turned around “thank y…”

I slammed straight into Gabriel’s hard wall of a chest and stumbled straight back, he reached for my arms as I started to fall and I instinctively grabbed them and promptly took him with me.

“Oof!” All of the air in my lungs exploded as I fell on my back before Gabriel landed on me. I braced myself as he fell, knowing that he was about to topple on top of me.

 “Gah!” I let out as I felt his entire weight land on my body.

As he shifted his weight I waited for an apology but none was forthcoming, I gasped for air and managed to roll him off me.

His whole body was shaking and I automatically rolled onto my side and lifted my upper body from the ground. Grabbing hold of his shoulders, I brought my face over his and shook his shoulders

“Gabriel! Gabriel! Are you alright?!” I yelled, panicked that he could be hurt.

The man looked up into my eyes, tears streaming out of his own and I realised that the cad was laughing.

Stifling my own laughter I tried to be serious. “That’s not funny Gabriel, I thought something was really wrong!”