nothing to distract him... It was his own visceral awareness of her presence to blame for that. He began to gently massage the knotted muscles either side of her spine.
A shadow fell across him and he looked around. It was the Duke, his countenance even more forbidding than before. Zach returned his attention to his task.
‘Leo!’ Cecily spoke in a hushed voice behind him. ‘Thea’s horse is lame, but they can’t find out which leg it is. Bleeding and purging have failed to help and so they have asked Mr Gray to try and help her.’
Zach watched Star’s ears closely for signs of pain. ‘There is no heat in her legs or hooves,’ he said, sparing a glance at the Duke, who stepped closer, his interest unmistakable. ‘The pain appears to be in her back—it is making her tense and she naturally restricts her stride to protect herself.’
‘Thea will be very grateful if you can help her, Absalom,’ Daniel said. ‘Star is her favourite...the horse she rode when she and Vernon set out to search for me.’
Zach listened to the murmured conversation with half an ear as he continued to massage Star. Then he took a carrot and a knife from his pocket. He cut a chunk and crouched by her foreleg, holding the carrot beneath Star’s nose, just out of her reach. As she followed the carrot, Zach lowered his hand, bringing it back between her forelegs. When he judged she had stretched sufficiently, he rewarded her with the carrot.
He straightened. ‘If it is done slowly and steadily, it will help to stretch her back,’ he said to Malky, who nodded. ‘Lead her out, then. I’d like to see her walk.’
The onlookers moved aside as Malky led Star from the pen and out of a rear door in the barn that led straight out on to the stretch of grass between the stable and the lake. Admiration glowed in Cecily’s mossy eyes as Zach passed her, sparking a flame of awareness and need deep in his gut. Then he caught the Duke’s eye and that smothered the flame more effectively than a shovelful of earth would extinguish his campfire. She was Lady Perfect. Sister of a duke. And the warning in his Grace’s silvery eyes promised dire retribution if Zach forgot his place.
He concentrated on keeping the churn of anger and resentment deep inside, letting nothing of his feelings show. There was no point in provoking such a man when his own conscience told him there was no future for him and Lady Perfect, no matter how fascinated he was by this prim and proper lady. No matter how she called to his soul.
‘That’ll do.’ After five minutes, Zach motioned to Malky to return Star to the stable. ‘Walk her in hand several times a day, just five minutes at a time to begin with. I’ll bring down some belladonna salve for her and massage her again this afternoon. And I’ll look in on her again before I go up to the house for dinner tonight.’
As he spoke, he happened to glance at the Duke, whose lips thinned at Zach’s words. His clear disapproval prompted an urge to tweak the man’s tail, despite Zach’s earlier resolve not to provoke such a powerful man needlessly.
‘I will update you on her progress when I see you tonight, my lady.’
He smiled directly at Cecily, noting both the flare of her eyes and her flicker of unease. He felt, rather than saw, the Duke’s irritation.
‘It is time we returned to the house.’ The Duke took Cecily’s arm and began walking. ‘I am sure Thea will be eager to hear how her horse fares.’
Cecily accompanied her brother without protest. Daniel let out a low whistle.
‘That is a high-risk strategy, my friend.’
Zach raised his brows and Daniel grinned.
‘No point in playing the innocent with me, but do take care. You might not realise it, but Cheriton is one of the most powerful men in the country. Cross him at your peril.’
‘If he is as powerful as you say, he can have no fear of a humble Romany.’
‘Humble?’ Daniel laughed. ‘I could describe you in many ways, Absalom, but humble ain’t one of ’em. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re every bit as high-born as most of the nobs I’ve encountered. Not Cheriton and his family, of course. They’re a breed apart.’
His words—although spoken in jest—jabbed deep at Zach. If only Daniel knew... He schooled his expression as he saw his friend’s eyes sharpen.
‘I’ve never known a man so reluctant to reveal anything of himself,’ said Daniel. ‘I’m willing to bet you have a colourful past, but...’ he held his hands up, palms out, as Zach frowned ‘...have no fear. I know better than to probe further.’
‘I see no point in revisiting the past. It is best left behind, that way it can wield no power over you.’
Daniel slapped Zach on the back. ‘If you say so, my friend. If you say so.’
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