Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

PUPPY LOVE

" D o you hear that?" Charlotte paused in her walk and strained her ears.

It had been three days since she had had her accident, and though she was a little embarrassed, there was no other lasting injury from it. She was walking with Cecily in one of the fields near the estate. Dominic had been conspicuously absent all of that morning, making Charlotte uneasy.

It did not help that he had seemed distracted every time he saw her and that he had spent the last few days leaving early and returning late. Charlotte felt her insecurity rise, wondering what was going on.

In the end, she had proposed that she and Cecily go for a walk and a short picnic, and they had set off with a small basket of food and a sense of adventure.

"Hear what?" Cecily stopped and looked at her.

"That. It is… I think I can hear a voice. And an odd… high pitched sound?" Charlotte frowned, unable to work out what it was that she was hearing.

"Perhaps it is the wind?" Cecily looked around uneasily.

"I do not think so." Charlotte listened intently. "There! Do you hear it? I think it is coming from that direction."

She gestured towards a curved section of hedge, obstructing their view of what was around the corner.

"I am not sure. Maybe we should just keep walking." Cecily glanced around.

"Someone could be in trouble." Charlotte took a step towards the sound.

"And what help would we be if they were?" Cecily hissed, her eyes full of fear.

"We would at least be able to fetch help." Charlotte sighed. "Look, if you are worried, we can try and hide our approach."

"You are going to look whether I come with you or not, aren't you?" Cecily shook her head.

"Probably," Charlotte admitted.

"I wish Dominic was here," Cecily murmured as she followed Charlotte towards the source of the noise.

Privately, Charlotte agreed, but she did not say it to Cecily. Instead, they made their careful way forwards as Charlotte listened for the sounds she had heard earlier. They seemed to be coming from a nearby hedge, and as they drew closer, Charlotte recognised the voice.

"Well, you are a pretty thing, aren't you?" Dominic's voice floated across to her. "What are you doing out here?"

There was no reply, just a soft keening noise. Charlotte's heart sped up. What the hell was going on?

"Shhhh. Do not be scared. I will not hurt you." Dominic's voice was soft, gentle, as though he were trying to lure someone to him. "You can trust me."

Anger flared in Charlotte's chest. I almost trusted him. That rake, that —!. She began to make her way towards the sound of Dominic's voice, not bothering to hide the sound of her footsteps. I am sure he will be too distracted to notice.

"There, gently now. Why not come to me? Come on," Dominic crooned.

Charlotte's blood boiled. Without thinking, she marched around the corner and demanded, "Just what do you think you are doing?"

Dominic was on his hands and knees, peering under one of the hedges. He whirled around at Charlotte's angry outburst and made a hasty shushing gesture. Charlotte was dimly aware of Cecily's hand on her arm, but she shook it off.

"Do not shush me!" Charlotte strode towards him. "What on Earth are you doing?"

"Lower your voice, you will scare her," Dominic murmured, gesturing to the bush.

"Scare whom?" Charlotte narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glancing around for the woman he had clearly been trying to seduce moments before.

Dominic gestured to the hedge he had been kneeling at moments before. "There is a dog in there, and she has puppies."

"What?" Charlotte peered in the direction Dominic was pointing.

Cecily was peering under the hedge and let out a soft exclamation. "Oh!"

A small, skinny black dog was curled up with several small figures near her, each making soft keening and grunting sounds. Charlotte's heart melted.

"I have been trying to win her trust for days. I think she has been abandoned. She is far too skinny, and I fear that one of the puppies is unwell." Dominic sounded worried. "One good storm will finish them off."

"You are probably right." Charlotte agreed. He was talking to the dog. Of course, he was.

Her cheeks flushed.

"What did you think I was doing?" Dominic asked.

"It does not matter." Charlotte felt her face flush with embarrassment.

"You thought I was with another woman!" Dominic hissed.

"Well, you are a rake," Charlotte said defensively.

"That is my reputation. And I have already promised that I would not do anything to embarrass you or betray you; we are supposed to be engaged after all!" He shook his head, frustration and something else on his face.

Is that hurt? He glanced back at her, whatever it was replaced by anger and accusation. "I cannot believe you do not trust me! I have done nothing but tell you the truth."

"You have been disappearing for hours, and we have hardly spoken. What was I supposed to think?" Her own anger bubbled back to the surface.

Dominic's anger faded, and Charlotte saw understanding in his expression. "I am not him, and I would not do that to you. Though I can see now that I should have told you what I was doing."

"Why did you not?" she asked, unable to keep the hurt and confusion from her voice.

"I do not know. I suppose I was worried that you might think me a fool." Dominic ran a hand through his hair. "Or that perhaps you would think me weak and altogether too soft hearted; after all, she is only a dog."

"Why would I think that? You are trying to help a vulnerable creature. That is rather noble." Charlotte took one of his hands in her own and squeezed it.

"Is that a compliment?" Dominic looked at her, his eyes soft.

"Yes. Try not to let it go to your head though," she teased.

"I will do my best, my Precious Plum," he replied, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Are you two going to flirt all day, or are we going to do something about this dog?" Cecily whispered, making them both jump.

Neither Charlotte nor Dominic had realised that she had moved closer to them. Charlotte felt spots of colour on her cheek and resisted the urge to catch Dominic's eye. Instead, she turned to Cecily.

"What do you think we should do?" Charlotte asked.

"Well, she cannot stay here. From what I could see, she has four puppies with her." Cecily gestured to the hedge. "We need to get her out and get her and the pups somewhere safe."

"I am not sure how; she is a very skittish creature." Dominic sighed.

"I have some ham sandwiches. Perhaps we could lure her out with some food?" Charlotte began to rifle through the picnic basket, taking note of anything that might appeal to a hunger dog. Cheese, ham, bread. Ooh, chicken, goodness no wonder the basket was so heavy.

"I have offered her sausages, and she almost took them from me until you burst around the corner." Dominic shook his head, and Charlotte felt a stab of guilt.

"I am sorry," Charlotte murmured, resting a hand on Dominic's arm.

"I am sorry. I should have told you where I was going earlier." He gently placed his own hand on top of her fingers and squeezed them reassuringly before adding, "After all, you might have needed to find me for the next event."

"Yes. The next event." Charlotte felt a stab of disappointment. "Well, hopefully we will not miss anything this afternoon — I expect this may take some time."

"Hopefully not too long, it looks like rain." Cecily frowned up at the gathering clouds in the sky.

"We should act quickly then." Dominic took some of the food from their picnic basket and threw it towards the dog.

As he did so, Charlotte and Cecily knelt on the ground, making themselves as small and unthreatening as possible.

"Had you given any thought to what you might do with her once you had got her from under the hedge?" Charlotte asked as Dominic returned for more food.

"I thought to bring her and the puppies to the kennels," he answered, keeping an eye on the dog.

She was sniffing the air, and it was clear she was interested. Charlotte watched as she carefully crept forwards and grabbed the food on the ground before retreating back to her sanctuary.

"I thought your grandmother had a no pets policy," Charlotte whispered.

"At such large family events, yes. But she does have kennels and servants who have been looking after her own dogs," Dominic explained.

"She visits them when she is tired of playing games with all of us," Cecily added.

"Will she not be angry if you bring a stray home?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"Possibly. If it comes to it, I am sure I will think of a way to get back in her good graces." Dominic gave her an easy grin, and Charlotte felt her heart flutter. "Though my grandmother is not as hard hearted as she would have people believe, and I doubt she would begrudge me helping the animal."

Dominic had been moving away from them, his arm outstretched with a piece of ham in his hand. As he had been talking, the little dog had crept forwards and sniffed his hand suspiciously. Charlotte saw him freeze as he felt the brush of her nose against his palm.

A moment later, she had grabbed the ham but did not retreat. Charlotte glanced at Cecily, seeing her own excitement reflected in the other woman's gaze.

Dominic was gently murmuring to the dog, beckoning for someone to hand him more food while she was so close. Carefully, Charlotte moved forward, trying not to startle the stray.

She handed Dominic a slice of cheese and watched as he offered it to the dog. The dog took it and wagged her tail, darting a nervous look at Charlotte before moving closer to Dominic, whining for more food.

Charlotte handed him more cheese which he handed to the dog. She wagged her tail enthusiastically and then moved closer to Charlotte. She offered the dog another piece of cheese. The dog accepted.

Then the dog darted back under the hedge and appeared with a puppy. Charlotte gasped.

"It would seem we have earned her trust," Dominic murmured, smiling at her.

The dog brought four puppies to them, each whimpering and snuffling. They were small, underfed. They were unsteady on their feet, and Charlotte carefully scooped two into her arms. The dog watched her but did not do anything.

Dominic did the same with the two remaining puppies and then glanced at Cecily. "Could you run ahead and tell them to expect new arrivals?"

"Of course!" Cecily darted off, grabbing the picnic basket as she did so.

Charlotte looked at the tiny creatures in her arms and breathed in deeply. The puppies nuzzled against her, whimpering as the wind began to pick up.

"Let us make haste. I do not want them to be caught out in the open." Dominic glanced at the darkening sky.

"Nor do I," Charlotte agreed. "How far is it to the kennels?"

"About a fifteen-minute walk from here. Less if we walk fast," Dominic replied.

"Then let us walk fast." Charlotte sped up, keeping pace with Dominic.

"What about your ankle?" he glanced down, worriedly.

"My ankle is fine," Charlotte answered. "It was only a bad sprain, I think, and I have rested well."

The dog yipped excitedly as they made their way towards the kennels, every so often stopping to jump up and paw at one of the puppies. Charlotte smiled at her.

They walked in companiable silence, and eventually, they reached the kennels, where they were ushered in by a waiting servant. Charlotte walked into the pen with the mother dog close at her heels. The puppies began to whimper.

"Shhh, little ones, shhhh. All will be well." She gently guided the mother dog to the small bed, encouraging her to lie down as she placed each of the puppies with the mother.

One immediately began to latch, and the other attempted to explore, but Charlotte guided it back to the mother. She heard footsteps behind her, and a moment later, Dominic appeared with the other puppies.

"I am worried about how skinny she is," Charlotte murmured as the remaining puppies joined their siblings. "The puppies look healthy enough, but she is practically skin and bones."

"She will need to keep her strength up to nurse them all," Dominic agreed, a worried look on his face.

"Indeed." Charlotte called to one of the servants. "Do you have anything I might feed the mother? To help her regain her strength. And perhaps something for the puppies?"

"Of course, My Lady. The kennel master is just making preparations," the servant began as a harried looking man appeared.

Charlotte took the food and small bottles of liquid from him. "Thank you, good sir. I am sorry for us adding to your work."

"Think nothing of it, My Lady; it is only a few extra mouths to feed, and I shudder to think what might have happened to them if you had not found them." The kennel master shook his head.

"We can care for them until you have time to attend them yourself," Charlotte offered, noting how the man looked between the puppies and his other charges.

"I would not wish you to give up any more of your time."

"Nonsense. Besides, the mother already trusts us, so it will be easier in that respect." Charlotte gestured to the mother dog, who was at that moment gently nuzzling Dominic's hand for food. "We shall stay here all night if needed."

"Thank you, My Lady, but that will not be necessary. By the evening, I shall have all the hands I need." The kennel master bowed and left.

Over the next few hours, Charlotte and Dominic tended to the mother dog and her puppies, each taking turns to feed one of the litter to give the mother a chance to regain her strength.

"What will happen to them? After the games and such?" Charlotte asked, gently stroking the puppy in her lap to encourage it to feed..

"The puppies will no doubt find homes among the guests." Dominic gestured around them.

"They are very sweet." Charlotte smiled at the sleeping puppy on her foot.

"Perhaps you should keep one," Dominic suggested. "It seems that this one is already rather attached to you."

"My stepmother would never allow it." Charlotte shook her head.

"Well, you will not have to be there forever," Dominic pointed out.

"Perhaps Dominic could keep it for you? After all, you will live together once you are married," a voice said from behind them.

Charlotte turned and saw the Dowager Duchess surveying them. She swallowed and glanced at Dominic, who glanced back at her.

"I would not want to be a bother," Charlotte said.

"You would not be a bother," Dominic said quickly at the same time as the Dowager Duchess said, "Why would that be a bother?"

"Dominic has his setters. I would worry that they might not get on well with a new addition." Charlotte felt her cheeks redden.

"I am sure they would be fine. There is plenty of space at Verimore." The Dowager Duchess waved a dismissive hand.

"If you want to keep one, I would be glad to keep it for you." Dominic looked at Charlotte, but she could not quite make out his expression.

"I… Let me think on it," Charlotte replied.

"Do not think too long. If I know my family, half a dozen will already be on their way here to stake their claim." The Dowager Duchess bent down and held out a hand for the mother dog to sniff. "Besides, you are clearly rather attached to the creatures. The kennel master informs me that you offered to stay here all night to tend to them?"

The dog moved towards her cautiously and gave her a tentative lick.

"I… Well, I know we have made much extra work for your staff, and the puppies will need much over the next few days." Charlotte swallowed. What if she thinks I am implying her staff are incompetent. "I am sure that they would be perfectly up to the task; I just feel some responsibility I suppose."

"An admirable sentiment though I would not want you to miss too much of the games. I shall arrange for an extra hand or two, and that will help with much of the work." The Dowager Duchess gently tickled the dog under her chin, a soft expression on her face.

"I think I shall call you Venus." The Dowager Duchess said to the dog before looking at Charlotte and Dominic. "An apt name, do you not think?"

Before either of them could say anything, the Dowager Duchess stood, and left, calling over her shoulder. "You can have fourteen points for bringing me a new companion, but I will have to dock seven because you missed this afternoon's event."

"Did you mean what you said?" Charlotte asked, as she watched the Dowager Duchess's retreating figure. "About the puppy?"

"Of course, I did," Dominic replied, and he looked as though he were about to say something more, but at that moment, several people appeared, each wanting to look at the puppies.

"I am afraid, My Lords and Ladies, I must ask you to leave. The animals need their rest," a servant said, gesturing to the exit.

Charlotte left, walking beside Dominic. As they returned to the castle, she found herself thinking about his offer and realised that part of her wanted to accept. Do not be ridiculous; how would that even work? You are not going to marry him.

She was probably just caught up in the excitement of puppy love, and that was affecting her judgement. Once she had spent some time away from impossibly adorable puppies, she would return to her senses. At least, she hoped so.