Chapter 1

One

"C hristina, you are not going to climb that tree, are you?" Annie, her little sister asked, her eyes wide with worry.

Lady Christina Thornton loosened the ribbons of her bonnet, took it off, and tossed it onto the grass before taking hold of her skirts.

"Please, don't!" Annie pleaded, giving Christina's lady's maid, Addison, a helpless look.

"My lady, do reconsider," Addison pleaded as Christina tucked the hem of her skirt into her cummerbund. Addison wrung her hands, her eyes darting between Christina and the elm tree.

"You cannot change my mind," Christina firmly declared. "Besides, I would not be able to live with myself if I did not save Carrot."

With a deep breath and determined strides, she marched toward the tree and climbed onto the lowest and sturdiest branch with practiced ease. The rough bark scraped against her palms, but she ignored the discomfort, her focus solely on the trembling kitten. Reaching out toward the orange-furred feline, she coaxed, "Come here, Carrot." The cat looked frightened and was shaking, mewing miserably with amber eyes pleading for help.

"Christina, come down at once!" Annie said with her hands on her hips, as though she were twenty and not twelve.

"Hush, Annie! You will frighten Carrot, and then I shall never get him out of the tree," Christina scolded, continuing to coax the kitten. She extended her arm further, her fingers barely brushing Carrot's fur as she inched closer.

When Carrot did not move and sat shaking on the branch, Christina climbed higher, putting herself in a rather precarious position. The branch swayed under her weight, leaves rustling as if whispering warnings.

"My lady, please, come down," Addison implored, adding, "His lordship might see us and come out." She glanced nervously around, as though expecting him to appear at any moment.

"Yes, Father will lose his mind if he sees you up a tree again," Annie said, glancing nervously toward the window of their father's study overlooking the garden. "Remember what he said before we departed Kent for London?" The memory of their father's stern lecture made Christina waver for a moment, but then she looked at Carrot's frightened eyes and steeled herself once more.

" If I see you up another tree, I will deal with you in a way that you will never believe, young lady ," Christina murmured, with a chuckle, shaking her head slightly. Their father was stern, but she had more important matters to be concerned about at this moment. "Look at Carrot," she said to her sister and lady's maid. "If you can bear the guilt of abandoning a poor creature like this, then I might come down."

Very slowly now, she rose on the tips of her toes and reached for Carrot, then quickly captured him. The cat twisted his body to escape, managing to slip free and scratching Christina's hands as he did. The sharp sting made her gasp, and she instinctively jerked her hand back. She lost her balance and, although she tried to hold on to the branch, she was unable to and fell. Her arms flailed, grasping at empty air before she plummeted to the ground to the sound of Annie's shriek.

At first, Christina did not feel anything and was convinced she was all right. She lay still, dazed, staring up at the leafy canopy above. Heavens! I could have broken a bone!

Addison kneeled beside her. "Are you injured, my lady?"

"I do not think so," Christina said, sitting up and pushing wisps of hair from her face. She felt a rush of dizziness and blinked rapidly to clear her vision. As soon as she moved her right foot, pain shot through her, and she cried out. Oh, no! What have I done?

Christina heard Annie gasp, and when she looked up, she saw the Earl of Hillsbury, their father, marching toward them like a bull, his face red with fury. His boots thudded against the grass, each step filled with palpable anger. Her stomach clenched, and she swallowed, while Addison and Annie appeared to lose the color in their faces.

"What is going on here?" he demanded.

"I-I was attempting to get Carrot out of the tree," Christina stammered.

"You climbed the tree," her father said slowly, looking from her to the tree. His eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened as he took in the scene.

Christina swallowed, then nodded. Her father's face contorted with fury. "Did you not hear a word of what I said before we came to London for the season?" His voice rose with each word, echoing through the garden.

The pain in Christina's foot increased, and she winced. Her vision blurred with tears she fought to hold back. Seeing this, her father began a long, vehement speech. "You refused to listen to me, and now you have injured your foot. This is precisely why you have been out for more than four seasons and still have no prospects." He paced in front of her, throwing his arms in the air. "No gentleman in his right mind will marry a woman who still thinks she is a child, and even children know better than to do such foolish things."

He gestured at Annie, and she seemed to shrink behind Addison. "Look at your sister. She is now well mannered and does not resist our attempts to correct her after you have sent her astray."

"Father, please," Christina begged through clenched teeth, "let me have my foot tended to." Now was not the time for him to make comparisons between her and Annie.

He stopped and held her gaze for a moment, then turned on his heel. "I will have the physician summoned."

Annie and Addison dared not speak until the Earl had disappeared. Then, they tried to help Christina to her feet. She cried out again, the foot hurting too much to allow her to stand. Just then, their father came marching back. Christina braced herself for more scolding, but instead, he picked her up and carried her into the house. He set her down on a sofa in the drawing room and left.

The room was silent except for the ticking of the clock, and the consequences of her actions in the air like a heavy fog. Christina's mother, Helen Thornton, walked in. She took one look at Christina and declared, "I have cause to believe you have pushed your father to his limit."

"Carrot was stuck in the tree, and I was trying to rescue him," she protested, wincing as she shifted slightly, the pain in her foot reminding her of her predicament.

"He is a cat, Christina, and perfectly capable of climbing down without your help," her mother pointed out.

"I know, but the poor creature looked so helpless. It tore at my heart."

"Even in pain, you cannot help that mouth of yours, Christina. May God help you!" She turned to Annie, who looked like she wanted to flee the room. "Annie, you had better be a good girl, because following in Christina's footsteps will only lead to disaster." With that, she left the room.

Yes, I truly believe this family needs God's help! Christina clenched her teeth, anger simmering within her. She might be a disappointment to her parents, but they were draining the life from her sister. "Do not listen to her, Annie," she said just as Annie's governess appeared in the doorway, her keen eyes studying the scene.

"Lady Annabelle, it is time for your music lessons," she declared.

Annie's hazel eyes widened, and she looked torn. "May I stay with Christina since she is injured?" Her voice trembled slightly, torn between duty and concern.

The governess glanced at Christina. "My sympathies, My Lady." She turned back to Annie. "Your sister will survive this injury, and your music lessons cannot be neglected."

"Go on, Annie," Christina encouraged. "I shall be fine." She forced a reassuring smile despite the pain throbbing in her foot. Annie nodded reluctantly, then she took Christina's hand and gave it a squeeze. Christina smiled at her, whispering, "Do run along and be a good girl."

The physician arrived shortly thereafter. He examined Christina's foot, then addressed her mother. "It is badly sprained. She must not disturb it for at least five days."

Christina sighed. "Five days? I shall go mad with boredom." She let out an exasperated huff, looking around the room in despair.

Her mother gave her a stern look. "You will do as the physician advises, my dear."

Christina nodded, resigned, and slumped back against the sofa. It could have been worse.

Her father returned after the physician's departure and stood before her. Christina regarded him warily, for she had never seen him this angry before. Now she truly believed her mother's words—that she had pushed him to his limit. She wondered how he would punish her.

At last, he spoke. "By the time your foot is healed, you shall be walking down the aisle."

Christina blinked. "What do you mean, Father?" Her heart pounded, fear and confusion warring within her.

"Do you think your injury will allow you to participate in the season as you ought to?"

"I will recover!" Christina insisted.

"You will not waste another year! I will have you married and see to it that your husband tames your wild spirit!" .He did not wait for her response before he stalked out of the room, his footsteps echoing in the silence.

Her mother stepped forward, her expression inscrutable. "Do not look so stricken, Christina. You brough this on yourself. We should have arranged your marriage a long time ago."

Christina's heart was in her throat," and her life was unraveling before her. What now?

Victor Runeson, the Duke of Kilton, dismounted, and a footman rushed forward to take the horse's reins from him. He looked up at Kilton Castle, to the window of his daughters' schoolroom. They should be having arithmetic lessons now, and judging by how quiet the estate was, Victor thought they might be behaving themselves for once.

The butler opened the door, tugging slightly at his neckcloth. "Good afternoon, Your Grace. Welcome back."

Victor noticed the butler's unease immediately. He looked around the grand foyer. It was still quiet, but something did not feel right. "Where are my children, Smith?" he asked, as the butler collected his hat and greatcoat.

"They are quite well, Your Grace," Smith replied, clearing his throat.

"I did not ask how my daughters are, I asked where they are," Victor said, his voice edged with impatience.

Smith hesitated, avoiding Victor's gaze. Clenching his teeth, Victor strode toward the stairs. As he took the first step up, a shriek rent the air, followed by several other voices screaming. Victor's heart threatened to pound a hole through his chest as he charged up toward the sound.

The screams turned to giggles, and someone called, "up there!" Then another voice cried, "I will slay you, oh monstrous dragon!" followed by, "bring me my sword, sir!"

Lord, help me!

Victor ran the rest of the way to the third floor. The sight that greeted him in the broad hallway was one of absolute chaos. His four daughters had gone completely mad! Katherine wore some monstrosity on her head that obscured her vision, while Amelia swung a wooden sword, missing her by mere centimeters. Cassidy and Agnes were sliding down the staircase banister from the fourth floor. Agnes wobbled as she neared the end of the banister, and Victor dashed to catch her in time.

When he set her down, she tried to run away from him, giggling. "Don't you dare!" Victor caught the back of her frock and pulled her back to him. "Where is your governess?" he demanded, looking around.

The governess sat in a corner, reading, with her shoes off and her feet up on a chair opposite her. In her lap was a plate of scones that made her oblivious to the girls' horrendous endeavors and his presence.

"Comport yourselves at once!" Victor yelled. The girls scrambled about before lining up in front of him, all of them panting and wide-eyed.

The governess shot to her feet, sending the plate of scones falling onto the carpeted floor. She curtsied quickly, her gaze darting about. "Your Grace, we were?—"

"What were you doing?" Victor demanded.

The girls lowered their heads, and the governess was unable to utter a word. Then Agnes, the youngest and boldest, spoke up. "We did not know you would be back early from London, Papa."

"I see." He turned to the governess. "Is this how you have been training my children?"

She curtsied again. "Y-your Grace, they are out of control and never listen to me. I am unable to call them to order, and the servants are too afraid of you to challenge them."

Victor felt his eyes narrow. "You are dismissed. Gather your things and leave immediately."

The governess' shoulders fell, but not from sorrow or resignation. On the contrary, she appeared to be positively relieved. Who would not be, with children such as mine! She curtsied once more, then hurried away. Victor looked down at the girls and commanded, "Katherine, remove whatever it is you are wearing on your head."

"It is a dragon's head," Amelia said, but when she saw that he was not smiling, she quieted and pressed her lips together.

"Go to your rooms and change into decent clothes. Then present yourselves to me in my study. You have ten minutes!"

They scrambled away, almost falling over each other. Victor closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. It was time for him to do what he had dreaded for years.

It was time to find his daughters a mother before they sent him to an early grave.