“Shh…you’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
Easton held her in such a tender embrace that soon her sobs subsided, and she began to calm down. “I’m so sorry.”
“My dear Miss Parker, you have nothing to be sorry about. Know that I will always find and protect you. Can you tell me what happened?”
Mia told him about dropping her handkerchief and how the gentleman offered to help her find their group. “I know I’m not supposed to go off with a man alone, but I was desperate to find everyone.”
“I know. Did he hurt you?”
“He tried to kiss me. I kicked him in…” She blushed. “…a delicate area…and when he fell to the ground, I ran.”
Easton nodded. “That was smart. Now, take a deep breath and dry your eyes. Then we can head back to the group. Fletcherand Chandler were also looking for you, so we must let them know you’re safe. Come, it’s this way.”
“You won’t tell Fletcher, will you? He’ll be so disappointed in me. I promised him I would never go off alone with a gentleman.”
“No, I won’t say anything. I think you’ve endured enough trauma for one evening. Come now.”
Easton held out his arm, and as Mia took it, she had never felt so protected. There was no condescension in his eyes, only warmth. He was the best of men, and her heart swelled with emotion at the thought that he would always find her, no matter the circumstances.
They’d made it to the outskirts of the crowd watching the tightrope walkers when Fletcher and Chandler found them.
“Where have you been?” Fletcher asked with a scowl.
Before Mia had a chance to respond, Easton answered. “I found her sitting in the dirt just past the supper boxes. She’d dropped her handkerchief and gotten knocked down when she tried to retrieve it.”
Fletcher’s face relaxed. “Oh no, are you hurt, my dear?”
“No. I’m fine, but I had to retrieve it. It was the one that Grace gave me for Christmas.”
“I understand. I’m relieved to know you’re not hurt. Come, let’s rejoin our party. Your sister is worried about you,” Fletcher said, holding out his arm.
As Mia let go of Easton and slipped her hand into the crook of Fletcher’s elbow, she looked back at him and mouthedthank you.
Easton watched as Fletcherwalked away with the woman he loved. He’d never been so scared in his life when he couldn’tfind her in the crowd. He thought of every possible scenario, and none of them were good. Thankfully, none of those things had happened. When she told him what had transpired, he wanted to plant that man a facer, but he didn’t want to leave Miss Parker’s side for even a moment. He had to smile, though—the girl had guts, that’s for sure. He wondered how she knew that a knee to the groin would take down even the strongest of men.
“You want to tell me what really happened?” Chandler asked as they followed a safe distance behind Fletcher and Miss Parker.
“It’s entirely true that she dropped her handkerchief and was knocked down. However, we left out what happened after that.”
“That doesn’t sound good. Care to elaborate?”
“It could have ended very badly for her, but Miss Parker is no one to trifle with, I can tell you that.”
“Oh, what do you mean?”
Easton explained the rest of the ordeal to his friend.
Chandler’s eyes widened. “She did that?”
“She did indeed.”
“So, have you declared yourself to her yet? Seemed like the perfect moment—the hero rescuing the damsel in distress and all.”
“Really, Chandler? The young woman just went through a traumatic experience. I doubt seriously if she would have reacted favorably to my declaring myself.”
“I would advise you not to take too much more time to tell her you love her. Otherwise, if the next time something happens, you may not be in a position to protect her.”
“I know. You’re right.”