GypsyDukeEpub by Unknown Page A

the horizon, a bright orange semi-circle. If she held the note up, she had abundant light to read.
    Dearest Kitty,
    I hope this morning finds you in the best of health for I have some unpleasant news to relate. Treacherous circumstances have forced me to flee Somerset Park. My uncle is dangerous, to say the least. You are to avoid his company at all costs.
    My mother is in full accord with my decision to leave and knows how to contact me should you have need of anything. This decision was not made lightly, nor do I discount how this will affect you, dear Kitty. Never think that you are any less dear to me because I am not with you.
    I ask that you wait for me. You have my word that I will return when I can take the estate from my uncle. But my father has made him guardian until my twenty-first birthday. I pray the time will pass quickly for both of us.
    Fear not, my regard for you is unchanging. Stay safe and avoid Somerset Park. I realize this is not the love letter you hoped for, but someday…
    Ever yours, John Seymour, Duke of Somerset
    She stared at the words, unseeing, as her eyes filled with tears. John was leaving or had already left.  And he didn't want her to go to Somerset. But what if he hadn't left yet? If she hurried, she might still catch him. It was early, and he had left the note, so perhaps he remained at home.
    She clasped the note to her chest and kicked her horse to a gallop. Chester called out behind her, but she didn't hesitate. Every second wasted might mean a lost opportunity.
    Tears blinded her, and she pushed angrily at them. How dare he leave without coming to see her? She had done everything he asked since she was nine years old. He had been her best friend and confidant.
    Did he not trust her? Did he think her a mere babe to be pampered and coddled then shielded from the more weighty matters of his life? She was five and ten now. She had a mind of her own and would do as she pleased…As soon as she found out if he was all right.
    She reached the Somerset stables in a flash of pounding hooves. Before she could even determine her next move, another rider cut her off, dashing in front of her. Her horse reared slightly, and Kitty reached to calm him before turning blazing eyes on the fool that had nearly unseated her.
    Astonishment lit her face, and her mouth dropped in silent awe. It was...it was…
    "Michel, what are you doing? Are you trying to get me killed?"
    "I think you are more than capable of managing that on your own, Mistress. Have you no care for your mount? That is no way to ride. A courtyard is not the place for racing fools."
    Irritation burned in her chest until she noted the heaving sides of her horse and the proximity of so many things with which she could have collided. She glanced around for Chester, since the Somerset grooms were nowhere in sight.
    He approached the stables, so she called to him. Arguing with a gypsy was a waste of time. "Chester, hurry. Take my horse. I have to find John."
    "No!"
    Kitty turned to find Michel holding the head of her horse. "He's not here, Lady Katherine. Go home. You were told not to come here."
    She felt a weight settle in her stomach. Not yet. He couldn't be gone yet. "How do you know, Michel? What has happened?"
    "He left last night. I don't know where he is, but he asked me to keep an eye on you."
    Defiance flashed, and she glared at him. Then her shoulders crumpled with regret. John had left without her. The tears formed again, but she kept them from falling. Her chin lifted, and she pulled at the reins of her horse until Michel released him.
    "I don't need you, Michel. I don't need anyone."
    "Kitty…wait."
    His familiarity stopped her. She'd known for years that John spent much time with Michel whenever the gypsies gathered nearby.
    She turned back to look at him. The sun had crested the roof of the stables, and it glinted off the gold earring at Michel's ear. His black hair gleamed with the orange light, and her mouth twitched in a