Determined to forget all about a certain Mr Sam Hemsworth, Ivy threw herself wholeheartedly into the evening's entertainments. Games had been set up in different rooms, and she walked between them, imbibing—perhaps—a little too much of the eggnog. She laughed and chatted with multiple eligible gentlemen, all introduced to her by Olivia, who already knew them all from her London seasons.

There were so many names and titles, she would never remember them all. How did Olivia do it? She seemed to know everyone's names and their families, always inquiring how they were faring. Ivy was happy she at least remembered the names of the men who had attended Ravenscroft's ball in the summer. Lord Wyndon had danced with her the previous night, and even the proper Lord Richmond had asked her to join him for a set. She suspected he mostly did it because as a bachelor he was expected to be seen tending to the single ladies, and he found her an easy conversational partner, but she didn't mind. The man was blunt and honest, but not a terrible dance partner.

She'd always known Olivia was popular, and why wouldn't she be? She was a wonderful friend and person. But Ivy had never realised quite how many people liked her before attending this house party. Nearly everyone seemed to know her friend and wanted a word. Fortunately, Alice and Imogen were also in attendance, so she was rarely left alone. However, Alice kept disappearing to speak to Mr Montgomery, who was obviously quite smitten with the beauty.

"She ought to be careful with that one."

Ivy nearly jumped when the dark voice spoke. She turned her head and noticed the Marquess of Richmond standing beside her, his sharp blue eyes fixed on Alice and Mr. Montgomery as hers had been a moment ago.

"Why is that?" she asked. "He seems quite fond of her."

Richmond scoffed. "He may be enthralled by her beauty, but he is after a hefty dowry, which she has not."

"Oh." Frowning, she looked back over at her friend and the brown-haired Mr Montgomery. They were sitting a little too close on a chaise longue, laughing at something they were reading in a book. "Isn't love more important than money?"

"Few people are in a position to choose love over money." The marquess lifted a glass to his lips and took a sip. It looked like pure whisky rather than eggnog. "It is rather naive to think differently."

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you calling me naive, my lord?"

The shadow of a smile touched his lips as he glanced down at her from his towering height, a knowing glint of amusement in his eyes. "Perhaps."

"I take it you would not marry someone without a dowry?"

He lifted a shoulder in a lazy shrug. "I am one of the few fortunate enough to do as I wish, but I am in no hurry to marry. My days are quite busy as it is."

"Oh, and here I believed you to be a man of leisure," she teased.

It surprised her when the marquess chuckled quietly. "I am a man of many things, but I am not that."

Not knowing how to react, she turned back to watch her friend. "Well," she said. "I will continue to think the best of people."

"As is your prerogative," he agreed. "But do not be surprised if he fails to meet your expectations of him."

Although she believed in giving people a chance, she couldn't help but be wary of her friend and Mr Montgomery throughout the rest of the evening. The marquess's words didn't sit right with her, and she couldn't quite let go of the niggling worry in the back of her head that said he might be correct.

This niggling fear was how she found herself wedged in a horse-drawn sleigh with Alice and Mr Montgomery the next day. Three sleighs had been readied to take those interested for a ride across the snow-covered grounds of the estate. Two were larger and comfortably fit a handful of people, while the final one was smaller and only really suitable for a couple. However, after Richmond's warnings, Ivy panicked when it looked like her friend would go alone with Mr Montgomery, and she quickly interjected herself into their party.

If her friend was annoyed that Ivy had come along, she was graceful enough to hide it. There was a gentle snowfall as their horse pulled the sleigh across the Winterbourne Hall grounds, and Ivy was rather grateful for the furs covering their legs and the hot brick at their feet. Mr Montgomery was pleasant and chatty, entertaining both of them with stories of the London season, giving them an idea of what to expect when they both attended in a few months.

"Is it me, or is the snow picking up a fair bit?" Alice asked when Mr Montgomery finished another anecdote.

Ivy hadn't been paying attention, too busy listening and chatting with her companions, but as she looked out over the snowy landscape, she realised her friend was right. In fact, the snow was coming down so heavily she could only see a few yards ahead of them.

"We had better turn back," Mr Montgomery said. "Don't want to be out here if there's a storm coming."

As if it heard them, a gust of wind kicked up the snow around them, and suddenly the heated brick and furs didn't seem nearly warm enough anymore. Their previous chatter died down as Mr Montgomery turned the sleigh back around towards the main house. The snow came down quicker and quicker, and the visibility was rapidly getting worse.

"Are we sure this is the right direction?" Alice asked when they had been moving for quite some time but still recognised nothing.

Mr Montgomery grunted. "I don't know," he admitted. "I can barely see two feet in front of the horses."

"Should we stop?"

The surrounding landscape was nothing but a white blur by now, with snowflakes steadily falling like a white curtain, covering everything and making it impossible to recognise any landmarks or see any roads.

"We can't stay out in the cold." Mr Montgomery urged the horses on, but they were becoming jittery as well with the lack of visibility. "We'd freeze to death. Better keep going. Eventually, we have to find either the main house or one of the farms."

Ivy hoped he was right because the wind was already nipping at her cheeks.

"What's th— Bloody hell!" Mr Montgomery's curse came at the same time as their sleigh jolted violently as they hit something with a deafening bang. The sleigh tilted to the side and slowed to a stop. The horses whinnied and stomped at the ground, struggling to push on.

"What was that?" Ivy peered over the side, but there was too much snow to see properly.

Mr Montgomery jumped out and bent down to look. "We're wedged on a boulder. Must have been what we hit."

"What do we do?" Alice's gloved hands gripped the furs as she glanced at the two grey geldings. "Are we stuck here?"

"We will have to get off the boulder. I will—" Mr Montgomery's words were cut off when a dark shadow—a small deer or similar—darted out next to the horses and spooked them. They whinnied and jerked forward, and with a loud crack, the runners broke off on the boulder as the sleigh lurched forward. Mr Montgomery screamed as the wooden sleigh landed on his foot.

"Oh, my lord!" Alice scrambled over to him, and Ivy followed. Their movements made the horses move again, freeing Mr Montgomery's foot from under the sleigh.

Cursing under his breath, he leaned heavily against the side of the sleigh box while the wind whined around them, whipping snow in their faces. His face was nearly as white as the world around them, and Alice put a hand on his shoulder.

"Can you walk?"

He tried putting some weight on the foot but instantly hissed in pain. Shaking his head, he confirmed, "No, I think it might be broken."

Alice's grey eyes met Ivy's. "What are we going to do? We can't stay here."

Thoughts swirled through Ivy's mind as she considered their options. There weren't many. The sleigh would be too heavy without working runners for the horses to pull. They could try to ride them, but without the proper gear and with Mr Montgomery's broken ankle, they would struggle.

"We must be close to the main house now," she said, steeling her shoulders. "I will walk back and get help while you stay here with Mr Montgomery. Get under the furs and cuddle up to stay warm."

Alice looked between her and the man who must be in considerable pain but tried to hide it.

"No," he said, his voice strained. "I will do it. I'll ride back."

"You can barely move without looking as if you're about to faint," Ivy told him with a level of honesty he probably did not appreciate. "The jostle of riding will be impossible. If you can even get up on the horse. I'll take one of them."

"There's no side-saddle." Alice worried her lower lip with her teeth as she helped Mr Montgomery get back inside the sleigh. Looking back at Ivy, she shook her head. "There's not any saddle."

"I will be fine. I've ridden bareback before." It was true. But it had been summer, so exposing her legs to the weather had been no worse than the potential scandal of someone seeing her.

Alice hugged her tightly. "Be safe."

Ivy hugged her back, silently praying for all of them to be. While her friend buried Mr Montgomery under the furs, Ivy walked up to the horses. Stroking one of them along the neck, she waited for it to get used to her presence and calm down before she began undoing all the straps to free it from the harness.

Once the horse was finally free, she glanced back at her friend. The snow was coming down so thick the sleigh was little more than a dark shadow behind the flakes. She nearly yelped when someone came up next to her.

"You'll need a boost to get up," Alice said. "With no saddle."

Her friend clasped her hands to create a loop and bent down so Ivy could step into it. With a heave, she boosted Ivy enough so she could grab onto the horse's neck and hoist herself up. As she settled across the horse's broad back, her skirts rode up to her knees and the icy blast on her stockinged legs sent a shiver up her body.

"Get back in the sleigh," she shouted down to Alice, her voice nearly drowning in the wind. When she felt secure that her friend was safe next to Mr Montgomery under the furs, she gathered the long reins in her lap and nudged the horse into movement. Leaving the reins loose, she hoped the horse might find its way back home. But with the white blanket over every surface and the snowstorm making it difficult to see further than your hand in front of you, it was possible not even the horse knew where they were.

Sam was in the kitchen getting a cup of tea from the cook when he heard a commotion outside. With the snowstorm getting worse every moment, he was planning to enjoy the rest of the day indoors with a good book. The day had started so well with just a light snowfall, but now it was nothing but dark skies and snow so thick he couldn't even see the stables that were near the kitchen.

Excusing himself to the older woman kindly boiling him some water, he entered the next room. Winterbourne stood inside the door leading out to the stables, a layer of snow covering his shoulders and the brim of his hat. A few servants were busy putting on their greatcoats, hats, and outdoor boots. It made no sense for them to be going outside in this weather. No one ought to be.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

Winterbourne turned to him. "The storm came on while guests were still out with the sleighs. Two have returned, but we're missing the third."

Something about the tall man's stance sent an ominous tingle down Sam's spine. "Who is in the missing sleigh?"

"Mr Montgomery, Miss Burton, and..." Winterbourne's eyes met his. "Miss Edwards."

Sam's gaze was drawn to the window where the snow was coming down thickly. Ivy was out in this?

"I'm sure they're fine," Winterbourne continued. "But those of us who know the grounds best will go searching in case they got turned around in the storm."

"I will join you."

"Not necessary."

"I will join you," Sam repeated, a hint of steel stealing into his voice.

Winterbourne sighed. "Fine. Get dressed and meet us by the stables."

A few minutes later, Sam stood outside the stables wearing his thick greatcoat, hat, and boots. Winterbourne had changed the horses on the returning sleighs, and the most experienced horsemen were taking them out again. A few men would walk the closest areas by foot, while a handful of others were riding out on the horses best equipped to handle the conditions. A big working horse was assigned to Sam, while Winterbourne manned one sleigh.

They all left together, and Sam kept close to Winterbourne since he didn't know the grounds as well as the others. But he still wanted to help if he could. They searched for what felt like hours—but were probably a lot less—as their hands got colder and colder even through the gloves and the wind felt as it if went straight through every layer of clothing.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Winterbourne motioned to something up ahead. Squinting, Sam tried to see what the other man had noticed, and a moment later he saw the dark shadow of what might be a sleigh and horses. A faint sound carried on the wind. A woman's voice? They must have heard the bells on Winterbourne's horses.

Sam urged his horse on and reached the stranded sleigh a few moments before the duke. Miss Alice Burton stood in the box, her nose and cheeks red from the icy wind, and Mr Montgomery sat at her feet.

"We think he's broken his ankle," Miss Burton shouted over the wail of the storm. "Thank the lord you brought another sleigh since he can't walk."

There was no sign of Ivy. Sam's heart sank. Miss Burton must have seen his worry, because her face fell. "Ivy went to get help. Did she not find you?"

"No." Sam cursed. Ivy was alone out there somewhere?

"She took one horse," Miss Burton continued as Winterbourne pulled up beside them. She grabbed Sam's hand. "Please. Find her."

Sam looked over at Winterbourne, who nodded. "You go. I will get these two and the horse to safety. If you can't make it back, the gamekeeper's cabin is about half a mile in that direction. He is away for the winter, so it's empty most of the time." He pointed and Sam prayed he could remember where, since everything looked the same.

"Are you sure you'll be all right here?"

Winterbourne nodded grimly. "We'll be fine. Go find the young lady. Oh, here." He bent down and fished up a knapsack from the sleigh and fastened it to Sam's saddle. "Some food cook sent along in case we were out too long. I know where we are and I'm certain we can make it back. You're better off taking it."

"Thank you." He wasn't sure whether he should be grateful or terrified that Winterbourne thought he'd need it. Maybe both.

After helping Winterbourne get the injured Montgomery into the new sleigh, Sam mounted his horse and took off in the direction Miss Burton said Ivy had gone. It wasn't a quick walk, with the wind whipping their faces and the snow swirling in the air, obscuring their vision. Even his thick greatcoat wasn't enough to keep the chill from seeping into his bones.

Ivy had been out in this far longer than he. How was she faring? The thought of her made him nudge the horse to go a little faster. He couldn't help worrying that something terrible might have happened to her.

Please be all right.

~~~~~~