“Mrs. Langford! Are you all right?” Cass asked, genuine concern marring her porcelain features.

“She’s fine,” Jane muttered as Upton waded in to retrieve the woman from the water. He scooped her into his arms and lifted her, then strode onto the grass where he set her down and wrapped his coat around her. “Are you all right? Nothing broken?”

“I don’t th—think so,” Mrs. Langford said in the most false-sounding, sad voice Jane had ever heard. “I’m so clumsy,” the widow added for good measure.

Jane fought the urge to roll her eyes. She ran her fingertips along the top of her book. At least it hadn’t got wet.

“Stay here,” Upton said to Mrs. Langford. “I’ll get a mount from one of the footmen. I’ll take you back to the house on horseback.”

Lucy and Cass fawned over the poor little invalid while Jane went back to reading her book. Udolpho’s mysteries were much more interesting than this charade.

“I do hope the damage is only to your clothing, Mrs. Langford,” Lucy offered.

“And to my pride,” Mrs. Langford said simply, adding a wistful sigh to her list of transgressions.

Ha. Jane kept her nose firmly ensconced in her book.

“We’ll have one of the maids clean your things as soon as you get back to the house and change into new garments,” Cass assured her.

“Thank you so much, Lady Cassandra,” Mrs. Langford said fawningly. “I do so appreciate your assistance.”

“Will you be all right with Garrett taking you back?” Cass asked.

This Jane had to see. She lowered the book and eyed the widow. Mrs. Langford’s eyes grew dark and she looked down, allowing her eyelashes to splay against her cheeks in a display even Jane had to admit was fetching. “Yes. Of course. It’s for the best that Mr. Upton be the one to take me home in my disheveled state.”

What the devil did that mean?

Cass and Lucy exchanged shocked glances.

Mrs. Langford stepped closer to Lucy and Cass, but Jane was still able to hear what she said next. “Because Mr. Upton and I are close. Quite close indeed.”

The book nearly toppled from Jane’s hands. She grabbed for it and righted it just as Upton strode back to them, a horse in tow. “Let’s get you back to the manor house,” he said to Mrs. Langford. He led the widow by the hand and readily helped her onto the mount. From her position in front of Upton, Mrs. Langford gave Jane a smug smile. Jane nudged at her spectacles.

Upton tapped the horse with his heels and the pair took off, leaving Jane, Lucy, and Cass to stare after them, wide-eyed.

Jane let her arm holding the book fall to her side. “Ladies, you don’t suppose all this time we’ve been in the presence of Garrett’s mistress?”

Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE