His Duchess

by Charlotte Russell

  Northfield brought his horse to a halt while Jane moved not at all. Taviston shook his head in disbelief then wheeled Excalibur around and sent his horse after the mare.

  “Come on, Ex,” he said to the gelding as he leaned low. “We need to catch them before they both end up with broken necks.”

  Excalibur had no trouble closing the gap between the two horses. The mare wasn’t particularly swift, but something had certainly spooked her. As they drew closer Taviston could see the wild, frightened look in the animal’s eyes. He couldn’t see Miss Forster’s face at all, as she had it buried to the left side of the horse’s neck.

  His first, and only, plan had been to draw alongside the mare and grab the reins. He didn’t have any doubt he could easily stop the horse. Unfortunately, the reins were all tangled up and hung down the left side of the mare. He and Excalibur were to the right.

  He looked up just in time to duck his head under a tree branch. This was beyond ridiculous; it was downright dangerous.

  “Miss Forster!” he shouted over the thunder of the hooves.

  Her head jerked but she did not look at him. What on God’s green earth was such an inexperienced rider doing on such a volatile horse?

  Taviston glanced ahead again and saw they were now in a wide open section of the park. Good.

  “Victoria! Sit upright and loosen your boot in the stirrup. I will lift you off that blasted beast.”

  For a moment she gave no indication she had heard him. But then she slowly raised her head. Terror filled her eyes. Taviston decided then and there that Jane, and possibly Northfield, were not going to hear the end of this anytime soon.

  “All right, Ex, let’s move closer.” He nudged the black as close to the mare as he felt was safe, then leaned over and hooked an arm around Victoria’s waist, dragging her off the chestnut and into his lap. He felt a slight pull and heard the tearing of fabric, but nothing else hindered the transfer.

  He kept his arm tightly around her as the frightened woman threw her arms around his back and buried her face in his chest. With his free hand he pulled on the reins and slowed Excalibur to a trot then drew the gelding to a complete stop. At that moment Northfield flew by them on his own mount, apparently in an attempt to stop the still out-of-control mare.

  Miss Forster trembled in his arms and suddenly Taviston’s anger flared to life again. It was bad enough she had been terrified beyond anything, but if she were physically hurt...

  “Are you injured?” He dropped the reins, confident Excalibur wouldn’t go anywhere. Then he loosened his hold and eased her back away from him slightly.

  He was surprised to see she wasn’t crying. Her eyes were somewhat dilated, and she was taking in deep breaths, but otherwise she appeared unharmed. His hand unconsciously came up and began rubbing her back in circles.

  She gave him a tremulous smile and at long last replied, “I’m all right. I shall probably never ride a horse again, but I am unhurt.”

  “Thank God. Do you know what precipitated that wild bolt? I assume the mare is Jane’s.”

  “Yes, she is. Jane claimed she was the ‘gentlest creature’ and up until then we were doing fine. I was enjoying riding again after so many years,” she said, without ever taking her eyes from his face.

  Some of his fear was shoved aside by the forceful return of his desire for the woman sitting in front of him. He had done his damnedest to avoid her for the better part of a week and had succeeded—until Northfield had invited him for a ride in the park. Taviston suspected the Northfields of maneuvering this morning’s encounter, though he doubted they had anticipated such a dangerous turn of events. How unfortunate he could not blame them for his unrelenting ardor.

  What a nasty, wicked joke fate was playing on him. If Miss Forster had been anything else but the unmarried, innocent daughter of a gentleman he would have had no reservations about beginning an assignation with her. He wasn’t the rake his brother was, but he also wasn’t some timid schoolboy afraid to pursue a woman he wanted. But discretion was essential in his choice of female companionship and so he avoided any female with the potential for causing scandal.

  However, he had never felt such an overwhelming urge to be with one particular person. A person whose blue eyes did troubling things to his soul, whose lips were so velvety—

  “Victoria! Oh my goodness. Are you all right? Please say you are not hurt.”

  Jane and Northfield pulled up in front of them, Northfield leading the now disturbingly calm Daisy.

  Taviston, now completely back in the present, turned a glacial stare on Jane and said, “Is she all right? What kind of crack-brained idea was this, Jane? What possessed you to put an inexpert rider on such an unpredictable mount?”

  Shock began to commingle with the concern on Jane’s face. She opened her mouth to speak, but her husband interjected first, with a sliver of steel in his voice, “I would advise you to watch your tone, Taviston.”

  The two men eyed each other across the horses.

  Miss Forster spoke up. “I am physically unharmed, and I believe my mental faculties will shortly return to normal, though that isn’t necessarily a blessing.” She smiled at the Northfields, obviously trying to lessen the sudden tension.

  The muscles in Taviston’s jaw relaxed, as did Northfield’s.

  Keeping the same note of friendliness in her voice, Miss Forster asked, “Jane, what happened to the gentle and sweet Daisy? Has she ever done something like this before?”

  The marchioness exchanged a guilty look with her husband. There was puzzlement in her voice, though, as she said, “Well, yes, but...”

  “We bought Daisy from a farmer near one of my estates. Jane insisted on rescuing her when we saw her being abused.” Northfield grimaced. “Once we brought her to our stables, the grooms soon realized cursing drove her mad, literally. It seems the despicable farmer would preface his ill-treatment with a string of curses, so when Daisy hears those words and tone, she fears violence is imminent. Needless to say, our grooms learned soon enough to watch their language around our Daisy.”

  Jane still looked bewildered. “But, Edmund, that doesn’t explain this morning’s—”

  “Perhaps you should guard your tongue better, miss,” Taviston admonished Victoria.

  His words lit an instant fire in her pale blue eyes and she spoke in outrage. “Guard my tongue! What about your lying, arrogant, insulting—”

  Taviston clapped a hand over her indignant mouth. Luckily the sparks lighting up her eyes didn’t incinerate him. He mused, “I do wonder what it was you were cursing.”

  He would have continued to tease her, but she had the sudden inclination to bite his hand, apparently in an attempt to persuade him to remove it from her mouth. All she was able to manage, however, were little nips at his flesh.

  Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear, “That isn’t having the affect you desired.”

  Her eyes flew to his and she immediately ceased nipping at his hand and tried to take in a gulp of air. With his hand covering her mouth, she ended up descending into a fit of coughing. He released her and settled his hand on her thigh with enough pressure to keep her right up against him.

  A blaze lingered in her eyes, but the fury had faded and was replaced by untried passion. Inwardly, Taviston mocked himself. He was such an idiot for encouraging their seemingly mutual, but entirely inappropriate, desire. Ah well, it was truly enjoyable, and they certainly weren’t harming anyone. It was all a matter of keeping this passion in check.

  “Oh! Good gracious. Look at the time,” Jane said as she did just that with the gold watch pinned to her habit. “My sweet little Dominic will be howling for his next meal any minute now. And Edmund, darling, don’t you have an appointment with your banker at nine?” She gave her husband an innocently inquiring look, not fooling Taviston for a minute.

  Northfield did not hesitate. “You are correct, my love. We had best go. Taviston, would you be a good chap and see Miss Forster home?”

&n
bsp; “No! I can see myself home. My footman is around here somewhere.”

  “Oh, but Victoria, you’ve had the biggest fright. We would not feel right if you weren’t escorted home,” Jane said.

  Taviston sighed so that Victoria could hear him, but inside he was in full agreement with his friends. He, too, needed the assurance of seeing her home. “We shall have to walk, I’m afraid, as it would be far too indecent for you to ride with me.”

  She squirmed around in front of him, which only made him more aware of her than ever.

  “Good day to you both, then,” called Northfield.

  Jane smiled and waved as the couple rode off, leading poor Daisy.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Victoria kept her eyes on the retreating backs of the Northfields, not daring to move an inch. It was thrilling and yet frightening that Taviston obviously desired her. But they were alone now, and she was completely out of her depth with an overly stimulated male. Though intrigued, common sense had finally caught up with her and she decided to behave herself.

  Within but a minute Taviston dismounted the horse and without warning grasped her around the waist and hauled her off the beast as well. As he quickly released her, Victoria hoped his common sense, which he seemed to possess in abundance, was also emerging.

  Looking down at her skirts, she lifted up the hem. “My habit is torn,” she said dully as she eyed the jagged tear in the beautiful blue velvet.

  “You are missing your hat as well.”

  Her hands flew up to her head and she smoothed her hair down as best she could. She must looked a fright, although that didn’t appear to be fear in his grey eyes.

  She gave him a wan smile. “Well, as I do not intend to ride ever again, I suppose I am not necessarily in need of a riding habit.”

  Taviston scowled. “But of course you will ride again. This was a strange and unfortunate mishap. You said yourself things were going well before your regrettable choice of words.” He smiled at her. “I will gladly buy you a new riding habit.”

  “That, my dear sir, would be utterly improper.” She tried to turn a disapproving look on him, but it was difficult to do when he smiled. “We should probably be on our way now.”

  “Very well,” he said, as he reached for Excalibur’s reins. Timothy finally caught up to them so Taviston handed him the reins and the footman and horse fell in behind them.

  “Who is this lovely fellow?” Victoria asked as she nodded toward the magnificent black steed.

  Taviston gave her an inscrutable look and paused before answering, “This is Excalibur.”

  “Really?” Surprise shaded her tone.

  “Yes.” He sighed. “I have studied the history of the legend of our King Arthur.”

  So, the myth fascinated the proper and dignified duke as well. How coincidental they had both named their animals after parts of the legend.

  “Do you believe he really existed?” Victoria ventured. “The sword in the stone and Merlin the wizard seem fantastical, but otherwise I think the story could be true.”

  Taviston tilted his head back and looked up at the sky for a moment. Watching him out of the corner of her eye, she decided he was the handsomest man she would ever meet. Since he wasn’t the man she was going to marry, there was something not quite right about that. But he certainly looked exceptionally... manly in his riding coat, breeches and top boots.

  He finally spoke. “I believe Arthur was real. Legends almost always have some basis in fact. But stories get embellished over time, much like gossip. In the course of my studies, it was fascinating to note when certain elements of the story came into existence.”

  Oh, to have the resources to study such things. “What aspect of the story do you like the most?”

  “Well, the lessons it attempts to convey about morality, leadership, and betrayal are all intriguing. What is there to dislike?” Taviston lifted an eyebrow at her.

  “Indeed.”

  “And yourself, what do you find so interesting?” he inquired.

  She looked off into the distance. “Why, the lessons about love and relationships.”

  Taviston lapsed into silence for a noticeable moment before asking rhetorically, “The Arthurian legend has something for all, doesn’t it?” He glanced over at her. “Speaking of Arthur, your wandering feline has spent the past few nights sleeping beside me.”

  Surprisingly, he spoke without rancor. Victoria stopped walking, unable to check her astonishment. “He has? I have been completely at a loss as to his whereabouts.”

  “Wonder no more.” Taviston, who had not stopped walking, turned completely around to say this to her, but continued walking backward.

  “I do apologize,” she replied, while briefly wondering if an apology for one’s pet annoyed him as much as an apology for one’s relative. “I have no idea how he is getting out of my house.” She set her feet in motion again. “Do you know how he gets into yours?”

  Taviston grinned. “Through the front door.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Every night about ten or eleven o’clock he takes up residence on my front step and sets to caterwauling until Halston lets him in.”

  He still smiled, which was good. She had expected him to be more irritated.

  “Oh, goodness. Arthur can be such a dreadful annoyance.” She felt like apologizing again but didn’t deem it wise.

  “He really isn’t too much trouble. He has trained Cook to leave him a treat in the kitchen. Then he prowls around the house until I retire.” A wicked gleam sprang into his eyes. “My mother is still under the impression that a large grey rat inhabits Taviston House. She has been attempting to persuade me to hire our own personal rat catcher.”

  “Oh, dear.” Then Victoria rounded on him. “Wait a moment. Why have you not informed her Arthur is just a cat? How despicable you are, sir!”

  Taviston laughed. “’Tis true. But my brothers and I have always enjoyed giving her frights ever since we were children. Sometimes even Harriet joined in on the tease.”

  “If you do not assure me this is all in good merriment, I shall be forced to call upon your dear mother and inform her of the truth,” Victoria warned.

  “Have no fear. After raising three sons, my mother is not easily overset by anything, even horrible creatures of the outdoors. I wouldn’t be surprised if she knows the truth is only playing along.” He glanced her way. “But I am sure she would love to have you call upon her again, if you so desire.”

  “Oh, well, as to that...” Victoria murmured.

  “As you wish. Now, tell me what brought such foul words out of your mouth that Daisy feared for her hide.” Taviston came to a standstill and pinned her with a determined look.

  This conversation had been going so well. She had truly never seen Taviston so relaxed. If she told him the truth, she knew the goodwill between them would blow away in the wind. But what was the point in lying? It didn’t matter now, nor had it ever, what Charles, the Duke of Taviston, thought of her.

  “It was the sight of you,” she said without further preamble.

  An odd look distorted his features for a few seconds and then he burst out laughing. He laughed hard. And long. And loud. Victoria glanced around them and noticed more than a few heads turning their way.

  As Taviston laughed on, he glanced once at Victoria. The sight of her apparently sent him into another fit of laughter, leaving him doubled over at the waist. Soon he was trying to control his mirth just so he could inhale great gulps of air.

  At first Victoria was taken aback, but as his unexplained amusement dragged on, her patience began to ebb. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

  Eventually he was able to control himself, though hilarity still swam through his tear-moistened eyes. He said, with no amount of seriousness at all, “I am sorry.”

  “Hardly,” Victoria said sharply. “What is so amusing?”

  She saw him try, valiantly, to erase the grin from his face, but he couldn’
t quite do it. “It is only that my reaction to the sight of you on the horse path was much the same. Although I daresay my speech was much more colorful.”

  Her irritation all but vanished. A smile crept over her lips as she realized the humor inherent in the situation. And drat it all, he looked so sexy and young and carefree when he laughed. The two sides of the duke crystallized before her eyes. There was the staid, serious aspect he showed to society and then there was this other, much more human side. She would wager not many saw this part of his personality.

  The two of them stood smiling at each other for the longest minute. Finally, a loud snort and the stamping of a hoof by Excalibur brought them both back to the here and now.

  “We had best continue on, Miss Forster.” Taviston had curiously cleared his face of any expression.

  They fell in step together again, exited the park and headed toward the Brownes’ house via some of the smaller lanes. They had decided to avoid busy Oxford Street.

  The conversation was pleasant; they talked about different social events, discussed the king’s condition, and even touched on the war with France. Before Victoria knew it, they approached Somerset Street. She abruptly halted at the corner and Taviston had no choice but to do so as well.

  “I believe Timothy and I can safely make it from here,” she said with a smile, hoping he would acquiesce without an argument. While she was certain neither Louisa nor Mr. Browne would be awake to witness her arrival at No. 6 with the Duke of Taviston, at least one servant, most probably Morgan, would certainly note the event.

  “I am sure you could, but I agreed to see you home and this is not your home,” he stubbornly retorted.

  Victoria let out a small sigh. She put on her best pleading expression and looked into his eyes. His lovely grey eyes. “Please.”