by Diana Quincy
Trepidation skittered down her spine. “To where do we go?”
“It is a surprise.”
She hated surprises. “I am not one who enjoys the unknown.”
“Balderdash,” Cosmo said with a laugh. “Every time you leap out of that balloon, you jump into the unknown.”
Shaking her head, Mari rose. “That is not the same thing at all.”
They all filed out of the dining room following Cosmo as though he were the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Even Aldridge. How true it was that nobody denied Cosmo. A memory flashed of his strong body moving against hers, giving her the greatest physical pleasure she’d ever experienced. In his arms, she’d felt divine and uniquely special, as though their lovemaking was as singular for him as it had been for her. Zut. If the man left all of his women feeling the same way, no wonder few denied him.
They strolled across the green lawn. To her surprise, instead of veering off toward the barn as she expected, Maxim and Marcel stayed with the group.
“What are you doing?” she demanded of Maxim. “Why do you follow?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Perhaps we have tired of work and would welcome a distraction.”
Uneasiness slithered through her. She looked to Marcel, noting that a suppressed smile had supplanted his usual surly countenance. “What are you about?”
“I have nothing to do with this.” He held up his hands, palms out, in a show of innocence, which made her even more wary. “I am merely an observer.”
“But you know what he has planned?”
“It is my business to know things.” The rainbow of color in his eyes glimmered. “Besides, your surprise is hard to miss. It is rather large.”
She frowned at him. “When you and Monsieur Dunsmore are on the same side, it is well past time for me to worry.”
She turned toward Aldridge, hoping to find an ally. “Do you know what this surprise is?”
He shook his head. “I’ve no idea.”
She looked at Rosie. “And you?”
Rosie shrugged. “No, I happened by this morning quite by accident.”
They reached the stable, where a groom awaited them. Turning to Mari, Cosmo said, “And now for your surprise.”
He nodded to the groom who, with a dip of his hat, disappeared inside. Mari shot another look at her brothers, who made a show of appearing disinterested even though the air around them swirled with expectation.
The groom reappeared, guiding a saddled chestnut-colored gelding out of the stable. She didn’t recognize the animal, but then again she didn’t pay much attention to horses. She had to admit this one was a beauty, but nevertheless had no desire to go anywhere near it. The beast was large and powerful with a glistening coat, and a white, diamond-shaped mark stamped between his eyes.
Cosmo gave her an expectant look. “What do you think of him?”
She looked from Cosmo to the animal, wondering what any of this had to do with her. “He is quite nice, I suppose.”
He watched her intently. “His name is Icarus.”
Icarus. Comprehension settled over her. “Oh, no.” She stepped back. “That…creature cannot be intended for me. I do not ride.”
Rosie’s eyes rounded. “You purchased a mount for Miss Lamarre?”
He stepped toward Mari. “I shall teach you.”
A vise cinched tight around her lungs. “My thanks, but no.” She took another step back. “I have no desire to learn.”
Surprise marked his features, as if he couldn’t fathom such a sentiment. “Of course you do. You must. Everyone wants to learn to ride. Isn’t that so, Rosie?”
“Why yes…of course.” Rosie spoke haltingly, seeming as stunned as Mari by the extravagance of Cosmo’s gift. “A horse. He bought her a horse,” she murmured mostly to herself.
Feeling lightheaded, Mari shook her head. “I do not wish to learn.”
Bending over to pluck a blade of grass, Marcel murmured to Maxim. “Il n’est pas trop intelligent.”
“And why am I not so smart?” Cosmo narrowed his eyes in the brothers’ direction. “What exactly am I missing here?”
Marcel chewed on the green sliver. “She fears the animal.”
“Idiot,” she snapped at her brother, heat flooding her chest. “Ferme-la.”
“Really, Mari,” Maxim said, unimpressed by her quiet fury as only a brother could be. “If Marcel were to shut his mouth, who would inform Monsieur Dunsmore of the true reason you do not ride?”
“That is ridiculous,” Cosmo scoffed. “She not only pilots hot air balloons, she also parachutes from them. Someone who manages those feats cannot be afraid of a bit of horseflesh.”
Maxim threw up his hands in a what-can-you-do motion. “But she is. It has always been this way.”
“Why else wouldn’t she ride?” Marcel added rhetorically. “You will have noted that Maxim and I do.”
“Now that you make mention of it…” Cosmo’s incredulous gaze flew to Mari. “You intimated you couldn’t afford to learn. Do you truly fear horses?”
Mon Dieu. Embarrassed humiliation swamped her. “It is not that I fear them,” she lied. “I just don’t care for them.”
Maxim and Marcel exchanged a skeptical look.
Cosmo turned to the groom. “Why don’t you unsaddle Icarus? For now.”
Coins began to change hands between the brothers. “I told you she wouldn’t do it,” Maxim said with a grin.
“Allez au diable,” Mari retorted, cursing them to hell as she spun on her heels and stormed away.
“You were unkind.” She heard Rosie admonish her laughing brothers as she strode away. “Your behavior was most ungentlemanly.”
“We are not gentlemen.” Marcel’s voice carried from behind her.
“That is very apparent,” came Rosie’s sharp retort.
“Miss Lamarre, wait,” Cosmo called.
She didn’t break her stride, but that didn’t hinder him from catching up.
“I apologize,” he said, falling in step beside her. “I had no idea how you felt about horses.”
“You are no doubt amused by my cowardice.”
“Angel, you fall from the clouds. You’re hardly a coward.” He shook his head. “I now understand why the M brothers were so anxious to witness your reaction to my surprise.”
She came to a sudden halt. “Did you really purchase that animal for me?”
“I did.”
Guilt assailed her. “But why? You have a stable full of those beasts.”
“I needed to find a mount with the correct temperament for you. An animal that is both spirited and gentle.”
Her heart contracted. “You truly have too much coin if you can purchase an animal of such a high caliber on a whim.”
“I cannot disagree with you.” His face softened. “Won’t you at least consider learning to ride?”
Her heart skipped a beat. “I cannot. I comprehend my fear of the beasts is irrational, but any time I am near one, I panic. You would not understand.”
“Of course I can. Why do you suppose I refused to go up in the balloon with you?”
She halted, shocked. “Do not tell me that you were afraid.”
“Indeed I was. I have a terrible fear of heights.”
Her eyes widened. “Vraiment?”
“Truly. If a dissolute rakehell such as I can conquer my fears, surely a high-flying, sky-jumping angel-spy can do the same.”
Suppressing a smile, she did not react to his characterization of her as a spy. “Are you certain that hairy beast is gentle?”
“Yes, and I shall be with you every gallop of the way.”
“Gallop?” Alarm lit her insides.
Humor gleamed in his dark gaze. “Very well, I shall be with you every sedate step of the way.”
The following morning, Mari found herself standing before Icarus, her heart pounding like a trapped rabbit desperate for escape. The combined odors of hay, manure, dust, and sweat filled her nose. “You are certain he is gentle?�
��
“Not to worry. He’s a true ladies’ horse.” Snorting through his enormous nostrils, Icarus danced in place while Cosmo kept a firm hold of his head. They were alone; Mari had insisted he tell no one else about the lesson.
“A true ladies’ horse.” She put a tentative hand to the horse’s firm, fuzz-covered snout. To her surprised delight, the beast seemed to appreciate the gesture, given the way he nuzzled into her hand. “What does that mean?”
He kept Icarus’s head still to allow her tentative exploration. “Just that he’ll offer a smooth ride, which is important for a lady riding sidesaddle.”
“That is another thing.” To make matters worse, Cosmo’s other surprise, the package he’d had delivered to her room, was a cumbersome ladies’ riding habit. Made of thick, royal-blue cotton, it was cut in the military style with braided trim, a snug coat, and a white cravat. She tugged at the jacket. “I don’t comprehend why I cannot ride astride. It is not as though I don’t wear breeches.”
“I should think it obvious.” Cosmo stroked a firm hand down the beast’s neck. “I imagine your other work sometimes requires that you move with the upper orders of society. In that milieu, ladies ride sidesaddle.”
She had to concede the point. Although she always managed to find ways around it, being unable to ride did make her tasks more difficult at times. “I think I like you better foxed.”
“No doubt. It is true that one moves faster while riding astride. However, it can be easier to learn to ride sidesaddle.”
“I cannot imagine how that is possible.” She eyed the saddle’s two pommels on the mount’s left side. “It seems terribly unbalanced.”
Cosmo took hold of the top, upward-facing pommel. “You hook your right leg around this horn; the left goes up under the downward-facing horn.”
Mari frowned. “Once I learn this ludicrous way of riding, you will show me how to ride astride?”
“Of course. Given your line of work, you might need to make a quick escape.” Wrapping his sizable hands around her waist, Cosmo lifted her into the saddle with an effortless strength that never failed to make her insides flutter. “How does that feel?”
Her heart thumped as she wiggled a bit on the flat, padded seat. Although she was far nearer to the ground than when she parachuted, being atop the animal seemed a great deal more precarious than floating in the clouds. “Hmmm. I suppose it is not too terrible.”
He wrapped his hand around her right leg, just above her knee, and set her leg over the top horn. “There. Now you take the ribbons.”
Alarm stiffened her limbs, which caused Icarus to prance in place. “Whoa, there, settle down,” Cosmo crooned to the animal. Looking up at her, he said, “Try to relax. An animal can sense if his rider is nervous. You have to let Icarus know who’s in charge.”
“He is in charge and we both know it,” she snapped, her body tight with fear and tension. “The only person present who believes I can command this beast is you, and it’s entirely possible you are foxed after all.”
Laughter rumbled in his chest. “I’ll surely be in need of a drink once we’re done here. Now, concentrate. You take the ribbons.” He handed them to her. “And I will hold his head and guide him.”
She cast a dubious look at the whip he handed her, taking in the sharp, curved point on one end and the thin leather string at the other. “I refuse to use a cruel device on him.”
“He shan’t be hurt. It’s very light.” He showed her how to give the horse a gentle tap on the side opposite of where her legs hung. “The curved end is for opening gates and the like. You won’t actually use it on him.”
He guided Icarus around the paddock a couple of times, and she began to feel more comfortable with the gentle rocking motions.
“Very good.” He peppered his words of encouragement with a series of instructions she struggled to remember—keep your back straight, shoulders and hips even, tilt a bit more weight on the right hip to even out the balance.
Eventually, she worked up the courage to let Cosmo release the horse’s head. Walking at a sedate pace, she used the whip and ribbons to guide Icarus in a large circle. “Perhaps we should attempt going a bit faster.”
Cosmo’s eyes gleamed with approval. He showed her how to post when the horse went into a trot. It hurt her bottom, and the motion wasn’t nearly as pleasant as walking, but she eventually caught the rhythm and began to enjoy herself.
“This isn’t so intolerable,” she breathed, exhilaration coursing through her blood at the realization she was actually riding.
“Just wait until we get you into a canter,” Cosmo said. “You’ll feel like you are flying.”
Her chest tightened. “Not so fast, Monsieur Dunsmore. Remember what happened to Icarus when he tried to fly.” Pulling the animal to a stop, she placed her hands on Cosmo’s solid shoulders as he helped her dismount.
Laughing, he let her body do a slow slide along the solid expanse of his rugged frame. Once her feet touched the ground, he startled her by pressing his pliant lips against hers. It wasn’t the sexually charged, demanding kiss she’d come to crave. This was infinitely sweeter and more tender, as though he truly cared. “We wouldn’t want you to fall,” he murmured against her lips.
Her stomach fluttered and warmth slid through her. She wanted to remain in his arms forever. Immediately alarmed by the thought, she recoiled. She might have bedded Cosmo, but she couldn’t allow her emotions to become involved as well as her body. Her family’s safety, their very lives, depended upon her. She drew back so that they were no longer touching. “Do not worry about me falling,” she said coolly, not meeting his gaze. “I always look out for my own interests. You would do well to remember that.”
Cosmo strode into the Lonesome Unicorn and dropped a shilling on the polished oak bar. “Where is she?”
Davey Watkin, the tavern owner, scooped the money up. “Easiest coin I ever earned. Hard to forget a lass with eyes like that.”
“Indeed.” Cosmo sent up a prayer of thanks for Mari’s rainbow eyes. Even the cleverest chameleon couldn’t change those colors. After discovering her searching the house, he’d let it be known that he’d pay handsomely for any news of the Lamarres’ comings and goings in the village. The publican had summoned him today with news that Mari taken a room.
“Only, at first, I didn’t think it were her.” Watkin wiped down the bar, even though it already sparkled. “I thought you said she’s one of them frogs.”
“She is.”
Watkin shrugged. “Can’t tell it from the way she talks.”
“I know you’ve never left Dorset, Davey, but surely you can discern a French accent.”
Watkin shot him a quizzical look. “Are you cup-shot, Dunsmore? If that gel is a frog, I’m the king of England. Her accent is more English than mine.”
Chills feathered down Cosmo’s back at the idea the accent could be fake. When she cried out during their lovemaking, it was with that husky French lilt. Anger kindled in his belly. Apparently, everything about the parachutist was a lie. Chameleon, indeed. “Where is she?”
Watkin gestured toward the rough-hewn stone stairs. “Third door on the left.”
Cosmo started in that direction. “My thanks.”
“Only you won’t find her alone.”
He jerked to a stop. Davey’s tavern wenches sometimes entertained customers in the upstairs chambers. “Surely you don’t mean…” Queasiness stirred in his gut. “Who is she with?”
“No one I’ve seen before. A stranger. Some ginger-top with glass eyes.”
The air left his lungs. Not many strangers with red hair and spectacles came through this way. His heart pumping, he bounded up the dark, narrow stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. When he reached the landing, he trod as quietly as possible across the creaking floorboards. He found the third door and pushed it open, grateful that none of Watkin’s doors locked from the inside.
As he’d expected, it was Will with Mari. They sat at a little r
ound table by the window. A quilt-topped, neatly made bed, which could accommodate two people quite cozily dominated the small chamber.
His stomach cramped and loosened. He’d never been so sorry to be right, but at least they still had their clothes on.
“Well,” he drawled, announcing his entrance. “Isn’t this a charming scene?”
Chapter Eleven
“Cosmo.” The way Mari’s face slackened with shock seemed genuine. But then he knew firsthand what a consummate actress she could be.
“Come in and close the door, Cosmo.” Will spoke with a quiet steeliness Cosmo had not heard in his friend before. The tone of someone used to giving orders, and having them followed.
Cosmo didn’t move. “Thank God you’re not abed,” he said blandly. “I might have killed you both in a jealous frenzy.”
“How did you find me?” Mari’s words were laced with that familiar French accent. She turned to Will. “I made certain I was not followed.”
Cosmo gritted his teeth. “You ask a lot of questions for someone who never cares to answer them.”
Will stood up. “Come in and close the door if you want answers.”
“Well, now, that is a tempting offer, and I’m not one to resist temptation.” Stepping in and closing the door behind him, Cosmo fell back against it. “Just ask Miss Lamarre here. She’s such a tempting morsel, I’ve fucked her six ways from Sunday.”
Mari slid an inscrutable glance toward Will, who appeared unmoved. “Do hold your tongue, Cosmo,” Will said equably, “before you say something you’ll regret.”
A tap at the door interrupted them.
“That will be the courier I’m expecting. I’ll be just a minute and then we can continue this.” Will left the room, the floorboards groaning under each step.
“Bravo on a game well played.” The inside of Cosmo’s head was on fire. Clearly she was prepared to fuck Will, just like she’d serviced him. Anything to pursue whatever it was she was after. “First, you had me eating out of your hand, and now Will.”