by Amelia Grey
“You said she had a mission. Look at the ridicule you’ve taken throughout the day and tonight about an unknown lady riding your horse. John, taking The General was her mission.”
Four
“WESTERLAND’S A BASTARD, but I can’t believe he would stoop so low as to solicit a young lady’s help to make me lose. It would have been too dangerous. We almost collided. She could have been killed. I’m certain it wasn’t a setup.”
“John, it’s not like you to be gullible just because she’s a beauty.”
“I’m not being gullible or naïve about this,” he said, unable to take his eyes off her.
“You said yourself that she must be an excellent horsewoman to be able to handle The General. She probably knew exactly how close to come to your horse without running into you.”
“Trust me on this, Andrew. It doesn’t feel right that he was in on this with her. I don’t know how, but I know the two of them are not in this together.”
John couldn’t believe how beautiful she was in her low-cut beige gown with the wide satin bands circling the high waist and flowing skirt. Strips of ribbons and tiny white and pink flowers adorned her blond hair.
Westerland said something to her and she smiled at him. John’s stomach twisted. She hadn’t smiled at him, not even when he’d tried to charm her.
“I’d wager a handsome sum I’m right about this,” Andrew insisted. “And I’d bet a few more pounds he’s the one who leaked her taking The General to the gossips.”
“That I agree with,” John conceded.
“He wasn’t satisfied with just winning the race; he wanted to make you look the fool, too.”
Sometimes Andrew went over the top, and he was just about at that point with John right now, even though his friend made a good point. He couldn’t put anything past the pompous Marquis.
“I’ll soon find out.”
John quickly sidestepped behind a column as the lady and Westerland left the dance floor. He didn’t want her to see him while she was with Westerland.
When he talked to her, he wanted her to be alone.
“I’m going to stay out of sight for now, Andrew. Go and see what you can find out for me. I need to at least know her name and who her sponsor is before I approach her.”
“Good idea. Leave it to me. I’ll find out who she is and exactly what she is up to.”
John reached out and grabbed Andrew’s arm before he could walk away. “I’ll find out what she’s up to. You just get me her name.”
His friend started to object but seemed to realize it wasn’t his place to question John on this. Andrew simply nodded and walked away without further comment.
John was patient and stayed out of sight while Andrew gathered information about the mysterious miss, and half an hour later he caught Miss Catherine Reynolds alone as she walked out of the ladies’ retiring room.
She didn’t see him at first and only looked over at him when he fell into step beside her midway down the corridor that led into the main party room. Her big, beautiful blue eyes rounded in surprise as she immediately recognized him.
She stopped in the dimly lit hallway and asked, “Sir, where have you been?”
Her instantaneous accusation stunned him for a moment. She was incredible. And beguiling.
“Where have I been?” he demanded. “Where do you think, Miss Reynolds?” He saw her lashes blink when he said her name. “Surprised? Yes, I now know who you are, and I’ve been looking for you since dawn.”
She remained composed. “That’s strange, because I’ve been looking for you as well.”
“Obviously, not very hard.”
He took a step toward her. He was clearly closer to her than good manners allowed, but she didn’t back away and in no way appeared intimidated by him, nor was she flustered by him. For reasons he didn’t understand, she was taking him to task.
“It would have helped had I known your name,” she said.
“Would that have changed your actions this morning?”
“No,” she said without hesitation or guilt.
Her truthfulness impressed him. She was apparently not a bit contrite about what she’d done.
“But,” she added, “it would have helped me locate you when I tried to return your horse.”
John tried to keep his frustration down and his voice low so as not to call attention to their conversation.
He said, “Then why did you run off like the hounds of Hades were after you before you knew my name?”
She lightly bit into her bottom lip and pulled it into her mouth as if she had to ponder what to say next. John had an instant urge to grab her and kiss her right there in the corridor where anyone could happen by and see him. Was she trying to seduce him?
“I was in a hurry,” she finally said.
He looked straight into her eyes, bent his head close to hers, and said, “That I already know. Now where is my horse?”
She remained composed despite his nearness and his threatening stare. Usually his husky whisper was effective in intimidating. Any other lady and most men would have nervously backed away. She remained unaffected by his formidable approach.
“Stabled and well cared for, sir, not that you seemed to care a penny.”
Again she astonished him. Maybe incredible wasn’t a strong-enough word for her. She was beyond the pale. She was madness. And he was fascinated.
“You astound me, Miss Reynolds. How can you think I don’t care about an animal that has won every race he’s been in until this morning?”
She was unbelievable, exasperating, and for some strange reason he couldn’t fathom, he was enjoying their banter.
“That’s the way it appears to me.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, feeling more and more intrigued by her attitude and the way she stood up to him. “The General is a Thoroughbred, and if he is harmed in any way—”
“Harmed? By me?”
“By anyone.”
She challenged him with her expression, with the way she refused to back away from him. If she’d been a man he would have already had her shackled at Newgate.
“Sir, if I had an animal like yours, I would have waited in the park for him to be returned to me.”
She was acting as if this were his fault. She was bolder than any young lady he had ever met and far more forthright than any woman should be. He should be furious with her for taking his horse and trying to lay the blame on him.
But he wasn’t. Instead, he was engrossed in her.
Had she really tried to find him? “Just how long did you think I was supposed to wait for you? I left and searched the park over for you.”
“I told you I only needed to borrow him. You should have believed me.”
He was trying not to look at the long dark lashes that hooded her vibrant blue eyes, or the natural pink color of her tempting lips. He was trying to remember that she had duped him and that his friends and foes alike were making fun of him about the lady who rode away on his horse.
But when he looked at her, he couldn’t remember any of that. All he saw was a beautiful and tempting and exciting young lady.
“I don’t know you. How was I to know you planned to return him? I think it’s going a bit far to ask me to believe a horse thief.”
Her chest rose with indignation as her eyes widened again. “Horse thief?”
“Yes,” he said calmly.
“Sir, you have some nerve to suggest such a thing. I would never do that!”
“Oh, but you did. You took The General without my consent.”
“Yes, but I didn’t take him without your knowledge. I am not a horse thief. A horse borrower, yes, but never a thief. What kind of gentleman lays that kind of accusation on a defenseless lady?”
Defenseless? Was she mad?
He wanted to be enraged at her logic, but he wasn’t. He was enchanted by the way she took him to task for something that was entirely her fault. Was she deliberately trying to seduce him in
this way?
He didn’t take his gaze from her face. Obviously she sensed he had no real resentment inside him about what she’d done, and he wasn’t so sure that was a good thing. It allowed her too much control.
“Defenseless? You?” He laughed and shook his head. “Not even in your dreams would you be considered defenseless, Miss Reynolds. You are incredible.”
And she was.
“And so are you, sir. Imagine leaving such a fine animal in the care of a stranger, but—” She paused and softly bit down on her lower lip as she looked up at him with those irresistible blue eyes.
Her voice had softened and her gaze swept up and down his face, sending a flash of heat scorching through him. She moistened her lips before sinking her teeth once again into her lower lip. John’s lower body reacted swiftly, hotly, to the innocent yet provocative movement of her mouth.
He swallowed with difficulty. His throat wasn’t the only thing that suddenly felt thick and tight.
It astounded him at how attracted he was to her after all she had put him through. He had to do something to counter it.
He managed to say, “Do you have any idea at the hell you—” Her eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me, the strife I’ve been through today because of you?”
Her eyes searched his as she said quite innocently, “Perhaps not.”
“Everyone—and I mean everyone—I know has asked me about the mysterious lady who was seen riding my horse. Did it not cross your mind that if I were in the park that I might have friends with me who would want to know what happened to my mount?”
At last a contrite expression softened her face.
“I must admit that I acted so quickly that I failed to think about those things.” A soft sigh passed her lips. “Perhaps I could have made my intentions on returning your horse clearer.”
Finally a concession. A small one made on a sensual sigh.
His exasperation evaporated as quickly as a fine mist when struck by sunshine.
“Perhaps you could have let me help with whatever it was that made you so desperate that you took my property without my consent. That was a very dangerous thing for you to do.”
She reached up and with a beautiful, delicate hand brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I couldn’t allow you to help me. I’m truly sorry if I caused you concern. That was not my intention. Is there any way I can make amends?”
Well, yes . . .
He was quiet for a moment as he digested what she’d said. Did she really know what she was asking? Could he take advantage of her?
“You could start by returning my horse.”
“Oh, but of course that goes without saying. I’ve had him stabled at a small private livery where he has received the best of care. Shall I have him returned to you first thing tomorrow morning?”
John felt a smile tugging on the corners of his lips as an idea formed in his mind. He hadn’t come up with such an intriguing design in years.
“Yes, that would be appropriate,” he told her.
“Splendid.”
She smiled at him, and for the first time in his life John felt as if his heart fluttered. He didn’t understand his reaction to her. He loved all women. He found them enthralling, desirable, and loved to be with them, but there was something different about what he was feeling for this lady, and it intrigued and worried him at the same time.
“When and where would you like me to have him delivered?” she asked.
John’s smile widened.
A feeling of confident victory swept over him and he felt completely relaxed. There was a good reason he’d been one of the infamous Terrible Threesome for more than ten years. And a reason he was now one of the Terrible Twosome the gossips enjoyed slandering each evening in their broadsides.
“Where? Hyde Park. When? Tomorrow just before dawn.”
It was her turn to give him an incredulous look. “You jest, sir.”
“No, Miss Reynolds, I do not. Bring him to the same place where we met and you left me this morning. The same way. Alone.”
Her eyes sparkled with outrage, and for the first time she took a step away from him. At last she was showing some sign that he was affecting her.
“That would be madness; I don’t even know your name.”
He folded his arms across his chest, thinking that if he didn’t do something to inhibit his hands he just might pull her to him and kiss those delectable lips that were so full of indignation.
He made a half bow and then smiled at her. “I’m Chatwin.”
John watched as her eyes rounded in surprise.
“The earl?” she asked.
He may not know much about her, but it was clear she’d heard a few things about him. “Perhaps not the earl,” he said, “but certainly an earl.”
“You are one of the Terrible Threesome I’ve heard so much about.”
He shrugged. “Yes, I do have the distinction of holding that dubious title. Though I believe that now most everyone in London is considering me one of a Terrible Twosome.”
She huffed without any real indignation to her voice. “It sounds like you consider it a badge of honor to be so called.”
“I might as well. It appears that I’m not going to lose the title anytime soon.”
“And it sounds to me as if you don’t want to.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve no complaints about it. It has served me well.”
Miss Reynolds took another step back. “Surely, my lord, you know that if I were caught alone with you in the park, my reputation would be in tatters.”
“I agree—if you were caught.”
Five
CATHERINE OPENED HER mouth to immediately decline, but for some irrational reason she went against her good common sense and hedged by saying, “You can’t be serious that you want me to meet you alone at dawn?”
A slow delicious-looking smile eased across his full lips, and a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes. “Oh, but I am.”
“Sir, you are no gentleman.”
“Guilty again.”
How could he look so charming while asking her to do something so forbidden?
“A true gentleman would not ask such a request of a lady.”
“Of course he would. Assignations are arranged all the time. You just don’t hear about them because they are secret.”
“Well, that’s not how we do things in the village where I’m from.”
“Really? Might I point out that you were alone in the park this morning?”
“No.” She shook her head once, then stopped. “I mean yes, I was when you saw me, but no, I wasn’t alone in the park. My half sister, Mrs. Victoria Goosetree, was with me.”
His brow wrinkled a bit as a doubtful expression eased across his handsome face. “I have met Mrs. Goosetree. I’m sure I would have noticed had she been there with you, Miss Reynolds. You were quite alone.”
Catherine took a deep breath and looked up and down the corridor to see if their tête-à-tête had caught anyone’s attention. For now it seemed no one was watching them, but she feared that at any moment Victoria would appear from around the corner and demand to know why she was talking with Lord Chatwin in the middle of a dimly lit hallway.
“Look, I know it must sound confusing. Vickie was not with me at the time I met you because our groom was injured and she had to stay with him. I was riding to get our carriage for them when you almost ran me over.”
His expression turned from doubt to concern. “If you needed help, why did you not tell me and allow me to assist you?”
She took a deep breath and glanced down the corridor again. At last he understood.
“Victoria insisted I not stop and talk to anyone. I didn’t want to cause any further distress by showing up with a stranger. Thankfully, we managed to get our groom into the carriage and home.”
“But I could have helped you.”
“I didn’t want you to help me.”
“But I did when your horse ran of
f; you stole mine.”
Catherine gasped. She was trying to remain unflustered but finding the task more and more difficult.
“I borrowed your horse. Victoria is a stickler for obeying the rules, and she insisted I not stop for any reason. Besides, not only was I capable of handling the situation, I didn’t want her to know that I’d talked to you.”
“Surely she would have understood under the circumstances?”
“You say you have met Victoria Goosetree, but you obviously don’t know her.”
“Is she your sponsor for the Season?”
“Yes.”
“Your parents are deceased?”
She nodded. “Even now, I know Vickie would be appalled if she knew I was speaking to you when I haven’t been properly presented to you. She’s extremely strict about Society’s rules.”
His gaze swept down her face and lingered on her lips before darting back up to her eyes again. His bold assessment caused a curl of anticipation low in her stomach and sent a shiver of awareness spiking from her breasts to her toes.
Good heavens. She’d never had such a wonderful feeling before. What was it about him that made her react so differently from all other men she had met?
“I believe we are past formal introductions by now, aren’t we, Miss Reynolds?”
Immensely so.
Her gaze held fast to his. “Yes, without a doubt we are,” she answered.
“So, does that mean you will meet me in the morning and return my horse?”
As Catherine looked into Lord Chatwin’s handsome face, she saw laughter, high spirits, and confidence. And she was drawn to all those things. She hadn’t been around a lot of men since she came of age because her father had been so ill, but surely of the gentlemen she had met, none of them had affected her like the entrancing, flirtatious man before her.
He was compelling, self-assured, and captivating. No wonder his attention was so sought after by all the young ladies.
She could admit to herself that she found the idea of meeting him in secret thrilling, tempting even. She would absolutely love to see him riding astride his magnificent horse with his hair blowing away from his face and the ends of his neckcloth flapping softly in the wind.