by Laura Martin
Chapter Thirteen
Already Lina could see Alex’s spirits lifting as they saddled up the horses and checked the animals over prior to their ride.
‘I’m sure there’s a riding habit of Georgina’s somewhere in the house,’ Alex said, studying her as she swished her skirts out of the way of Stormborn’s dancing hooves.
‘Why on earth would I want to wear one of those restrictive garments?’
‘It’ll make it easier to ride.’
Lina stared at him with raised eyebrows. ‘Have you ever ridden in one?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Me, neither, but I think they are designed for ladies who ride side-saddle.’
Lina gathered up the brightly coloured material of her skirts as she led Stormborn out into the yard. She’d changed back into her everyday outfit, a plain white blouse on top with a skirt made of a mix of materials below, all brightly coloured and attractive to the eye. It was comfortable and practical and Lina was used to riding horses in it.
She felt Alex come up behind her, sensed his body just a few inches from hers and realised she was holding her breath. More and more this was happening; her body would react to his closeness even though her mind knew nothing could ever develop between the two of them.
Carefully he boosted her up, helping her to arrange her skirts once she was in the saddle, his fingers brushing against her thigh and making her shiver with anticipation, but of course it was an accident and as quickly as the contact had begun it was over.
‘Let him lead,’ Alex counselled as Lina loosened her grip on the reins. ‘He’s a headstrong horse who runs better when you give him a bit of freedom.’
Alex mounted, vaulting up on to a large black stallion as if it were no more effort than hopping over a muddy puddle. It was incredible what strength and agility riding horses could build; Alex had immense physical strength mainly due to his time training the racehorses in his stables.
They set off, riding in a companionable silence for a while. It took a few minutes for Lina to get used to Stormborn’s long stride, but soon she was sitting comfortably and ready to increase the pace.
‘Shall we race?’
Alex looked around him for some landmark to race to. ‘First one to that copse of trees?’
It was easily half a mile away, a good distance to test out both the horses and riders.
‘What are the stakes?’ Lina asked. She knew she should know better than to enter a wager whilst on horseback, but with the sun on her face and the wind in her hair she felt carefree and daring.
‘If I win, then you show me your tattoo.’
Lina stiffened. ‘What makes you think I have a tattoo?’
‘I caught a glimpse of it when you first arrived and hitched your skirts up to vault over the partition in the stable.’
Alex was grinning and Lina felt herself blushing.
‘Ladies don’t have tattoos,’ she said as primly as she could. ‘Only soldiers and seamen mark their bodies like that.’
‘If I win, you show me your tattoo,’ Alex repeated firmly.
‘And if I win, you let me ride your Arabian.’
‘Deal.’
Before Alex could beat her to the start Lina spurred Stormborn on, encouraging him into a gallop up the gentle incline. She leaned forward as the majestic animal sailed over a low hedge, not slowing as the climb became steeper. Behind her she could hear the thundering of Alex’s horse, but Lina didn’t dare look back. The copse of trees was close now, only a hundred feet away, and for a moment Lina thought she might just beat Alex, but suddenly he was past her, his eyes focused on his destination, the wind lifting his hair and making his shirt billow.
There were only a few seconds between them, but Alex was the indisputable winner.
‘I wonder what a gypsy girl would have tattooed on her leg?’ he mused as they allowed the horses to slow to a leisurely walk.
Lina ignored him, knowing she would have to show him the tattoo she’d had done at the tender age of fourteen when her family had visited the port town of Southampton. The idea of lifting her skirt up over her legs to reveal the patch of skin high on her thigh wouldn’t normally faze her, but knowing it would be Alex’s eyes travelling over her bare skin made her hot with anticipation.
‘Are we still on your estate?’ Lina asked, eyeing the rolling countryside that stretched out before them. They hadn’t come across any wall or boundary, but she couldn’t imagine all this land could belong to one person.
‘The estate stretches another two miles west,’ Alex said, pointing in the direction they were travelling. ‘Most of the land to the south and east is farmland, but out to the west it is undeveloped and natural.’
‘How can one person own so much?’ Lina murmured quietly.
‘When so many own so little?’
She glanced at him to see if he was irritated by her question, but there was no anger or annoyance on his face.
‘When I first inherited, it took me a while to appreciate just what owning an estate such as this one meant,’ he said, looking out into the distance. ‘Most people see money and riches, fine clothes, fine houses when they think of the aristocracy, but running an estate is so much more than that.’
Lina remained quiet, she could see this was a subject he was passionate about and wanted to hear what he had to say. She loved listening to him talk, hearing the conviction in his voice, and she appreciated how persuasive he could be in an argument.
‘I provide work for two hundred people, either directly or indirectly. I own many of the houses in the village and have the responsibility of maintaining them whilst keeping the rents low enough for people to afford. My farms are a reliable source of crops for the local area and the dairy at Home Farm is the largest in the county.’
It was impressive. She wondered how one man kept on top of it all.
‘Over the years I’ve seen how people who own less, who have less money or property or livestock, look at me, but I always ask how they would fare with this responsibility. Yes, I live in a fine house and wear fine clothes, but I also provide jobs and homes and sustenance for so many, as well.’
‘You speak so passionately,’ Lina said quietly. ‘I admire that.’
Alex looked at her, holding her gaze for a long few seconds, and Lina found she was unable to look away. Every day she spent in Alex’s company she found out something about him that made her like him more and more. She’d realised long ago that the facade of boredom he’d projected at the Pottersdown Village Fair when they’d first met was just that: a facade. Underneath that was a passionate, caring, driven man. It was hard not to admire him, probably a little more than she should.
‘Here’s the perfect spot,’ Alex said, indicating an area under the shade of a tree with views down to the shimmering lake below. Quickly he slipped to the ground, secured his horse and then turned back to Lina. Before she could begin to dismount his hands were around her waist, lifting her off the horse and to the ground as if she weighed no more than a bale of straw.
There was a vice-like pressure around her chest as Alex’s hands lingered on her waist for a second longer than was necessary, then he turned away and the contact was lost. Trying to distract herself, Lina spread out the blanket under the tree, smoothing out the wrinkles until it provided a soft and comfortable place to sit. Alex was rummaging through the saddle bags, assessing the picnic Mrs Witherly, the cook, had provided.
‘You’re so nosy,’ Lina said, jostling him to one side and taking the bags from him.
‘I’ve yet to meet a man who isn’t interested in the contents of his next meal,’ Alex said with a shrug.
Taking her time, with Alex hovering over her, Lina set out the feast. Despite her initial reluctance to make up the picnic, the cook had evidently not wanted to disappoint her employer. There was enough food for six people, all beautifully packed and smelling delicious.
‘For two and a half weeks I’ve lived your lifestyle,’ Lina said as she finished la
ying the last of the food out. ‘Now you are going to spend the afternoon as a gypsy.’
Alex kicked off his boots and sat down, resting his back against the trunk of the tree.
‘If I’d known you feasted so well, I’d have run off to join a group of travelling gypsies years ago,’ he said, tucking in to a slice of meat pie.
‘This afternoon is not all about the food,’ Lina said, grinning as Alex eyed her suspiciously.
‘You’re not going to whip a fiddle from the saddlebags, are you? Or make me carve a chest of drawers?’
‘We have a rich and varied culture, and all you know about us is that many of our men are talented carpenters and we like music.’
‘That’s not true,’ Alex said, biting into a radish. ‘I know gypsies hail from all over Europe and farther East. I know music and dancing is important to your culture, and that you move about the country, staying in each place for a few weeks to a few months at a time.’
‘Impressive,’ Lina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
‘Educate me. Tell me something about your people that I wouldn’t know.’
Lina considered for some moments. Her heritage was truly mixed, with her mother being of Spanish descent and her father coming from one of the oldest gypsy families in Europe. He used to boast he could trace his ancestry back to the original Romani people. His family had been travelling through Europe for centuries and her father had visited twelve different countries in his lifetime.
It was hard to put any of that into words, hard to describe the sense of belonging, the sense of being part of something much bigger.
‘Do you know what my favourite part of our lifestyle is?’ Lina asked eventually.
Alex shook his head, leaning forward as he waited for her to answer.
‘Sleeping under the stars.’
‘The idea is appealing, but I would have thought the reality less attractive. I can see how it might be enjoyable in the balmy summer months, but I can’t think of many nights in winter I would give up my snug bed to sleep in the freezing temperatures and buffeting winds.’
‘Lying in the open, looking up at the skies, seeing the stars twinkling in the darkness, that is what I enjoy most about my life.’
‘What if it rains?’
‘In the summer we often will just shelter beneath our carts...’ Lina paused, wondering whether to open up to Alex further. Over the last few weeks she had gleaned a lot of information about his life, picking up various facts and anecdotes from different people, but he didn’t know all that much about hers. He’d asked the odd question and she’d told him the bare bones of the story of what had happened to her mother and father, but any further details she had kept close. She supposed the secrecy came from her expectations of other people. Throughout her life she’d been shunned and looked down upon because of her roots, so she’d learnt to keep a lot to herself.
‘When I was young my mother used to point out all the stars to me,’ Lina said eventually. ‘She said that was how we stayed connected with our kin from around the world. Each star represented a member of our family, so I only had to look up at the night sky to know wherever I was in the world, there were thousands of my kin looking down on me.’
‘That’s a lovely sentiment,’ Alex said.
Glancing sideways at him, Lina was relieved to see the serious expression on his face. It had been difficult to share such an intimate detail about her life, but Alex hadn’t laughed or ridiculed her. She liked that he knew when to be serious, just as he knew when a little humour was needed for light relief.
‘Of course we don’t sleep outside much in winter,’ Lina rushed on. ‘Often Raul will negotiate a spot in a barn if the men are doing some farm work. I don’t think I’ve ever had to sleep outside in the snow.’
‘Good,’ Alex said. ‘I don’t want to be worrying about you the next time we have a frost.’
For a while they ate in silence, enjoying the feast Mrs Witherly had packed and the beautiful views. The afternoon was unusually hot, even for August, and even in the shade of the tree Lina could feel her skin glowing with heat and moisture.
Already bootless, Alex soon loosened and discarded his jacket and cravat, and Lina knew he would have shed his shirt if she were not present. At the thought Lina felt her cheeks blush and hoped the soaring temperatures were enough of an explanation for the sudden flushing.
‘What else have you got planned for our afternoon of gypsy life?’ Alex asked as he finished his meal, leaning back against the tree trunk and closing his eyes.
‘I hadn’t planned an afternoon nap,’ Lina said, nudging him with her foot. ‘Perhaps a dip in the lake?’
As she’d expected, this suggestion had Alex’s eyes shooting open.
‘It would be rather refreshing,’ he said slowly.
Lina stood, ignoring the pounding of her heart as she looked down at the shimmering water of the lake. She’d swam in plenty of lakes in her lifetime—in her mind it was the best way to cool down after a long day’s work. Normally she would swim with her cousin Sabina and some of the other young girls. Then they would strip down to their undergarments and dive into the water without any inhibitions, but never had she swam with a man and certainly not a man she found as attractive as Alex.
Before she could change her mind, and without looking to see if Alex was following her, Lina set off down the hill towards the cool water of the lake. She was feeling reckless and giddy with anticipation. Nothing could happen between her and Alex, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t dream.
Chapter Fourteen
Alex watched as Lina half ran, half skipped down the hill. She was almost at the edge of the lake before he moved. Everything about this was a bad idea, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.
‘It’s a hot day,’ he murmured to himself. ‘There’s nothing wrong with wanting to cool off with a swim. It’s perfectly innocent.’
There was nothing innocent about the thoughts running through his head. He was already picturing how Lina would slip out of her clothes and wade into the water, her skin puckering and tightening in the cool, refreshing water.
Behave, he told himself. Despite the mounting attraction he’d felt for Lina over the past few weeks his sister’s words were still ringing in his mind. She’d warned him again to be careful—dallying with Lina would just end in heartbreak and animosity.
Trying to keep his movements slow and measured, Alex reached the lake just as Lina began unlacing her dress.
‘Help me?’ she asked, turning her back to him and indicating the ties that held the high waist of her skirt in place.
Alex had undressed many young women in his youth, although not in the past three years, but he felt a light tremble to his fingers as he pulled at the ends of the ties and loosened the fastenings of Lina’s skirt. Despite the warm day Lina had several layers on, as young women were expected to wear, whatever the weather, but still he could feel the heat of her skin as his fingers trailed across her lower back.
‘Thank you,’ Lina said, turning around. They were standing close, too close for propriety, but Alex knew their proximity would be the least scandalous thing that happened this afternoon. It was unheard of, stripping down with a young woman to go swimming, but Alex knew good manners and society’s expectations for his behaviour would not be enough to stop him from diving into the lake after Lina.
‘Turn around,’ Lina instructed him.
Alex didn’t move, instead tugging at his own shirt, pulling it over his head. He saw Lina’s eyes flit to his chest, saw her lose the battle with her self-control as her eyes roamed over his body.
‘Are you sure you don’t need any more help?’ he asked. ‘I wouldn’t want you getting tangled in all those underclothes.’
The idea of slowly stripping every layer from Lina’s body created a surge of desire, and although he knew she’d say no, he desperately wanted her to say yes.
‘Turn around,’ Lina instructed again.
This time h
e complied, turning slowly so his back was towards the lake. The rustling of material fuelled his imagination as he waited for Lina to undress behind him, all the time fighting the ungentlemanly urge to turn and peek.
After what felt like an eternity of anticipation he heard a quiet splashing sound and a soft yelp. It was excuse enough to turn and seek out Lina with his eyes, just to make sure she wasn’t hurt, of course.
She was clad in a thin chemise that ended just below the knee. With the sunlight shining down, the outline of Lina’s body was just about visible through the fabric. Alex felt his body tightening in response and had to fight the urge to sweep her from the water, pull the chemise over her head and lay her down on the grass with his body covering hers.
‘You looked,’ Lina said, accusingly. ‘Turn around.’
‘You screamed.’
‘I exclaimed quietly. The water is rather cold. Turn around.’
She took a few more steps into the lake before looking to see if he had complied with her order.
‘You’re still looking.’
‘It seems I have lost the ability to turn away,’ Alex murmured quietly.
With a huff Lina waded farther into the lake, the water now up to mid-thigh level and dragging on the hem of her chemise.
Quickly Alex stripped off his breeches, took a few steps to his left where he knew the lake was deeper and dived straight in. The coldness almost took his breath away and as he opened his eyes under the water everything was brown and murky. He allowed himself a leisurely glide through the water, feeling his body adjust to the cold and his muscles flex as he began to swim. He surfaced near the middle of the lake, enjoying the burn in his lungs as he sucked in a deep breath to replenish what he had used.
‘I thought you wanted a swim?’ he called over to Lina, who was still slowly wading towards him.
‘It’s a little colder than I imagined.’
‘Nonsense, it’s refreshing.’
Swimming closer, he debated whether she would forgive him if he pulled her down. The idea of their bodies entwining under the water was too enticing as Alex paused beside her.