Part 32 (2/2)

”Is that all, my lord?” he asked her uncle.

”You are dismissed,” Uncle Theodore answered, returning to his breakfast. ”Don't forget my instructions regarding the gray filly.”

The stable master turned to leave. Anne was curious about all that went on in the stable. The gray filly was a particular favorite of hers, although the horse belonged to her uncle. ”What about the gray filly?”

Merrick, as he would have her call him, hesitated, glancing toward her uncle. ” 'Tis none of her affair,” he said to the man. ”Go on now about your business, or rather my business,” her uncle added with a chuckle.

Uncle Theodore's good humor failed to make Merrick smile, and Anne found herself wondering what he might look like if he did. Would it soften the hard lines of his face? Merrick left the room and she stared after him until she felt her aunt's regard. Anne blushed and quickly turned her attention back to breakfast.

”He's very handsome, your new stable master, dear,” Aunt Claire commented. ”I am not certain he was a wise choice when we still have a young, beautiful woman beneath our roof. Rather like putting a fox in charge of the henhouse.”

It bothered Anne somewhat that her aunt had referred to Blackthorn Manor as belonging to Anne's guardians. The house had belonged to Anne's mother and Blackthorn Manor, along with a large inheritance from her mother's lineage, would become Anne's when she turned twenty-one. Still, she said nothing. Anne felt certain it was an oversight.

Uncle Theodore had inherited Anne's father's t.i.tle, but her father had been a ”naked” earl, in that he had no property that went with his earldom. It had been Anne's mother who had married beneath her. A love match. Because she had no brothers or male relatives left living on her mother's side, Anne's son, if she had one, would someday become a Marquess.

Uncle Theodore waved a hand. ”As long as the hens mind themselves, so will the fox.” He glanced up, sharing a peculiar look with his wife that Anne had trouble reading. A warning?

Uncomfortable silence settled over the table. Anne was still curious about the filly and thought her uncle might be more talkative now that the stable master had left. ”What are your plans for the filly?” she ventured again.

”Unsuitable conversation for a young lady,” he said, frowning at her. ”It is not your concern, Niece.”

”Yes, Uncle,” Anne replied dutifully, although his refusal to discuss the matter only made her more curious. Maybe she'd been too hasty in her decision to stay indoors this morning. The stable master knew what plans her uncle had for the gray filly. If she asked, he'd have to tell her, wouldn't he?

”May I be excused?” she asked. ”Perhaps a short rest this morning will see me feeling more myself.”

”Yes, by all means go and lie down for a while,” her aunt said, patting Anne's hand absently, a required response rather than a heartfelt one. She tried not to be resentful. Her aunt and uncle had become her guardians when her parents had contacted a fever abroad and both died, leaving her orphaned at the age of ten. But she'd never felt truly loved again, not as her parents had loved her. Her aunt and uncle had been staying with her at Blackthorn Manor when the news of Anne's parents' deaths reached them. They had simply never left.

Her father and uncle were brothers. There was no one else to take Anne in, and perhaps had there been, she would at least have the knowledge that her aunt and uncle chose to raise her because they wanted to, not because they had to. Anne excused herself, rose from the table, and went upstairs. Old Bertha had nodded off in a chair and snored softly. Anne's riding habit had been laid out. She couldn't avoid the new stable master forever. Besides, she wanted to ask him about the filly and her uncle's plans for the horse.

Merrick smelled Lady Anne's sweet scent before he saw her. He had a gift for scent and for sight. He always had, but he obviously couldn't read a lady's mind, because her sudden appearance surprised him. He stood before the gray filly's stall, thinking his new employer was an ignorant man who didn't deserve the fine horses he owned. He turned and saw Lady Anne at the stable entrance. She was dressed for riding.

”Change your mind?”

It was a question that might hold two meanings, and by her slight blush he knew she was quick-witted.

”Yes, I have decided I shall ride this morning,” she stated, stepping into the stable's dim interior. ”Will you saddle my horse?”

”That's what I'm here for.” He moved away from the gray's stall. ”To see to your needs.”

Her blush deepened. ”There is no call for this to become awkward. You made a mistake last night and we shall both forget it today and move forward.”

Merrick paused before the bay's stall. He lifted a brow. ”I made a mistake? I wouldn't have had you had you not lied to me.”

But that in itself was a lie. Had Merrick known she was the niece of his employer last night, it still wouldn't have stopped him. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Merrick had never reacted so strongly to a female before, be she a serving maid or a highborn lady. He found Lady Anne Baldwin irresistible.

Her hair was the color of rich maple syrup and when down, as she'd worn it last night, cascaded in waves to her slim waist. Her eyes were a warm shade of brown. Her lashes were dark and thick, and her skin was as pale as cream. Some might consider her mouth too generous, but Merrick liked her full, lush lips. Her figure was every man's dream. The lady wasn't for the likes of him, but that didn't stop Merrick from wanting her.

”It was wrong of me to lie,” she admitted, biting her fuller lower lip. ”I feared you'd tell my aunt and uncle what I was doing and I knew they would not be pleased. I thought they might ban me from the stable and riding.”

Judging by what he knew of her aunt and uncle, Merrick imagined they would not be pleased to know of her actions last night, certainly not his. ”Then it can remain our little secret.” He bridled the mare, opened the stall, and led the bay out. He glanced at Lady Anne, noting that her chin rose a notch.

”I would think that would be more to your advantage than to mine.”

Merrick quelled the desire to roll his eyes and stopped before her. ”I'm not so ignorant that I don't know that. There's no need to threaten me, la.s.s.”

Anne hadn't meant to. She'd always prided herself on being kind to others, even to those of a lower station-even to those considered outcasts among society. Why now was she putting this man in his place? Why did she feel threatened by him? Her gaze roamed him and she knew the answer. He was dangerous. Being bad wasn't so difficult, after all. One just needed the right incentive. The right incentive stood before her now, tall and handsome as sin, staring down at her with his rebellious blue eyes.

”I'm not like them,” she insisted. ”I am not a sn.o.b.”

His gaze ran the length of her and back again. ”Yes, you are,” he said. ”You just don't know it yet.”

She watched him lead Storm to the tack room and tether her. Anne was trying to think of something to say when he moved past her, walked to the end of the stable, and led a leggy black stallion from his stall. She'd never seen the horse before, and in an instant she forgot her crossness with the new stable master.

”He's beautiful,” she breathed. Anne loved horses and considered herself a fine judge of horseflesh. The stallion was built for speed. His head was small, his neck thick, and his long flowing mane and tail were well tended.

”He is a fine horse,” Merrick agreed, stopping before her so that Anne could reach out and stroke the horse's silky coat. ”But he has no pedigree. Caught him as a wild colt and brought him up myself. Don't know his lines, just as I don't know my own. We're both b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, I guess.”

Anne lifted a brow. ”Does he resent it as much as you do?”

His blue eyes widened in surprise for a moment, as if he hadn't expected her to be intuitive. Then he shrugged. ”No,” he answered. ”But he's too dumb to know the difference. I guess he's blessed that way.”

Realizing Merrick's parentage was obviously a sore subject, Anne didn't comment further. Instead she watched as he went about the business of saddling Storm and the black. Merrick moved with a grace few men, even those of the gentry, possessed. Black trousers hugged his slim hips and muscled legs to the point of near vulgarity. He wore a white s.h.i.+rt, coa.r.s.e but clean, open at the neck, so open in fact that she saw a portion of his tan chest and a glimpse of dark chest hair. For some reason, that struck Anne as indecent, as well. Or perhaps it was simply her reaction to him that was improper.

The lack of s.h.i.+ne on his knee-high boots reminded her that he was of the working cla.s.s and had no valet to see to them nightly. His hair had hung loose when he'd intruded upon breakfast in the house, but now he'd secured it with a black ribbon. Doing so only accented the chiseled lines of his face and made his stark blue eyes stand out. She had to admit in that moment she'd never seen a man as handsome as he was.

Just looking at him filled her stomach with b.u.t.terflies. Her blood raced through her veins and catching a normal breath was difficult. Oh yes, he was dangerous. Anne would have to watch herself around him, which was something she had never had to do before.

”I'll give you a hand up,” Merrick said, and she realized she was still staring and the horses were saddled and ready.

Fighting down a blush, she walked around Storm where he waited. The sidesaddle perched upon the mare's back made Anne frown. It was a reminder that her adventure last night had not included her dream of riding astride like a man. Her thoughts scattered with Merrick's hands encircling her waist. They felt warm even through her lightweight riding habit. He lifted her into the saddle as if she weighed nothing. He stared up at her for a moment and their eyes locked. It took a great deal of willpower for Anne to glance away.

Fl.u.s.tered, she steered her horse around the big stallion and out into a rather dreary day. Anne was thankful for the cooler air to revive her. She wished Merrick had not been given the task of escorting her on her rides. She feared no good could come of the two of them spending time together.

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