Part 7 (2/2)
”You're right. Are you sure you wouldn't care to take that stroll in the gardens, after all?”
”Yes, quite sure. As always you presume far more than you ought. Now, I see a spare seat at the whist table. If you will excuse me, I am going to play cards.”
She stood, taking a moment to set her cordial aside.
”But wait, don't go. We haven't settled anything between us yet.”
She turned and met his eyes. ”No, we haven't.”
On a swish of blue velvet skirts, she strolled away.
He could have followed and acted the barbarian again by turfing another one of the players out of his chair to join her at the card table. Instead, he leaned back against the sofa cus.h.i.+ons and contemplated his next move.
Good Lord, what have I started? Thalia wondered as she slid into the open chair at the card table and offered quiet greetings to the other players.
She'd known Lord Leopold had a forceful personality, but she'd had no idea that he could be so intimidating. He'd chased Wilc.o.x off like a naughty pup. As for Lord Stanley, she wondered if it might have come to far more than words if he'd been unwilling to cede the field. She had the distinct feeling that in a fight Lord Leopold could best any opponent he faced.
But he wasn't going to intimidate or defeat her. This was her game and she would control it.
Control him.
With his natural arrogance, he didn't even seem to realize that she was the one leading him where she wished and not the other way around. But it served her purposes to let him think he was the one doing the seducing.
Tonight continued to be a promising beginning to her instructive lesson for Lord Leopold, and it wouldn't do to be seen as giving in to him too abruptly, not after all her previous rebuffs. She would let him think she was gradually succ.u.mbing to his wiles; then when he least expected, she would turn the tables. Exactly what that entailed she wasn't quite certain of yet. But she would think of something when the time was right.
Accepting her hand of cards, she focused her attention on the whist game.
Chapter 7.
Leo mounted his roan stallion the following morning, taking a moment to draw in a deep breath of the leaf-scented air. The sun shone down from a nearly cloudless sky, forecasting an excellent, unseasonably warm autumn day for an outing.
A hunt had been arranged for the guests and a few local neighbors, including a viscount who was the current master of foxhounds. All around Holland House's main drive, horses and riders were being readied. The pack of hounds was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tail-wagging excitement, the dogs giving an occasional bark of antic.i.p.ation for the chase to come. Servants moved among the a.s.sembled guests, offering tall cups of spiced punch and squares of fruitcake.
Leo was pleased to see that Lady Thalia was to be one of the party. Due to hunting's physically demanding nature, many ladies preferred not to partic.i.p.ate, especially hampered as they were by the necessity of riding sidesaddle. But Lady Thalia looked eager for the challenge, a smile on her face as she allowed one of the servants to help her mount the horse she would be riding.
She looked as bright and beautiful as the clear day, attired in a surprisingly sensible habit of navy blue serge with polished bra.s.s b.u.t.tons sewn down the front. The style looked slightly out of fas.h.i.+on, but the well-made cut suited her to perfection. Her s.h.i.+ning mahogany hair was pulled into a neat twist at the back of her head, topped by a tall black riding hat.
Now settled on her horse she took a few moments to arrange the drape of her long skirts before straightening, the reins held confidently inside her small gloved hands.
He walked his stallion forward, maneuvering around several other riders so that he could slip into an empty spot at her side. Her mare s.h.i.+fted and chuffed out a breath at his stallion's arrival. An answering s.h.i.+ver rippled through his own horse's sleekly muscled flanks.
Leo understood the feeling, his chest and groin tightening in instant reaction to Lady Thalia's nearness. The sensation grew more intense as he caught the faintest hint of lilac drifting elusively in the air-there one instant, gone the next.
Had she bathed in lilac-scented soap this morning, he wondered, or else smoothed a couple of drops of perfume onto her skin as she dressed? Either answer put all sorts of wicked ideas into his head.
His hands tightened briefly on the reins before he forced away the thoughts. ”Fine morning for a hunt,” he remarked.
She turned her head, her dark eyes unfathomable. ”Indeed, the weather is excellent for such sport, even if a tad warm.”
”Holland's gathered a good group.”
They both paused to survey the large number of horses, riders and dogs that were a.s.sembled.
”Lord and Lady Holland are known for their entertainments. One could expect no less from a hunt held on their estate.” Her mouth tightened briefly before easing again.
”I was pleased to see you aren't the timid sort and will ride out for the start.”
”Oh, I'll be there for more than the start. I love to ride and shall stay on the field as long as I can manage. As for the jumps, the higher the better, I say.”
He frowned. ”Boldness is an admirable trait, but it's also best to remember that an unfamiliar course can be dangerous.”
”Do you doubt my ability to ride, Lord Leopold? It may have been some while since I rode to hounds, but you will find I am no novice when it comes to sitting a horse.”
”I only meant that I do not wish you to come to harm, Lady Thalia.”
”Don't worry. I learned how to take care of myself a long time ago.”
With that, she set her horse in motion and cantered away.
He followed, determined not to lose her.
He had just drawn abreast of her again when the horn sounded the call to release the fox and the hounds.
Tallyho. The hunt was on.
With a kick of his heels, Leo sprang into action, Lady Thalia at his side, as everyone set off.
Thalia surged forward into a fast run, giving her mare her head as dozens of riders took to the field. Clots of green turf kicked up under churning hooves as the yards fell away behind them. It wasn't long before the pack separated into the leaders and those who tried to keep pace.
She settled into a position at the rear of the lead group, letting herself savor a sense of freedom she had not felt in a very long while. She didn't ride in London nearly as often as she might have liked, since maintaining a riding mount was a luxury she could ill afford. Occasionally, she took one of the carriage horses out to the park, but city riding was disappointingly tame compared with the sensation of flying over a gra.s.sy field at a rough gallop. She'd missed this, being able to ride a fine steed through the countryside. The divorce had denied her such opportunities, so this one came as a rare treat.
Lord Leopold rode next to her, his powerful stallion easily keeping pace with her own spirited mare. She tossed him a look and increased her speed, wondering if she could shake him off.
But he stuck with her like a burr, catching up as though nothing had changed. The pair of them pelted onward, correcting course with the other riders as the horn blew to signal a fresh sighting of the fleeing fox.
One by one, members of the lead pack separated, some making a jump over a large tree trunk laid out across a wet ditch, while others took a safer, longer route around.
She headed straight for the fallen tree.
Lord Leopold followed.
As the obstacle grew closer, she gathered herself to make the jump, using her reins and her left knee to set her horse into the correct gait. She tightened her other knee around the pommel to anchor herself more firmly in the saddle. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lord Leopold make his own adjustments as he readied his mount.
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