George gave him a bemused look, but was more than happy to take the drink. They clinked glasses and Dare launched into a conversation about the upcoming hunt. As they chatted, he feigned amusement at one of Lord Wilshire’s comments and patted him heartily on his back.
That should keep the nasty shrew squirming.
Chapter 20
Greek statues could have been carved from that man. Nivea sighed as Dare approached the stable the next morning. His black hair gleamed in the morning sun, his perfectly-tailored forest-green riding coat emphasized his broad shoulders. And his legs? The muscles, straining against the soft fabric of his tight fawn breeches, inspired all sorts of wicked thoughts.
“Good morning, Miss Horsham,” he called out, flashing her a brilliant smile. “Are you ready to ride today?”
Ready? She had barely been able to think of anything else since he’d invited her.
“Yes. It is kind of you to accompany me.” Not to mention, thrilling and nerve-wracking. She was so jittery, she wasn’t sure how she would manage to climb on her horse. Fortunately, with the help of the groom, she was able to haul herself up with a moderate level of grace and join Dare, who was already astride his enormous black stallion.
“You have made some improvements,” Dare remarked as they headed off toward the trees. “You still have a long way to go to be considered a true Horsham, but at least I no longer fear you will plummet off the back of your trusty steed.”
She laughed, patting her horse affectionately on the neck. “Thank you. She is more of a plodding puddinghead than a trusty steed, but we suit each other well.”
As they entered the woods, Nivea pointed to a nearby boulder. “This is where I have been practicing my dismounts. Buttercup was quite disgruntled at first, but I think I’m learning the way of it now.”
“Maybe I can be of some assistance,” Dare offered. He pulled his horse to a stop and swung himself to the ground with the grace of a dancer. She stifled a sigh of pleasure as he stopped a mere arm’s length away and flashed her a roguish smile.
“I will steady Buttercup,” he stated, rolling his eyes at her name, “while you adjust your weight to one foot. Then shift your, ah, lower half toward me and I will help you down.”
She wanted to trust him, but her skin pricked with nerves at the thought. Other women drifted daintily down into their escort’s arms. But all she could picture was plummeting like a stone and knocking them both to the ground, breaking an ankle or rendering one of them unconscious.
Unaware of the perilous situation he was putting himself in, Dare stood there with his arms raised. It took her a moment, but determination won over fear. Taking a deep breath, she followed his instructions and slid out of the saddle. Remarkably, he grabbed her around the waist and lowered her to her feet unscathed.
Nervous tension heightened her senses, and his touch sent an immediate spark of desire through her. His hands lingered on her hips, his fingers burning through to her skin, tormenting her. Dropping his hands, he pinned her with deep onyx eyes and a lazy grin. Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Well done...for a novice.”
It sounded…well, it almost seemed like he was flirting with her. It was hypnotic, rooting her to the spot. Memories of him touching her, caressing her, flashed through her mind and set her heart pounding.
As if he were reading her mind, he leaned in again and purred, “Now we can practice mounting, if you’d like.”
Nivea took a step back and shook her head in disbelief.
Dare laughed. “The horse, my dear. Practice mounting your horse.” And he gave her a wink.
He was flirting with her. What had she done to deserve this sudden change in attitude? It sent a delightful buzzing through her brain, and she almost missed what he was saying. “Riding sidesaddle is a little trickier to master than sitting astride. But once you put your foot in the strap and reach up to the saddle, you give a little hop, and I will lift you up and into position.”
“You will lift…wait! What?” She jerked back to reality.
He looked at her, eyebrows raised. “You will push up and I will lift you into the saddle.”
She balked. “Oh, no. Certainly not. Shouldn’t we use the stone to help, at least for the first few times?”
“No need. We’ll manage.”
She wasn’t sure which was wreaking more havoc on her nerves, having Dare so near, or the thought of him throwing her up onto a horse. He must have seen her tremble, for he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Come now. You’ll be fine.”
His dark, entrancing eyes bored into her, lending her strength. Wishing to make him proud, she took a deep breath and nodded. She raised her foot to the stirrup. He placed his firm hands around her waist and yelled, “Jump!”
She gave a little hop and he heaved her up, twisting her squarely into the saddle. She grabbed the sides to steady herself and then looked down in stunned delight. “I did it!” she crowed.
He quirked a brow at her and she laughed.
“All right. We did it. Oh, thank you ever so much!”
“My pleasure,” he answered with a bow. “Now come, we will try it again until you are comfortable.”
It was unbelievable. She’d mounted a horse. Why had she ever thought it to be difficult?
Beaming, she gave Buttercup a pat before shifting her weight forward out of the saddle. Dare reached up and she glided into his arms. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she spun back toward the horse and raised her leg. She couldn’t believe she had been able to scale a horse so easily.
“Ready?” Dare grabbed her waist. When she nodded, he lifted her up into the saddle, this time exerting far less effort.
Throwing back her head, she laughed with joy. “I cannot wait to show Popa. For years, he and William tried to convince me I could do this without a mounting block. But I refused to consider it. I just knew I’d flail about so much it would spook the horse, who would go rocketing off, most likely dragging me to my death.”
Shaking her head in amazement, she sighed. “Oh, Dare, this is simply wonderful.”
His smile bespoke amused tolerance. “Come now, let’s try it again to make sure you’ve mastered it.” He reached up his arms and she slid into them. This time, when she reached the ground, he didn’t let go. His eyes darkened and he lowered his lips to hers. Enthralled, she threw her arms around his neck and eagerly returned the kiss.
“Thank you,” she whispered when he raised his head.
“For what? The kiss or the lesson?” he rumbled.
She smiled. “Both.”
At that, an odd look crossed his face. To her disappointment, he stopped and took a step back. “I think we should continue our lessons.”
Hmm. Frankly, she would rather continue with the kissing, but it appeared he was no longer interested. Had she done something wrong? With a sigh, she let him return her to the saddle and they headed up the path.
After a few moments, Dare asked, “Do you think you could prod Buttercup into a trot?”
Surely, he was joking. This slow easy gait was quite enough for her; she couldn’t imagine bouncing around any faster on the beast. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I think we are happy to walk.”
“Come now. There’s a bit of a clearing up ahead. We can safely pick up some speed without threat of injury. I promise not to press you past your level of comfort.” He must have noticed the fear in her eyes, because his look grew soft. “Look, here’s the meadow. We’ll just nudge them a little until we reach the other side.”
He was serious. Just nudge them. And not expect them to go tearing across the countryside in an unbridled panic? How was that even possible? Trying to sound reasonable, she squeaked out, “What if I can’t get her to stop?”
“There’s nothing to it. When you’re ready, pull back on the reins a little. She’ll probably turn to a walk herself as she gets near the woods on the other side.” Still sensing her hesitancy, he pressed her ultimate weakness. “Your father would be
so proud to see you trotting up the path….”
That was unfair. But effective. “Fine. But stay close, just in case,” she agreed.
With a nod, he steered his horse closer. “Take a steady grasp of the reins and give her a light tap with your heel. It will feel a little bouncy at first, but you’ll settle into a rhythm in no time.”
She found that highly doubtful, but did as he said. It took two or three taps to convince Buttercup to speed forward. It was quite jarring, in fact, and Nivea almost bit her tongue on the first few strides. But, by the time she was halfway across the field, she was able to brace herself to counteract the motion. As he’d promised, Dare kept his stallion close enough to grab hold if she started to slide off. As they neared the woods, he called out, “Now, very slowly begin to pull back on the reins. Just light pressure, don’t tug at her mouth.”
Like magic, her horse slowed down and reverted to a walk.
“That’s it. Now give her a pat. I’m sure that was as surprising for her as it was for you.”
His smile was genuine and it made her giddy with pleasure. This was one of the best days of her life—and it was occurring while riding a horse. Remarkable.
“Are you ready for a bit more of a ride? We can go to the ruins and then head back.”
She nodded, eager for more adventure. The ruins had been one of her favorite spots as a child. It was nothing but a tumble of stones from an ancient abbey with vines crisscrossed through the remaining walls, weaving a perfect hideaway for children. She would love to see it again.
They entered the cooling forest, surrounded by thick green foliage and a happy chorus of birds. The sound of the horse hooves was muffled by the dirt trail they followed. A few moments into the trees, they approached a stream and stopped to give their horses a drink.
Nivea was delighted to see small blue flowers dotting the bank. “Oh look, forget-me-nots! My favorite flower.” She bent down to touch their petals. Dare strolled over to stand beside her.
“Forget-me-nots. Truly? Not roses or lilies or some other exotic bloom?”
As she straightened, she took in the tantalizing fit of his breeches, the finely tied cravat, the wry twist of his lips.
Sigh.
Hoping to hide the blush that now warmed her cheeks, she returned her focus to the flowers. “Oh, no. Forget-me-nots are so delicate and unpretentious. Roses are beautiful, but far too much work. I prefer the simplicity of wildflowers.”
Dare shook his head. “You are an unusual woman, Miss Horsham.”
She lifted her eyebrows, unsure whether to take that as a compliment or not.
He raised his hands in defense. “I beg you, take no offense. In a society such as ours, unusual can be an appealing quality.”
It took all her willpower not to snort. “I have not found it to be a particularly attractive trait.”
“I have been called many things—unusual is one of the more complimentary.”
“Well, of course. You are a man with unnaturally good looks, a title, and deep pockets. Being dissimilar is no detraction.”
With an indolent grace, he leaned against a tree, crossed his arms and flashed her a seductive smile. “So, I have unnaturally good looks, do I?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “As though you need me to tell you that. Most notorious rake in all of London, most sought after prize at every soirée, it’s no wonder you are as arrogant as a king.”
Realizing how rude that sounded, she blushed in embarrassment. She should apologize. Risking a glance at him, she feared he would be glowering at her. He was indeed staring, but instead of anger, a mocking smile curled his tantalizing full lips. That was unexpected. She was more surprised when he pushed himself away from the tree and strutted toward her, his polished boots crunching on the undergrowth. Upon reaching her, he clicked his heels, sketched a bow and drawled, “I confess, I am all that and more.”
She laughed. He was magnificent. His posture was languid, his eyes soft, and his mouth tantalizing. Unable to tear her eyes from his face, she got the distinct impression he was going to kiss her once again. Really, this day was proving to be far too delicious. There must be fairies in the woods, sprinkling a magical spell over her. There was no other explanation for his behavior. Her pulse fluttered as his gaze swept over her.
Then he straightened, uttered an appallingly colorful curse and stormed away, stopping at the edge of the clearing.
What just happened? What did she do that could have upset him so? Before she could build up the nerve to ask, he turned and took two large strides toward her. His jaw set, his dark eyes glared at her.
She held her ground, convinced he was going to yell at her, yet baffled as to why. Consequently, she was quite unprepared by his response.
“Miss Horsham, I beg your forgiveness. I have been subjecting you to grievously ill behavior this entire visit. I can offer no excuse. You are a lady of gentle birth and the sister of my truest friend, and for me to have abused you so horrendously these past few days is beyond the pale.”
His gaze rose above her head, and he rocked back and forth on his heels as he sought to continue. “I may be a disreputable rake, but I do try to maintain the code of conduct befitting a peer. God knows, I have violated that, and you, on several occasions.”
He gave her a searching look before raising his hands in a gesture of defeat. “I had vowed to come out today and make amends. To treat you as a gentlewoman. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I am unable to maintain any level of decency with you. I find myself going out of my way to bring a smile to your lips or a blush to your cheeks. You are not the sort of woman I should dally with, and yet it is all I can think of at the moment.”
He began to raise his hand as though intending to touch her cheek. But then his face hardened and he snapped his arm back down to his side. “But I will stop. Rest assured, from this moment on, I will behave as a gentleman. You deserve no less. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”
She stood there shocked into silence. Adair Landis was apologizing to her? True, his behavior had been abhorrent and she should…wait, had she heard him correctly?
The world seemed to freeze in time. There was no breeze, no sound, just Dare, the handsome, arrogant man of her dreams, who admitted that she was all he could think about. Her heart soared with joy and she couldn’t help breaking into a smile. “Yes, of course I forgive you.”
Their eyes locked and she felt the sizzle of attraction flash between them. Then his face went taut and a muscle jumped in his jaw. “Good,” was all he said, before turning crisply on his heel and heading toward his horse. “Then let’s put this behind us and continue our ride.”
He wasn’t going to get away from her that easily. Reveling in her newfound power, she called out, “Ah, Lord Landis?”
Dare stiffened, waiting for her to continue.
“Can you help me up onto my horse?” she asked, smothering another smile.
He stalked back and held out his arms. Facing the horse, she grinned as he wrapped his hands around her waist and hoisted her up. She was giddy with delight. True, he had said he was going to act the perfect gentleman, but as he hadn’t found the fortitude to control himself today, she imagined he would once again lose control.
Since she was already ruined, what harm could there be in another few indiscretions before he came to his senses and she returned to being plain old Nivea?
Chapter 21
Nivea nudged her horse forward, eager to catch up with Dare as he progressed down the trail. Buttercup was slow to get moving, but had almost closed the gap when a shot rang out.
Horrified, Nivea saw Dare jerk upright and then slump forward. She screamed and leapt off her horse. As she approached, he grimaced but managed to rasp out, “You have made amazing progress dismounting.”
Too stunned to give any response, she grabbed his horse as it pranced about in alarm and tried to soothe the beast. Dare gingerly reached down to rub its neck and murmur a few sounds until it settled d
own. Then he lowered himself from the horse and collapsed on the ground.
Nivea sunk to his side. “What just happened?” she squeaked.
Dare’s face was pale. “I think I’ve been shot.” He reached his right hand into his jacket and pressed it to his side. As he withdrew his arm, blood coated his palm.
Nivea looked about in panic. “Good heavens, why would anyone shoot you?”
He shrugged before closing his eyes. “I don’t think it’s bad, just grazed me,” he ground out from clenched teeth.
Pressing a hand to her throat, she could feel her heart racing. “What should I do? Do you want me to bandage you up or go get help?”
He stretched out his legs, shifting uncomfortably. “I’m fine. Just give me a moment.” He reached his hand back into his shirt and pressed on the wound. It was obvious he was in a lot of pain. She had to do something. “Here, take your coat off and let me see.”
He shook his head.
“I need to see how bad it is.”
“No!” His face hardened and his eyes blazed black.
Well, he was being ridiculous. His flare of anger did nothing to dissuade her. She was terrified for him and would do whatever was required to make certain he was all right.
Sucking up her courage, she leaned over and put her face nose to nose with his. “Listen to me. You will take off your jacket, and you will let me examine your wound. Or I will leave you here to rot.”
He must have realized arguing would be futile, for he reached up to slide the jacket from his injured side. Seeing him wince, she helped ease it off his shoulders and crouched beside him. Giving him a tight smile, she peeled his hand away from his side. There was blood staining the side of his snowy white shirt below his silver embroidered waistcoat. Not a lot, but enough to make her feel a bit queasy. She sucked in a breath and said. “Now we’ll remove your shirt.”
“No!” he barked, slamming his hand back to his side. The burst of pain was so severe he almost blacked out. He clenched his jaw, trying to regain his breath, before opening his eyes again. Her expression was so fierce, he didn’t bother to fight. He wanted to. After all, he knew this was the end. All his subterfuge…all his deception would be lost. The final humiliation was upon him. It was infuriating, but he could see no resolution.
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