A grim thought occurred to her. ‘Is Catherine’s father your godfather? I thought he was your boss,’ she said feeling foolish.
He tilted his head. ‘He’s still my boss.’
‘So you’re connected to Catherine.’ Jess glared at him. ‘I’m not sure we should really have come now.’
Izzy didn’t dare open her mouth. He’d known how Catherine had almost ruined them. ‘You obviously know Catherine well then?’
‘Of course.’
‘He is not being exact,’ Xavier said, interrupting their flow of conversation. ‘They were, how you say, childhood sweets?’
‘Sweethearts?’ Izzy asked, not happy to learn this fact about Ed and her nemesis.
Ed drank some water. ‘But that was years ago, Xav.’
His gaze connected with Izzy’s and she abruptly turned away to focus on her meal. She was happier to think Ed was an employee at Catherine’s father’s house; discovering he was his godson made her a little uneasy. She would have to watch what she said about Catherine in future. Damn, this wasn’t what she’d expected to hear at all.
Izzy was relieved when Ed’s parents started speaking to him. It gave her a chance to think things through. She could hear Jess mumbling something to herself and nudged her. ‘Shush, they’ll hear you.’
‘But I’ve got a few things I need to ask him,’ Jess said sulkily.
‘Not now. Wait until he’s alone later.’
Izzy finished her pâté and waited for the plate to be collected. Their next course was a clear consommé. She didn’t want to be rude so resisted asking Ed any further questions and concentrated on eating the delicious soup. The boys chatted with their parents who obviously hadn’t seen Ed for quite a while. And as indignant as she was to discover his closeness and history with Catherine, she couldn’t help enjoying this meal. They were obviously a close family, despite living apart.
After a course of salad, another of meatloaf, and a Tarte Tatin, the girls thanked the family and suggested they leave so they’d have some time alone together.
‘Go anywhere you wish,’ Xav said. ‘Do not worry about becoming lost, we will come and find you soon.’
They calmly left the dining room and both girls walked back the way they’d come until they reached a hallway they didn’t recognize. Aware they were far enough away not to be overheard, Izzy looked over her shoulder and sighed. ‘Well, that was an experience, don’t you think?’
‘You’re not kidding.’ Jess puffed out her cheeks. ‘I don’t know what shocked me more, discovering the guys lived here, or that Ed was their brother and used to have a thing going with bloody Catherine.’
Izzy ignored the pang in her chest. ‘I know, that was a bit of a shocker, wasn’t it?’
‘Yep. Come on, let’s get out of here,’ Jess said. She looked up and down the corridor. ‘Which way, do you think?’
‘Um, left,’ Izzy said. She’d spotted the stables as they passed one of the windows on their way to lunch and thought they were as good a place as any to go and investigate.
They wandered around trying to find their way out, eventually exiting through a back door. Hurrying away from the main building, they crossed a square surrounded on two sides by the brick stables. They stopped to have a look around. Izzy spotted an inquisitive grey mare, and walked straight up to stroke her nose.
‘Why do you think he invited us when he knew the predicament Catherine’s elopement had left us in?’ she asked.
‘No idea,’ Jess replied. ‘I thought he was a decent bloke. Now it’s made me question why he suggested we join the group when he didn’t know us.’
Izzy agreed. She was usually a decent judge of character, but maybe this time she’d been a bit overwhelmed by his presence the other night to listen to her intuition.
‘I think he could be a bit of a shit,’ Jess said pulling a piece of hay from a hay-net. ‘Do you think he’s having a laugh at our expense?’
‘Why would I do that?’
Both girls jumped to hear the voice, sounding cross and very much like he’d stepped out of a British public school, as he entered the doorway.
‘You shouldn’t eavesdrop,’ Izzy snapped, embarrassed to have been caught talking behind his back.
‘Not even if it’s about me?’
‘Especially when it’s about you.’ Jess glared at him. ‘So, are you going to tell us?’
‘What?’ he asked any amusement from earlier missing from his tone.
‘Are you a bit of a shit, Ed?’ Izzy asked.
His mouth drew back in a smile. ‘No, I’m not.’
‘Because?’ Jess wasn’t done yet. Izzy could tell she was more upset than even she’d assumed.
He thought for a moment. ‘I felt bad about what Catherine’s thoughtlessness had meant to your business, so when you said you had nothing on for a few weeks I thought you might enjoy the trip.’
‘You never thought to mention you were related to her though?’ Jess added. ‘What are you, cousins?’
He frowned, his thick dark eyebrows giving him an angrier look than Izzy believed he meant to purvey. ‘My godfather spent a lot of time with my mother’s family growing up and I think they hoped the pair of them would get married. However, she met my father and chose him instead. They remained friends though and when I came along they asked him to be one of my godparents.’
‘You don’t sound at all French.’ Jess said. ‘Not one bit. It’s very confusing.’
‘Don’t I?’ He walked over and stroked the grey’s neck, smiling when she nuzzled his chest.
Izzy watched him with the horse, wondering if it was his own. ‘You don’t though. I honestly would have placed money on you being British, it’s weird.’
He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘Years of being educated in Jersey, I guess.’
Izzy couldn’t help wondering how much her brother knew about this close friend of his. ‘Have you told Alex you’re a count?’
‘Probably not; it’s not something I talk about when I’m in Jersey and he’s never been here to stay, so I doubt it’s come up in conversation.’ He raised an eyebrow and smiled. ‘He does know I’m French though.’
‘Don’t think you’ll get away with this by trying to be funny,’ Jess pouted. ‘I’m still cross.’
Izzy wished she wouldn’t do that, it made Jess look like she was flirting. Then it dawned on her that maybe she was. It was her turn to frown.
The three of them stood in an awkward silence in the stables. ‘Do you ride?’ he asked them eventually.
‘Hell no,’ Jess said. ‘She does, though.’
He looked at Izzy and gave her a smile. ‘Would you like to come out for a ride with me?’
She pictured seeing him riding on the manor land a few weeks ago and cleared her throat at the memory. ‘When?’
‘Now.’
‘Right now?’
‘Yes, why not?’ He looked at her bare legs. ‘But if you’ve brought a pair of jeans I think you’d better change into them first.’
‘I’m not sure,’ she said, not wishing Jess to feel left out.
‘I’m fine,’ Jess assured her. ‘I’ll find the other two and they can show me round this enormous place. Go on, Izzy, you know you’d love to. You haven’t ridden for so long, not since your mum had to sell Flash when you went to uni.’
Izzy smiled. ‘Great,’ she said to Ed. ‘I’d love to.’
Looking much happier, he nodded. ‘Go and change and I’ll saddle up a couple of these brutes and meet you back here in, say, fifteen minutes?’
Izzy nodded and ran back into the château.
Glad she’d travelled in her jeans, she quickly changed back into them and raced back to the stables. She only got lost once on the way, which saved time.
A few minutes later, having been kitted out in a pair of slightly too large riding boots and the stable girl’s hat, she took hold of saddle and raised her left foot behind her so Ed could give her a leg-up. She must look heavier than she actually wa
s, she decided when he lifted her with a little too much gusto, almost throwing her over the horse’s withers.
‘Sorry about that,’ he said, grabbing her thigh to make sure she didn’t fall off the other side. ‘This is Gaston, he’s Roman’s favourite, but he can be a little feisty so make sure you hold on.’
Great, thought Izzy, excited at the prospect of her first ride in years. She loved an unpredictable horse and was relieved Ed hadn’t acted all gentlemanly and put her on a quiet thing that ambled along. She was desperate to get going. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’
He checked the girth and then the length of her stirrups, shortening them slightly. ‘Comfortable?’
‘Perfect,’ she said almost sighing with contentment. It was wonderfully familiar to be sitting on a saddle, especially a beautifully made one like this. She recognised it as a particularly fine one she’d been lucky enough to borrow when she’d competed on Flash.
‘I thought so.’
Izzy watched Ed take hold of the reins and mount his own horse. He’s magnificent, she thought, watching Ed squeeze gently with his heels to make the black gelding walk on. ‘We’ll warm them up first and then I’ll take you out across the meadow over there at the end of the lawn.’
They walked out of the yard in silence and Izzy began to feel mean for the way she and Jess had questioned Ed earlier. ‘I’m sorry we overreacted a bit when we discovered who you really were,’ she said, straightening the hat and patting her horse’s neck as they broke into a trot.
‘It’s fine, don’t worry.’ He smiled. ‘I forget I sound different to my brothers. I suppose it’s a case of wanting to fit in with the other boarders when I was sent to school. It’s not much fun being a homesick teenager, as well as having a different nationality to most of the other pupils.’
‘I can imagine,’ she said remembering how different she always felt having a slightly eccentric mother. ‘My mum isn’t what you’d call the norm, and to be honest I don’t tell people about my family background either.’
‘I’m glad you and Jess agreed to come along on this trip, Izzy. It’ll give us all a chance to have a break.’ They trotted along one side of the lawn, heading for the meadow. ‘Xavier and Roman are typically painful brothers sometimes, but they really are great guys and I know you’re going to get on well with them.’
She suspected he was right. She breathed in the warm air, scented by the pine trees they passed.
‘Right, time to get these guys moving,’ he said. ‘They’ve been allowed to be lazy for far too long and Beau here loves a good gallop.’
Izzy’s horse immediately copied his and they broke into a slow canter. It was bliss, with the wind in her hair and the sunshine on her bare arms. Izzy couldn’t stop smiling. It was also great to be away from the others, too. She never really enjoyed having to make small talk.
She slowed slightly to watch Ed. He must have ridden since he was tiny, she decided; he was so natural on the back of a horse and it was wonderful to watch.
When they were further away from the château, he looked back over his shoulder at her. ‘Shall we go for it?’
She nodded, unable to hide her delight at the prospect.
‘OK, first one to that copse over there chooses a forfeit for the other, agreed?’
‘No problem,’ she said.
Before he had a chance to start their race, Izzy squeezed her heels against her horse. He sprung into a fast canter and soon a gallop. She squealed with excitement and, eager to help him go as fast as possible, stood in her stirrups, bending her knees and leaning forward over the horse’s neck. She could hear the thud of Ed’s horse’s hooves on the grass near to her own and turned to see how far behind her he was. Spotting him closing in on her, she shrieked with excitement and urged her horse on faster.
‘Go on, you can do it, boy,’ she said, sitting back in her saddle. Just when she thought she was there, Ed’s horse surged in front, reaching the copse a nose before she did.
‘No!’ she shouted, gently pulling on her reins to slow him down. She patted the velvety neck as they cut their speed down to a slow canter. ‘Good boy, good boy.’
‘You’re a fantastic rider,’ Ed said as they slowed to a trot. ‘You must have ridden for years.’
‘Since I was four,’ she admitted. ‘My dad bought me my first pony when I was seven and my mum never forgave him for getting me into such an expensive hobby. Anyway, you’re not so bad yourself.’
‘Thanks.’ He patted Beau’s sweaty neck. ‘I think we’ll take these two into the copse; it’s shaded and there’s a small pool where they can have a drink.
‘Good idea.’ Now they’d stopped she realized she was hot and probably had a bright pink face from the excitement and energy she’d put into her race.
They dismounted, then, taking the reins over their horses’ necks, crossed to the pond.
Izzy stopped with Gaston next to the water and stroked his neck as he bent down to drink. She bent down and pushed a hand into the cool liquid, wiping it across her face and behind her neck. ‘It’s hotter than I realized,’ she said, aware for the first time that Ed was watching her. ‘What?’
‘Your forfeit,’ he said, his eyes shining mischievously.
‘Ahh, I’d forgotten about that.’
‘Conveniently,’ he teased.
She could see he was planning something. ‘Go on then, what do I have to do?’
‘Let me think,’ he said, grinning.
Izzy held up her free hand. ‘If it involves me being naked you can forget it.’
‘That’s a shame, now I’ll have to think of something else.’
She narrowed her eyes. ‘Yes, you’d better. I’m a guest here, remember? You should behave like the gentleman you’re supposed to be when you’re with me.’
He laughed. ‘Fine, then you have to promise you’ll agree to my second choice.’
‘No chance, I’m not agreeing to anything unless I know what it is.’
She watched him trying not to laugh as he walked up to her. He raised his hand to her cheek and rested it there for a second before slipping his hand behind her head and lowering his head, pulling her gently to him, kissing her.
It was so unexpected, it took Izzy a few seconds to register what he was doing, but by that point the sensation of his mouth on hers and his arms around her were enough to wipe everything from her mind. She kissed him right back. Finally, he released her and stepped back.
‘I’m going to have to beat you in another race if this is what happens afterwards,’ he teased, his dark eyes like pools of melted chocolate.
Izzy would happily have lost a thousand races right now. Boy, he was some kisser. Maybe it was true what they said about French men. The colour rushed to her face. ‘It’s hot today,’ she said, reverting to talking about the weather when she couldn’t think what else to say.
Ed smiled. ‘It’s very hot.’ He stroked his horse’s face and smiled when Beau nuzzled him. Izzy would have liked to do the same, but managed to restrain herself. ‘I think our boat trip is going to be interesting.’
‘Me too,’ she said, relishing the prospect even more now.
‘The others arrive tomorrow and they’re all great fun, I think you’ll get on well with them.’ He gave her a last kiss and smiled. ‘I’m so pleased you agreed to come along, even though I’m not the guy you thought I was.’
‘Shut up,’ Izzy laughed, punching him lightly on his bicep.
They mounted their horses and walked back to the stables, chatting about Alex. She discovered that Ed also surfed.
‘Alex told me he couldn’t come along because he had a surfing competition this weekend and something else on next week. How come you aren’t taking part?’ she asked.
Ed raked a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in places. ‘My brothers arranged this and as we don’t often get the chance to spend quality time together I thought it was more important to join them on the boat trip than entering a competition I could go in for next year
.’
‘Or maybe you knew you couldn’t beat my brother,’ she teased. ‘So didn’t bother trying.’
He laughed a deep throaty laugh that made her giggle. ‘It could have been that, I suppose.’
As they neared the stables, Izzy spotted Jess waiting for them, arms folded, a scowl on her pretty face. ‘Oh dear, I think something’s happened.’
‘What’s the matter?’ Ed asked, when they reached her, dismounting and taking hold of Izzy’s reins.
‘Apparently two of the original party has had to pull out of the trip because their mother has fallen ill, and you’ll never bloody guess who’s going to be joining us now?’
Izzy exchanged glances with Ed. She could tell he knew as well as she did that there was only one person who could infuriate Jess this much. ‘Catherine?’
‘Yes, bloody Catherine.’
Ed glanced in the direction of the château. ‘Leave your horse with me, Izzy,’ he said. ‘You go with Jess. I’ll sort these two out.’
‘Thanks,’ Izzy said, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. She would have much rather spent a bit more time with the horses, and, she admitted to herself, Ed. Listening to Jess rant about Catherine again wasn’t something she relished doing. ‘I’ll see you later.’
‘Yes, we’ll meet in the room next to the tower for drinks before dinner. Six thirty suit you both?’
‘Yes, see you then.’ Izzy and Ed stared at each other. She couldn’t help smiling and wondered if he’d enjoyed the afternoon as much as she had.
‘Are you coming?’ Jess shouted from across the quadrangle.
‘See you then,’ Izzy said quietly, before running to catch up with her friend.
Chapter Five
Ed watched her run to Jess. He suspected she was oblivious to how sexy she’d looked racing him to the copse. He was relieved she hadn’t dwelled for too long on his identity. He’d learnt at a young age not to tell anyone about his family unless it was an absolute necessity. Too many women had been attracted to his older brothers for their title.
He undid Beau’s girth and lifted the saddle from its back, resting it on the stable door. Then, unfastening the noseband and throatlatch he carefully lifted the bridle over his ears. That kiss, Ed mused. It was as if they fitted. He knew it was one thing to be attracted to a woman but another entirely for them to connect on that level. Kissing her was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. She looked so angelic, with her platinum blonde hair and big blue eyes, but when their lips connected he’d felt a shock through his entire body. He was in serious danger of making a fool out of himself with her.
The Jersey Scene series box set Page 69
