Ginger melted back into the seat and closed her eyes. A vision of Joseph on his mighty steed immediately popped into her head, and she sighed. She was too wound up to fall asleep, but replaying visions of Joseph would be just the thing to make the time pass faster.
Chapter Fourteen
To give both horse and rider enough time to recover from the journey from Manhattan to Roslyn Harbor, it had been decided the race would take place on July 4, with fireworks following in the evening. So the day after the long trek to the country, the guests indulged themselves in a most luxurious and decadent manner. Most of them were not expected to rise until late in the morning. A breakfast buffet was set up in the long dining hall, where guests could avail themselves of all manner of muffins, eggs, bacon, and toast whenever they did manage to stumble out of bed. They could spend the day at the beach or at lawn bowling and croquet. In the evening, there would be a formal dinner and dancing.
Joseph did not plan to attend any of these events. He wanted to be near his horse at all times. He did not trust William Davenport. He had seen the gleam in the man’s eyes when Joseph reluctantly agreed to this race, and knew William would not be above putting Joseph’s steed in danger in order to win. Until the race, Joseph would stay in the stables to ensure the stallion was fed the proper food, and nothing untoward took place. On the racecourse, he would let his common sense and his years of riding experience take over as he bested his competition.
He quietly entered the house early to help himself to the spread of food in the dining hall. As he predicted, he did not encounter any of the other guests. It was too early for these pampered New Yorkers to be up and about. He filled a napkin with food and took the improvised sack back to the stables and to his horse.
Immediately upon entering the building, he sensed there was someone else in the barn, someone other than the stable boys and grooms. Someone the horses didn’t know, for they were on edge. Joseph’s ears quickly registered the pawing of the horses as they nervously clawed their hooves at the straw in the stalls. Joseph went on high alert, set the bag of food on a bale of hay, and crept silently toward Midnight’s stall.
He peered over the railings and caught sight of a boy in the stall, standing next to his horse, causing the horse to nicker and bray. He dragged the intruder out from the stall, balling his hand into a fist as he prepared to deliver a crushing blow.
But suddenly his senses told him he had hold of a woman’s arm, not a man’s. And he knew who the woman was. He pulled her to the center aisle of the stables and dropped his hand as if she were a hot coal.
Ginger looked up at Joseph, questioning. He finally blinked and exhaled a long breath as he unclenched his fist. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
“Do you realize how close I came to knocking you senseless? What are you doing here? And why are you dressed as a boy?” His voice was gruff and clipped, but his eyes blazed.
“I wanted to see you, and your horse, before the race. I figured dressing as a stable boy would be the best way to get out here unnoticed. Besides, it’s early, and I knew no one will be stirring for hours.”
“And what could be so urgent that you would risk the possibility of me hitting you?”
Ginger blushed at his harsh words. “You’re obviously in a foul mood, so I’ll just go back to the house.” She straightened her spine and began to stalk away, then turned back. “No! It took a lot of planning and effort for me to borrow these clothes and to get out of the house undetected, so, I will ask you the questions I came here to ask. What I want to know is why, Joseph? Why have you avoided me since the day in the livery? Was the experience of kissing me so dreadful for you?” She broke off as her eyes filled with tears and her voice choked.
Joseph sighed softly as he noticed how the boy’s outfit did nothing to hide her lovely curves. His heart pounded as he said the words he knew would cut her to the quick. “It is for the best you think nothing more of the day in the livery. I regret it happened. That is all you need to know.”
“But, Joseph, I know you felt as I did when we kissed. After all, you threatened to ravage me!”
Although she had whispered these words to him, Joseph still glanced around the stables to make certain no one was listening. He turned back to her and spoke softly. “As I said, I regret it happened. It would be for the best if you would forget about it, and forget about me. I beg you to select one of the many young men who are better suited to you and accept his advances. Now, leave me and Midnight and get back into the house before you are discovered.”
Ginger’s breath caught in her throat, and she placed her hand over her heart. “Oh, are you calling him Midnight? That means you do care for me, in spite of what you say, if you let me name your precious horse.” She wiped her tears away. “Well, bless my bloomers!”
Her laughter filled the air as she skipped out of the stables.
Joseph went to his horse and put his head on the steed’s neck, stifling his groan. It was true he regretted the day in the livery. He knew Basil’s anger would be uncontrolled if he discovered Joseph had kissed Ginger. If Joseph had lost all of his control and taken her, as he wanted to do, Basil would surely cut him out of his life in St. Louis, and would cease doing business with Joseph and his father. For the sake of the family business, and so as not to lose Basil’s friendship, he must never touch her again. He had been trying to tamp down his feelings for her since the day he had lost his senses and kissed her in the livery, and thought he had regained his control.
But seeing her today, in the clothes of a stable boy — so typical of her lively spirit and her sense of adventure — brought his desire to the surface once again. Not to mention her beautiful face and curvaceous body, which a boy’s attire only accentuated. He thought he had been successful over the past few weeks, forcing her from his mind and keeping his distance from her physically, even though she played a starring role in his nightly troubled dreams.
He replayed the scene in Niblo’s Garden when Richard tried to seduce Ginger. He had managed to undo her bodice before Ginger fought him off and Joseph had caught a momentary glimpse of her exposed bosom. The vision of her creamy swell of breast and that luscious pink nipple played in his head nightly as sleep overtook him. On the evenings when he could sleep. He spent many a restless night in the livery, bestowing extra attention on his horses as he relived the afternoon when she rescued him from the runaway buggy. Their close encounter had caused him to take advantage and kiss her. If not for his rigid self-control, he would have given in to his need to plunder her there and then.
His manhood had sprung to attention today the very second he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of Midnight’s stall. He did not need to look at her or to see her telltale reddish locks to know it was Ginger in the clothing of a young boy. His body knew the minute he put his hand on her.
With his head swimming, he pondered what to do next, and decided. He would leave New York immediately after the race, and head back to St. Louis. Once he got out of this privileged and cultured environment of New York City, which was totally foreign to him, and fell back into his hard routine of finding and breaking horses, sheer exhaustion would put Ginger forever out of his mind. At least that is what he had told himself every day since their kiss in the livery.
He grabbed a brush and began to groom Midnight to a sleek, coal-black sheen worthy of his name.
Chapter Fifteen
Later in the day, Ginger and Elizabeth, along with the Englishmen Cedric and Richard and the other guests, took their places on the wide expanse of carefully manicured lawn in front of the large estate house, in preparation for a game of hide-and-seek. In actuality, the game was an excuse for couples to steal away from the crowd for a few moments of pleasure out of the view of the mothers and other chaperones who were constantly in attendance.
Ginger knew she could not count on Elizabeth to run interference between her and Richard. Elizabeth and Cedric were among those couples who wanted to find a hidden spot where they
could kiss. And she knew Joseph would not leave Midnight alone in the stables until after the race. Even if he were free, she could not imagine him playing such a foolish game. So, it was up to her to defend herself against Richard’s unwanted advances. Fortunately, it was an overcast day, so she thought it wasn’t too unseemly of her to carry her parasol with her as she ran lightly over the grass with the others in search of a place to hide.
She ducked behind one of the large, squat boxwoods running along the side of a stone wall. Their pungent smell filled the air, reminding her of cat urine. Perhaps their odor would keep other people away. After all, it wasn’t nearly so romantic to crouch behind stinky boxwoods as it was to lie in a field of sweet-scented lavender.
She sat quite still and enjoyed hearing the whoops of laughter as one person after another was found, or tagged home. She had no desire to leave her spot and rejoin the game. Doing so would just mean she’d have to be the one to find the others, and she had no wish to intrude on intimate scenes like the one she knew Elizabeth and Cedric were having, maybe even at this very minute. She had to admit she was a bit jealous of Elizabeth. Cedric may not be the man she would have picked for her friend, but at least he hadn’t sent her away from him and told her to forget his existence! No, Cedric was more than willing to kiss and fondle Elizabeth. Ginger propped her head on the stone wall and closed her eyes, imagining being kissed and fondled by Joseph. Her lips parted as she thought of his mouth touching hers again.
“Aha, there you are, my little minx.”
Her eyes popped open as she recognized the cultured British accent. She had only a second to brace herself before Richard fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground.
“Get off of me, you big oaf,” she said as she pushed against him.
“Not this time, my love. I made sure the Frenchie is nowhere near us before I came to you. This time, you will be mine.” His hands moved over her breasts as she continued to struggle. “I must admit, even though your money is what I need, your body is what I lust after. It will be no hardship to be married to such a comely lass as yourself.”
He captured her mouth with his as one hand began to creep down her body.
Ginger wrapped her hand around her parasol and pushed its pointed tip into his ribs with all the force she could muster. At the same time, she bit into his lower lip.
Simultaneously, his mouth and his ribs exploded in pain as he doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Blood spurted over his fine white linen shirt.
“What have you done? I was just trying to have some fun.”
Ginger scrambled to her feet. “Yes, I know the kind of fun you have in mind, Mr. Douglas. Your form of seduction comes very close to rape. How do you think my father would react if I tell him what you’re trying to do? Do you think he’d open his arms, and his bank, to you and welcome you into the family? I’m sorry for your plight, but I won’t be your way out of your financial problems. Nor will my father, I’m sure. He did not have money handed to him, which is what you’re anticipating.”
Ginger’s eyes glimmered in anger as she continued. “Papa worked hard to get where he is today, and he expects each member of our family to work hard as well. So, you see, Mr. Douglas, you’d never fit into the Fitzpatrick household. You don’t know what an honest day’s labor is.”
A picture of Joseph and his family, working on their ranch, training and breaking horses, flashed through her mind. Joseph knows what an honest day’s labor is, though, she thought.
Richard tried once again to grab her in a last futile effort to overwhelm her. But, she had grown up with brothers and knew the best place to aim to do the most harm. She raised her knee and hit him squarely in his crotch. Richard crumpled to the ground, grabbing his inflamed testicles and moaning in agony.
Ginger chuckled. “Men. You’re all cry babies.”
She helped him get to his feet. She felt only a tiny bit sorry for inflicting such pain on him.
“If you can ever find a woman who considers herself lucky just to have you, and she can afford you, you can continue on with your dissolute lifestyle. But this is America, not England. People don’t mind working and getting their hands dirty, if that’s what’s needed to get ahead. That attitude enabled us Americans to beat the pants off you British during the Revolutionary War, and it’s why we’re here this weekend, celebrating our independence from louts such as yourself!
“Come on,” she said. “I’ll help you back to the house where you can take care of your nasty cut lip. And maybe get an ice pack to soothe the, ahem, other parts of your body that are hurting. And, if I were you, I’d come up with a really good story about how it happened. You don’t want everyone to know it was the result of a failed attempt at lovemaking.”
Richard leaned on her and Ginger laughed as they walked toward the house. On the way back, Ginger noticed he had pieces of boxwood hanging from the back of his suit. She playfully poked him with her parasol, in an attempt to free the clippings from the cloth. When the parasol failed to dislodge them, she brushed his back to clear all signs of debris. Soon they were laughing together, as Richard returned the favor and picked some boxwood clippings from her hair. Ginger was almost sorry for Richard and his attempts to land an heiress. It must be a horrible position to be in, to either marry for money or be forever dependent on the benevolence of an older brother.
• • •
William Davenport had been attempting to feed Joseph’s horse moldy hay, in the hopes of making the horse sick, when Joseph crept up behind him. William swore the man appeared from nowhere — he hadn’t noticed his moccasined entrance. Joseph said nothing, he simply emptied the crib of the bad hay and glared at William.
Foiled in his attempt to put Midnight off his game tomorrow, William backed away from Joseph and then barreled out of the stable. He ran straight into Ginger and Richard, nearly knocking Ginger off her feet. His stormy eyes took in the scene, and already angry, he turned a malicious gaze toward Richard.
“So, have you finally succeeded in compromising Miss Fitzpatrick, eh, Douglas? When you first boasted several weeks ago that you would be the one to take her, I thought she’d see through you. Yet, here you are, still in my way. And from the looks of it, you two have been rolling around in the grass.”
“Officer Davenport, please! Mr. Douglas has not compromised me. How dare you even think such a thing?”
“Unlike you, William, I don’t need to compromise Miss Fitzpatrick in order to win her hand. I don’t see a whole lot of competition here,” Richard taunted.
William bristled. “That’s it, man. I’ve taken one too many of your fancy English slurs. Put up your hands and let’s fight like men.”
The two men circled each other, fists raised. They bobbed and weaved, each gauging the other, yet neither took a punch. Ginger thought it was more posturing than anything. And, if they were trying to impress her, they needn’t bother. Shaking her head in exasperation, she stepped between them and raised her own hands, just as William let go an upper right, aimed at Richard’s jaw. Richard ducked out of the way, and the blow landed on Ginger’s shoulder, knocking her off her feet. Richard gasped as Ginger fell to the ground, absorbing the blow meant for him.
When William struck Ginger and she fell, Joseph rushed at them, fists clenched. He was at her side in a heartbeat, and helped her to her feet.
“Are you hurt? Is your shoulder all right?” Joseph asked.
“I’m so sorry,” Richard said.
“It wasn’t your fault, Richard,” Ginger replied. “I’m fine. It was not much of a punch.”
Richard and Joseph both turned on William.
“Such gentlemanly behavior, Officer Davenport. I’m sure Miss Fitzpatrick will be enamored with you now, if she wasn’t before,” Richard said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Miss Fitzpatrick, I do apologize. It was never my intent to hit you, only the cowardly Richard Douglas, who was hiding behind your skirts. However can I make amends?”
Ginger
dusted herself off, and rolled her shoulder to assess the damage. Satisfied it had been just a glancing blow, she replied, “You can make amends by ceasing this childish behavior. I am more than capable of watching out for my own virtue. I don’t need either of you to do it for me. Please stop this foolishness.”
“We are not just fighting to protect your virtue, Miss Fitzpatrick,” William replied. “We are in a battle for your hand.”
“Well, then, by all means stop. My hand is not yours for the taking. I do not have romantic feelings for either one of you.” She stole a quick glance at Joseph.
The duelists stopped in their tracks and looked at her in disbelief.
William coughed out a laugh. “You’re full of fine talk now, but after I win the horserace in the morning, and have women swarming all over me, you’ll change your mind. You will want me then. And despite your words today, I will still welcome your attention tomorrow.”
Ginger looked at the West Point officer and raised an eyebrow. “I hardly think it will sway my opinion. I couldn’t care less who wins a stupid and ill-advised horserace. But if you want to believe the outcome of the race will change my stance, go ahead.”
She turned to Joseph. “I’m unhurt, so please return to Midnight’s side. I know you’re concerned about his safety. Thank you for your efforts. Mr. Douglas will accompany me to the house.”
Joseph silently walked back to the stables as William glared after him. Then William puffed himself up, and followed Richard and Ginger to the house.
In a voice filled with indignation, he spoke to their backs, “All right, Miss Fitzpatrick. I can wait until tomorrow to claim you as my prize.”
Becky Lower Page 9
