Read Online Invitation to Scandal by Bronwen Evans - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bronwen Evans
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port and cigars, Rufus moved across to the baron. “Please pass on my sympathies to your sister, Lord de Winter. I had the pleasure of making her acquaintance.”
He watched a frown play across the young man’s face. “Did you? She did not mention it.”
“The meeting was not of significance. She merely pointed me in the direction of Hastingleigh.” A small lie but far better than the truth.
“Was she out riding Desert Rose, one of her Arabian mares? I’m surprised she did not pester you into borrowing your fine stallion. Caesar’s a legend—Godolphin Arabian stock. She has dreams of breeding Anglo-Arabian horses for the cavalry.”
Rufus’s mood darkened. Light flashed in his brain. Mares? So, it was Caesar she had been taken with. He thought she’d been afraid of his steed, but she’d been assessing his horse’s character. His pride stung. It wasn’t often he had to compete with his stallion for a lady’s attentions.
“Breeding horses? She sounds a remarkable young woman.” Rufus did not have the heart to tell Daniel he had found her running around the countryside with illegal contraband, dressed as a gypsy. Nor that he had kissed her senseless, taken liberties with her person, and wanted more.
Much more.
Lord Hale joined the conversation. “She is quite right of course. They would make fine cavalry horses, and with the war, we need as many horses as we can get.” He turned to address Rufus. “Speaking of excellent horse flesh, by Jove, for such an expensive steed, you are remarkably unconcerned with his care. Why is he not in the stable? Ted has turned him loose in the back paddock.”
Rufus knew his smile did not reach his eyes, and he felt his jaw tighten. “At this time of year I was concerned you may have had mares in your stable. If they were in heat it could cause quite a mess.”
Lord Hale gave a jolly laugh. “I never keep the mares stabled over summer for that very reason. No, they are at the other end of my estate, well away from the stable and any stallions I may corral in the back paddock. The stable contains only two geldings, no threat to your prize stallion.”
The muscles across Rufus’s shoulders tightened. Annoyance coursed through his body, quickly followed by anger. “Are you sure? I could have sworn someone told me the stables contained mares.” The head groomsman had told him so.
Lord Hale frowned. “I hope not. Ted, my head groom, is too experienced to make that mistake, especially when I was due to have guests arriving.” Lord Hale paused for a moment. “Yes, I am sure Ted knew not to house any mares, because I’d informed him you were bringing Caesar.”
Like the mechanism of his expensive pocket watch, Rufus’s mind silently ticked. What was going on? Ted had definitely told him there were mares in the stable.
Still, Rufus gave him the benefit of the doubt. “Perhaps Ted thought Miss Kerrich’s carriage might be pulled by her mares.”
The baron laughed. “Yes, that is quite likely knowing my sister. She’d love any excuse to get her mares within close proximity to Caesar and let nature take its course. Her mares are in heat.”
The cogs in his brain came to a grinding halt. He could not believe she would be that audacious. The conniving little. . . he could not think of words bad enough to do her justice. Sick? He would bet his life she wasn’t sick. She had planned this evening almost as well as Wellington planned his frontal assaults against Napoleon.
He knew exactly where Miss Rheda Kerrich was, and it was not on her sickbed. He would wager his whole estate she was in the paddock with Caesar and her two mares. Stealing what rightly belonged to him—Caesar’s lineage.
The room was suddenly too hot. Hell, he was not about to let some hoyden make a fool of him. Besides, if he could catch her thieving, he would have leverage. She would have to tell him about the barrel. And more ...
He tugged at his cuffs. Stephen, watching from across the
He watched a frown play across the young man’s face. “Did you? She did not mention it.”
“The meeting was not of significance. She merely pointed me in the direction of Hastingleigh.” A small lie but far better than the truth.
“Was she out riding Desert Rose, one of her Arabian mares? I’m surprised she did not pester you into borrowing your fine stallion. Caesar’s a legend—Godolphin Arabian stock. She has dreams of breeding Anglo-Arabian horses for the cavalry.”
Rufus’s mood darkened. Light flashed in his brain. Mares? So, it was Caesar she had been taken with. He thought she’d been afraid of his steed, but she’d been assessing his horse’s character. His pride stung. It wasn’t often he had to compete with his stallion for a lady’s attentions.
“Breeding horses? She sounds a remarkable young woman.” Rufus did not have the heart to tell Daniel he had found her running around the countryside with illegal contraband, dressed as a gypsy. Nor that he had kissed her senseless, taken liberties with her person, and wanted more.
Much more.
Lord Hale joined the conversation. “She is quite right of course. They would make fine cavalry horses, and with the war, we need as many horses as we can get.” He turned to address Rufus. “Speaking of excellent horse flesh, by Jove, for such an expensive steed, you are remarkably unconcerned with his care. Why is he not in the stable? Ted has turned him loose in the back paddock.”
Rufus knew his smile did not reach his eyes, and he felt his jaw tighten. “At this time of year I was concerned you may have had mares in your stable. If they were in heat it could cause quite a mess.”
Lord Hale gave a jolly laugh. “I never keep the mares stabled over summer for that very reason. No, they are at the other end of my estate, well away from the stable and any stallions I may corral in the back paddock. The stable contains only two geldings, no threat to your prize stallion.”
The muscles across Rufus’s shoulders tightened. Annoyance coursed through his body, quickly followed by anger. “Are you sure? I could have sworn someone told me the stables contained mares.” The head groomsman had told him so.
Lord Hale frowned. “I hope not. Ted, my head groom, is too experienced to make that mistake, especially when I was due to have guests arriving.” Lord Hale paused for a moment. “Yes, I am sure Ted knew not to house any mares, because I’d informed him you were bringing Caesar.”
Like the mechanism of his expensive pocket watch, Rufus’s mind silently ticked. What was going on? Ted had definitely told him there were mares in the stable.
Still, Rufus gave him the benefit of the doubt. “Perhaps Ted thought Miss Kerrich’s carriage might be pulled by her mares.”
The baron laughed. “Yes, that is quite likely knowing my sister. She’d love any excuse to get her mares within close proximity to Caesar and let nature take its course. Her mares are in heat.”
The cogs in his brain came to a grinding halt. He could not believe she would be that audacious. The conniving little. . . he could not think of words bad enough to do her justice. Sick? He would bet his life she wasn’t sick. She had planned this evening almost as well as Wellington planned his frontal assaults against Napoleon.
He knew exactly where Miss Rheda Kerrich was, and it was not on her sickbed. He would wager his whole estate she was in the paddock with Caesar and her two mares. Stealing what rightly belonged to him—Caesar’s lineage.
The room was suddenly too hot. Hell, he was not about to let some hoyden make a fool of him. Besides, if he could catch her thieving, he would have leverage. She would have to tell him about the barrel. And more ...
He tugged at his cuffs. Stephen, watching from across the
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