Read Online Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Laura Kinsale
Ads: Link
wind flutter the silk of her parasol and trying desperately to think of topics of conversation. It was a new and imposing problem. With her gift and her small circle of family and close friends, subjects of mutual interest had always been easy to find. Several came to mind now on which she might have spoken quite knowledgeably, such as the weather and the horses and the price of wool, but none seemed to hold out much hope of amusing the Devil Earl.
When at length she hit upon a topic, she was so relieved to break the silence that her question came out with an excess of enthusiasm. "Will you tell me about Iveragh, my lord?" She caught her breath, furious with the way her voice quavered upward. "What it's like, I mean," she added, which only made her sound worse, as if she'd thought he was too stupid to understand the first time.
He glanced at her. "Iveragh." His mouth twisted into something like a smile. "Not yet, I think. I wouldn't want you to break our engagement before we put the contract in writing."
Roddy peeked at him, looking hopefully for a sign that he was joking.
He tilted his head and raised one eyebrow. "Tell me about yourself instead."
"There's little to tell about me," she said apologetically. "I've never been to London."
"Ah." He nodded, gravely enough, but she suspected humor in the odd set of his jaw. "We shall remedy that, if you like. But it's you and not London that interests me. What do you do with yourself, when you aren't dressed up in breeches and battling grooms?"
Roddy bit her lip. "I suppose I shall never live that down."
"No, I don't suppose you ever shall." He grinned at her, an expression so unexpected that it seemed to go straight to her heart and make it thump madly. "You've a damned graceful way of unmanning an opponent. You can rest assured I'll remember it to my grave."
She shrugged, to cover her agitation. "One is obliged to learn self-defense, with four older brothers."
His rich laughter wound around her thudding heart and seemed to squeeze it even harder. "Good God, I hope you never tried that trick on them." He rolled his eyes heavenward in mock terror. "I'll take care around you, my dear. I hope you haven't a short temper."
"Not really. Only—I dislike to see animals abused."
"I see." He glanced at her again, with laughter still warming his deep blue eyes. "Tell me about your father's stable."
The question was as surprising as it was welcome. Under the steady encouragement of his smiling interest, she found herself launched on an enthusiastic description of her father's training methods and breeding techniques. It must have been an hour, but it seemed only a few minutes later when she glanced up at the horizon and caught her breath.
"There it is," she cried, and pointed with her parasol as the phaeton bowled out of a steep chasm and onto a rise.
The horses clattered to a stop. They had been on an indifferent road, surrounded on all sides by nothing but sky and sheep and the gray-green bleakness of the moors.
"The sea," Faelan said.
It had appeared as if by sorcery. A moment before it had seemed that the moors would go on forever in their brooding beauty, but now sea gulls mewed in the cloudless sky, and a sapphire horizon stretched away beyond the sheer cliffs. On a headland in the distance, the crumbling skeleton of a medieval abbey crowned the scene. They sat in silence for a full minute, and then he said simply, "I like your surprises."
To her profound annoyance, Roddy found herself blushing again.
"Does the road go past the ruin?" he asked, when she did not respond.
"Yes. In another mile or so."
"Good. We can stop there to eat." He urged the horses forward. "Are you hungry?"
"Well—" Roddy hardly knew what to say. Surely he didn't think there would be food available at the deserted abbey?
"Well, what?" he mocked, smiling at her hesitation. "Look in the hamper, then, and see if there's aught to be tempting you. It's under the seat."
By the time they reached
When at length she hit upon a topic, she was so relieved to break the silence that her question came out with an excess of enthusiasm. "Will you tell me about Iveragh, my lord?" She caught her breath, furious with the way her voice quavered upward. "What it's like, I mean," she added, which only made her sound worse, as if she'd thought he was too stupid to understand the first time.
He glanced at her. "Iveragh." His mouth twisted into something like a smile. "Not yet, I think. I wouldn't want you to break our engagement before we put the contract in writing."
Roddy peeked at him, looking hopefully for a sign that he was joking.
He tilted his head and raised one eyebrow. "Tell me about yourself instead."
"There's little to tell about me," she said apologetically. "I've never been to London."
"Ah." He nodded, gravely enough, but she suspected humor in the odd set of his jaw. "We shall remedy that, if you like. But it's you and not London that interests me. What do you do with yourself, when you aren't dressed up in breeches and battling grooms?"
Roddy bit her lip. "I suppose I shall never live that down."
"No, I don't suppose you ever shall." He grinned at her, an expression so unexpected that it seemed to go straight to her heart and make it thump madly. "You've a damned graceful way of unmanning an opponent. You can rest assured I'll remember it to my grave."
She shrugged, to cover her agitation. "One is obliged to learn self-defense, with four older brothers."
His rich laughter wound around her thudding heart and seemed to squeeze it even harder. "Good God, I hope you never tried that trick on them." He rolled his eyes heavenward in mock terror. "I'll take care around you, my dear. I hope you haven't a short temper."
"Not really. Only—I dislike to see animals abused."
"I see." He glanced at her again, with laughter still warming his deep blue eyes. "Tell me about your father's stable."
The question was as surprising as it was welcome. Under the steady encouragement of his smiling interest, she found herself launched on an enthusiastic description of her father's training methods and breeding techniques. It must have been an hour, but it seemed only a few minutes later when she glanced up at the horizon and caught her breath.
"There it is," she cried, and pointed with her parasol as the phaeton bowled out of a steep chasm and onto a rise.
The horses clattered to a stop. They had been on an indifferent road, surrounded on all sides by nothing but sky and sheep and the gray-green bleakness of the moors.
"The sea," Faelan said.
It had appeared as if by sorcery. A moment before it had seemed that the moors would go on forever in their brooding beauty, but now sea gulls mewed in the cloudless sky, and a sapphire horizon stretched away beyond the sheer cliffs. On a headland in the distance, the crumbling skeleton of a medieval abbey crowned the scene. They sat in silence for a full minute, and then he said simply, "I like your surprises."
To her profound annoyance, Roddy found herself blushing again.
"Does the road go past the ruin?" he asked, when she did not respond.
"Yes. In another mile or so."
"Good. We can stop there to eat." He urged the horses forward. "Are you hungry?"
"Well—" Roddy hardly knew what to say. Surely he didn't think there would be food available at the deserted abbey?
"Well, what?" he mocked, smiling at her hesitation. "Look in the hamper, then, and see if there's aught to be tempting you. It's under the seat."
By the time they reached
Similar Books
