responded with a grin.
âWell, then, I must be off. Good luck, young man . . . and enjoy yourself at Sherbourne Court!â
Nicolas stared thoughtfully at the mahogany door long after Roxbury had closed it behind him. It seemed he had a legitimate reason for leaving the city after allâhe could certainly put aside any feeling that he was running away from London. He would still be leaving for the environs of Kent on the morrow, but now there was an urgency about his trip that hadnât been there previously. The sooner he reached Sherbourne Court, the sooner he could start discovering Roxburyâs spy. The excitement of the chase suddenly rose up within him, and with a dangerous smile on his hard lips, he bounded up the stairs.
And so it was that as Tess Mandeville rode furiously through the dark night toward London, Nicolas Talmage was planning shortly to be riding away from that same city. Inevitably, their paths crossed.
Chapter Four
T ess wasnât having an easy time of it, although in the beginning things seemed to be going just as they should. With her heart banging painfully in her chest, starting and jumping at every small sound, she had managed to saddle her favorite mount, a swift chestnut gelding with a small white star and a white hind foot named Fireball, and lead him from the stables. Mounting quickly, she took one last uncertain glance over her shoulder at the ominously quiet house. Then she dug her heels into Fireballâs sleek sides and away they had flown, swallowed up in seconds by the darkness of the night.
As they careened wildly down the narrow country lanes, her heart didnât stop its mad thumping and her death grip on the reins didnât lessen until they had put several miles between themselves and Mandeville. But even then she continued to urge Fireball forward. Reaching her uncles in London was the most important thing at the moment. Once she was safely in their care, the unpleasant situation facing her aunts could be resolved. She had to reach London quickly, not only for herself but for Aunt Meg and Hetty, too....
Aware that she must avoid the main roads where Avery might search for her, she had to forsake speed for concealment. She kept Fireball at a fairly swift pace, but as they switched from one narrow path to another, always heading in the direction of London, their progress was necessarily slower than she would have liked. The weather was not helpful, eitherâsince she and Hetty had returned to Mandeville Manor that afternoon, a storm had moved in and Tess now had to contend not only with a smothering blackness, but with a driving rain as well. The only light that pierced the darkness was the occasional silver flash of lightning that snaked across the starless sky. It was not the sort of evening she would have chosen for a midnight ride.
Normally Tess considered herself a fairly confident and self-assured young woman, able to command any situation with which she was confronted, but this eveningâs disturbing events had badly shaken her. Raised as a proper young lady of good family, she had seldom been entirely alone. Always there had been a relative or a servant somewhere within call. As she rode down another overgrown lane, her isolation from everything she had ever known suddenly hit her.
With every mile she traveled, the fury of the storm increased, and gusty winds tore at her sodden habit and cloak. Fireball behaved badly, snorting and shying every time lightning flashed or thunder boomed in its wake. Doggedly Tess pushed onward, hoping during the illuminating streaks of lightning to catch sight of a barn or hay shed in which to seek temporary shelter.
Amid the noise and frenzy of the elements, she never heard the sounds of pursuit. When the darkly garbed figure suddenly rose up in front of Fireball, both Tess and the horse screamed in terror, and the gelding reared. Tess clung to Fireballâs back, her fingers tearing at the reins that the
âWell, then, I must be off. Good luck, young man . . . and enjoy yourself at Sherbourne Court!â
Nicolas stared thoughtfully at the mahogany door long after Roxbury had closed it behind him. It seemed he had a legitimate reason for leaving the city after allâhe could certainly put aside any feeling that he was running away from London. He would still be leaving for the environs of Kent on the morrow, but now there was an urgency about his trip that hadnât been there previously. The sooner he reached Sherbourne Court, the sooner he could start discovering Roxburyâs spy. The excitement of the chase suddenly rose up within him, and with a dangerous smile on his hard lips, he bounded up the stairs.
And so it was that as Tess Mandeville rode furiously through the dark night toward London, Nicolas Talmage was planning shortly to be riding away from that same city. Inevitably, their paths crossed.
Chapter Four
T ess wasnât having an easy time of it, although in the beginning things seemed to be going just as they should. With her heart banging painfully in her chest, starting and jumping at every small sound, she had managed to saddle her favorite mount, a swift chestnut gelding with a small white star and a white hind foot named Fireball, and lead him from the stables. Mounting quickly, she took one last uncertain glance over her shoulder at the ominously quiet house. Then she dug her heels into Fireballâs sleek sides and away they had flown, swallowed up in seconds by the darkness of the night.
As they careened wildly down the narrow country lanes, her heart didnât stop its mad thumping and her death grip on the reins didnât lessen until they had put several miles between themselves and Mandeville. But even then she continued to urge Fireball forward. Reaching her uncles in London was the most important thing at the moment. Once she was safely in their care, the unpleasant situation facing her aunts could be resolved. She had to reach London quickly, not only for herself but for Aunt Meg and Hetty, too....
Aware that she must avoid the main roads where Avery might search for her, she had to forsake speed for concealment. She kept Fireball at a fairly swift pace, but as they switched from one narrow path to another, always heading in the direction of London, their progress was necessarily slower than she would have liked. The weather was not helpful, eitherâsince she and Hetty had returned to Mandeville Manor that afternoon, a storm had moved in and Tess now had to contend not only with a smothering blackness, but with a driving rain as well. The only light that pierced the darkness was the occasional silver flash of lightning that snaked across the starless sky. It was not the sort of evening she would have chosen for a midnight ride.
Normally Tess considered herself a fairly confident and self-assured young woman, able to command any situation with which she was confronted, but this eveningâs disturbing events had badly shaken her. Raised as a proper young lady of good family, she had seldom been entirely alone. Always there had been a relative or a servant somewhere within call. As she rode down another overgrown lane, her isolation from everything she had ever known suddenly hit her.
With every mile she traveled, the fury of the storm increased, and gusty winds tore at her sodden habit and cloak. Fireball behaved badly, snorting and shying every time lightning flashed or thunder boomed in its wake. Doggedly Tess pushed onward, hoping during the illuminating streaks of lightning to catch sight of a barn or hay shed in which to seek temporary shelter.
Amid the noise and frenzy of the elements, she never heard the sounds of pursuit. When the darkly garbed figure suddenly rose up in front of Fireball, both Tess and the horse screamed in terror, and the gelding reared. Tess clung to Fireballâs back, her fingers tearing at the reins that the
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