you . . .”
“This big, bad horse doctor thinks it’s getting late.”
“He doesn’t want to pull the chaise. Look at him. He’s sulking, Mr. Lord.”
“He’s not sulking.”
“Well, what do you call it then? Look at his face. He’s sulking . I told you this was a foolish idea.”
“Have you a better one?”
“Well no, but . . . “
“Then stop delaying and let’s get him harnessed. Unless, of course, you don’t really wish to reach Norfolk before the decade is out . . .”
“Mr. Lord, you are the most irritatingly practical man I have ever met!”
“And you, my lady, are the slowest moving fugitive I have yet to encounter. Now harness the horse while I hold his head.”
“ Me , harness a horse? I haven’t the faintest idea how to harness a horse. Even on those rare instances when I did any driving, a servant always did it. I’ll hold his head and you harness him.”
“No, you harness him and I’ll hold his head.”
“You’re giving orders again, Mr. Lord.”
“Indeed I am. Here.”
“I don’t like it when you give orders. I’m running this adventure!”
“No you’re not, you’re financing it. Now harness the horse and let’s get this escapade underway.”
She had no time to protest further before he was thrusting the tack at her. Their fingers accidentally touched, and the heavy mass of leather fell to the ground with a thud.
Simultaneously, they both bent to pick it up. Brows rapping painfully, they jumped back and away from each other, he letting loose with a curse and she coming up with the harness.
“Sorry,” she said, blushing.
“No, no, ‘tis my fault. Are you all right?”
“Of course I’m all right, I have a very hard skull. Father used to tell me that all the time, you know—”
“And no doubt, he was correct,” he said, ignoring the sudden burst of angry color across her cheeks. “And I see that you have consented to harness the animal after all. They say that patience is a virtue, but I far prefer obedience. Especially when it comes to dealing with spoiled young noblewomen.”
“ Spoiled? ” she retorted, drawing herself up to her full height. “You’ll watch what you say to me, sir! And I’ll tell you right now that I prefer my servants to display a reasonable amount of respect. Had I known you were such a boor I would never have hired you!”
“I am not a boar, I’m a man. Boars have tusks.”
“What?”
He plucked the breastpiece and neck strap from her suddenly nerveless hand, shook it out, and directing her to put it over Shareb’s head, grinned innocently at her. “So, for that matter, do walruses.”
“You are unforgivably impossible! Stop teasing me!”
“Am I?”
“You are, and I order you to stop it!”
“And I order you to put that harness on that horse under my tutelage, or I shall go back inside, have my breakfast, and allow you to figure it out by yourself.”
They faced each other, she holding the leather straps and glaring angrily at him, he merely looking at her with little crinkle-lines of amusement fanning out at the corners of his eyes and the side of his mouth turning up in a lopsided, boyish smile that did dangerous things to her heart.
And Shareb-er-rehh—pricking his ears, arching his neck, and sniffing curiously at the strange leather in her hands—was no help at all.
Sputtering and fuming, Lady Ariadne St. Aubyn began to harness her horse.
# # #
“Really, Tristan . . . I expected more from you than miserable excuses.”
He gripped the edge of the table, hard, and leaned forward over his white knuckles. “They are not excuses, milord—”
“Sit down, Tristan.”
“But you must believe me!”
“I said, sit down.”
Sweating and terrified, he obeyed.
Clive sat regarding him calmly, one dark, hypnotic eye fixed unblinkingly on his face, the other, blinded long ago and now an eerie milky blue, making him want to shudder. A signet ring glowed dully on one long finger, every hair was in
“This big, bad horse doctor thinks it’s getting late.”
“He doesn’t want to pull the chaise. Look at him. He’s sulking, Mr. Lord.”
“He’s not sulking.”
“Well, what do you call it then? Look at his face. He’s sulking . I told you this was a foolish idea.”
“Have you a better one?”
“Well no, but . . . “
“Then stop delaying and let’s get him harnessed. Unless, of course, you don’t really wish to reach Norfolk before the decade is out . . .”
“Mr. Lord, you are the most irritatingly practical man I have ever met!”
“And you, my lady, are the slowest moving fugitive I have yet to encounter. Now harness the horse while I hold his head.”
“ Me , harness a horse? I haven’t the faintest idea how to harness a horse. Even on those rare instances when I did any driving, a servant always did it. I’ll hold his head and you harness him.”
“No, you harness him and I’ll hold his head.”
“You’re giving orders again, Mr. Lord.”
“Indeed I am. Here.”
“I don’t like it when you give orders. I’m running this adventure!”
“No you’re not, you’re financing it. Now harness the horse and let’s get this escapade underway.”
She had no time to protest further before he was thrusting the tack at her. Their fingers accidentally touched, and the heavy mass of leather fell to the ground with a thud.
Simultaneously, they both bent to pick it up. Brows rapping painfully, they jumped back and away from each other, he letting loose with a curse and she coming up with the harness.
“Sorry,” she said, blushing.
“No, no, ‘tis my fault. Are you all right?”
“Of course I’m all right, I have a very hard skull. Father used to tell me that all the time, you know—”
“And no doubt, he was correct,” he said, ignoring the sudden burst of angry color across her cheeks. “And I see that you have consented to harness the animal after all. They say that patience is a virtue, but I far prefer obedience. Especially when it comes to dealing with spoiled young noblewomen.”
“ Spoiled? ” she retorted, drawing herself up to her full height. “You’ll watch what you say to me, sir! And I’ll tell you right now that I prefer my servants to display a reasonable amount of respect. Had I known you were such a boor I would never have hired you!”
“I am not a boar, I’m a man. Boars have tusks.”
“What?”
He plucked the breastpiece and neck strap from her suddenly nerveless hand, shook it out, and directing her to put it over Shareb’s head, grinned innocently at her. “So, for that matter, do walruses.”
“You are unforgivably impossible! Stop teasing me!”
“Am I?”
“You are, and I order you to stop it!”
“And I order you to put that harness on that horse under my tutelage, or I shall go back inside, have my breakfast, and allow you to figure it out by yourself.”
They faced each other, she holding the leather straps and glaring angrily at him, he merely looking at her with little crinkle-lines of amusement fanning out at the corners of his eyes and the side of his mouth turning up in a lopsided, boyish smile that did dangerous things to her heart.
And Shareb-er-rehh—pricking his ears, arching his neck, and sniffing curiously at the strange leather in her hands—was no help at all.
Sputtering and fuming, Lady Ariadne St. Aubyn began to harness her horse.
# # #
“Really, Tristan . . . I expected more from you than miserable excuses.”
He gripped the edge of the table, hard, and leaned forward over his white knuckles. “They are not excuses, milord—”
“Sit down, Tristan.”
“But you must believe me!”
“I said, sit down.”
Sweating and terrified, he obeyed.
Clive sat regarding him calmly, one dark, hypnotic eye fixed unblinkingly on his face, the other, blinded long ago and now an eerie milky blue, making him want to shudder. A signet ring glowed dully on one long finger, every hair was in
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