A Season of Romance Page 11

  Daniel harboured no feelings of that nature towards his cousin, and was at a loss to explain why his ardour deflated when he realised it was not her spread beneath him. He was unable to complete the act; another grievance to place at Adela’s door. The doxy still charged him for her questionable services, even though he blamed her for his inability to perform. Even now he could hear her laughter ringing inside his head as she told him he had nothing to be ashamed of. It happened to a lot of men, she said. But damn it, not to him it didn’t! A man had his pride. She shouldn’t have insulted him. Then he wouldn’t have felt obliged to give her a well-deserved slap and snatch his money back.

  Daniel forced himself to think about the here and now. He had seen Bairstow a little earlier, riding a magnificent stallion. He recognised both the arrogance of the man and the quality of his horse. He worried briefly that he had been seen when Bairstow stared intently at the bush behind which he had concealed himself. But he rode on without coming to investigate.

  ‘A close shave,’ he muttered, thinking how embarrassing it would have been if he had been required to explain himself.

  As his heart rate returned to a more regular level and his hands became steadier, he conceded that Bairstow would hardly be out and about unless he had arranged to meet Adela. Fury gripped him. How dare she rebuff her own cousin yet play the little whore with a man she barely knew! He gripped the pistol in his pocket, sorely tempted to aim his shot at her treacherous heart.

  He heard them approaching and common sense prevailed. He had too much riding on the outcome to allow petty jealousies to guide his actions.

  The group galloped the length of the gravel drive and slowed just before Daniel’s hiding place. He steadied the pistol in his hand and fired over their heads.

  He watched the mayhem for seconds, then turned and ran before Bairstow’s man could catch him.

  Chapter Eight

  ‘After him!’ Ezra yelled.

  Harker took off in pursuit of the gunman while Ezra pushed Legacy into a controlled gallop. Already spooked by the gunshot but less flighty than Willow, his horse demonstrated a turn of speed that enabled them to gain ground on the Arabian. Adela was still in the saddle, but Ezra could see that the reins had snapped. Willow must have taken her by surprise when she bolted and snatched them from her hands. If they had been dangling beneath her galloping hooves, it would explain how they came to break. As a consequence, Adela had absolutely no control of the skittish mare, who was now heading full tilt towards the lake. Adela could do nothing other than hope that the mare would run out of steam before she reached it. She must be terrified but had at least managed to retain her seat.

  So far at least.

  Ezra pushed Legacy harder, and the stallion lengthened his stride. They drew level with Willow, whose eyes rolled back in her head as she continued her headlong flight, foaming at the mouth, ears flattened. Terrified. If Ezra didn’t stop her, the mare wouldn’t be able to pull up when she reached the water. Horses could swim, but Ezra had no idea if Adela could, and would prefer not to find out.

  He leaned from his saddle, conscious of Legacy’s galloping hooves cutting up the ground beneath them. If he fell, they would tear him to ribbons, but his own safety seemed irrelevant. He reached forward and managed to grasp the dangling end of a broken rein, simultaneously sitting up in his saddle and encouraging Legacy to slow his pace by pushing his weight onto his quarters. He pulled sharply at Willow’s rein so that she was obliged to turn her head in his direction. Still seriously spooked, she fought against him, but Ezra clung on. The battle of wills caused the mare to tire and gradually slow her stride to match Legacy’s, who had obeyed Ezra’s command and fallen back into a canter. Now a trot.

  ‘Hold on!’ he yelled.

  ‘’I was,’ Adela replied with commendable calm. She had done the right thing by remaining completely still in the saddle, hoping that Willow would slow of her own accord. But he could see that her limbs were trembling and her face had turned deathly pale.

  Several other early riders had gathered to watch the drama unfold and Ezra accepted that he would be recognised. No doubt word would spread through White’s about his early morning assignation and the odds on his proposing to Lady Adela would shorten exponentially.

  He managed to slow both horses to a walk. They were both breathing hard and Willow was trembling. He turned the two horses away from his audience and took a quieter path along the side of the lake. Adela leaned forward, talking in a soothing voice to Willow as she patted her sweating neck. It didn’t surprise Ezra that her first thought was the for the horse’s welfare when she herself had just escaped a ducking, or worse, through sheer luck.

  Once assured of relatively privacy, Ezra slipped from his own saddle and reached up to lift Adela from hers. He placed his hands on her slender waist and lowered her gently to the ground.

  ‘Are you all right?’ he asked, leading both horses with one hand and supporting her elbow with the other. ‘Stupid question. Of course you are not. You’ve had quite a scare.’

  ‘I’m just a little shaken. That was magnificent horsemanship on your part, by the way. Thank you for saving me. There was nothing I could do, you see. Not without reins.’ She looked up at him through huge eyes rendered luminous with shock. Her bonnet had slipped over one ear and most of her hair had escaped its pins. ‘What happened?’

  He indicated a nearby bench and they both sat, at which point Harker rejoined them, shaking his head.

  ‘He got away,’ he said, grinding his teeth. ‘Slipped out the gate before I could get to him. Couldn’t chase him down a public street. Besides, thought I might be needed here.’

  ‘Did you get a look at him?’ Ezra asked.

  ‘Nah, sorry. Just a back view of a man of ordinary height, wearing dark clothes and a top hat. Could have been anyone.’

  ‘Blast!’ Ezra said softly.

  ‘Sorry, guv’nor. I did try.’

  ‘Someone shot at us,’ Adela said, blinking up at Ezra as though slowly emerging from a fug. ‘But who was the target, Lord Bairstow? You or me?’

  ‘Walk the horses and cool them down, Harker,’ Ezra said. ‘Lady Adela needs a moment to recover her composure.’

  Harker nodded and led all three mounts away.

  ‘We appear to be making a habit of clandestine meetings in the park, Lord Bairstow. Be careful, or people will talk.’

  ‘It’s Ezra.’ He took her gloved hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, admiring her ability to make jokes so soon after surviving such a terrifying experience. ‘And what people say about me won’t cause me to lose any sleep.’

  ‘I dare say you are accustomed to it.’

  ‘I am more concerned about your reputation, to say nothing of your wellbeing. You could have been killed just now. A lesser horsewoman very likely would have been. And it would have been all my fault.’

  ‘Stop being so melodramatic, Lord Bair…Ezra. Someone deliberately shot at us, there’s no denying that, but you could easily have been the intended target. Indeed, you were riding closest to the assassin’s hiding place, so it seems likely that you were.’ She sent him an amused look. ‘How many disgruntled husbands are out for your hide this week?’

  Ezra shook his head at her. ‘You have completely the wrong idea about me.’

  ‘Oh, how disappointing. I have always wanted to meet a rake. They sound outrageously fascinating. Anyway, about what just happened, I think whoever shot at us meant it as a warning of some sort.’

  Ezra sent her an appraising look. ‘A warning?’

  ‘Certainly. Think about it, he wasn’t hidden very far from us, and we had just obligingly slowed to a pace that gave him plenty of time to adjust his aim. Besides, if you will excuse me for saying so, you make a larger target than I do. He must be a very inept shot to have missed you at such close range, implying that either you were not the target after all, or he just intended to frighten us.’

  ‘You are supposed to be swooning with shock, not mak
ing intelligent observations,’ Ezra replied, aware that she was right. In his concern for her welfare, he had not already reached that same conclusion himself, which he otherwise would have. ‘Or there again, perhaps he thought it safer to spook the horses and let them finish the job.’

  ‘If so, he cannot have been very determined, since his plan left too much to chance and failed miserably.’ She touched her face, and then her skewed hat. ‘Do I look a frightful mess?’

  ‘Not to me,’ he said softly and without having to think about it.

  ‘Very gallant, but hardly practical. I don’t want word of this to reach Mama’s ears. She suffers with her nerves quite enough as it is, and if she thought I’d been in danger it would upset her badly. If I arrive home looking as though I have been dragged through a bush, the servants will talk and she will demand to know what happened. Here.’

  She removed the hatpin that had failed to keep her headgear properly in place and tore the offending article from her head. He took it from her and attempted to straighten the wilted plume. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders in a tangle of unruly curls. She dragged the few remaining pins from it and screwed it into an untidy bun. She then stabbed it in place with what pins she had left and covered the disaster with her hat, which she snatched from his lap.

  ‘Ouch!’ she said, presumably because she had thrust the hatpin into it too forcefully and stabbed her scalp. ‘There. Will I pass muster?’

  Ezra picked up a long curl that had evaded her efforts and wound it around her finger. ‘You have never looked lovelier.’

  ‘Oh dear.’ She sent him a bemused look, moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and gave a rueful shrug. ‘That doesn’t say a great deal for my normal appearance.’

  ‘It might be advisable to change your clothing and do something a little more sophisticated with your hair before greeting your mother, if you are determined to keep this sorry business private, but apart from that…’

  ‘I should never have thought of that myself.’ She treated him to an ironic smile. ‘Whatever should I do without your advice?’

  ‘You are angry with me for placing you in danger, as you have every right to be.’

  ‘Angry?’ She looked genuinely surprised by the suggestion. ‘Why should I be angry with you? I simply came out for a ride. If anyone is to blame, it is me for riding when I knew the park would be empty—and also when I knew that someone might be out to do me harm.’ She stood and appeared to be completely in command of herself. ‘Now, Mr Harker and I had best get back.’

  ‘You intend to be at Lady Marriott’s this evening still?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘Then I shall be there too.’ He beckoned to Harker, who came forward with the horses. ‘Someone has to take care of you, and hopefully I will make a better job of it this evening.’

  ‘Pray do not put yourself out on my behalf. I doubt whether Lady Marriott has invited any assassins to her party.’

  He shook his head at her again. She was one of the few ladies of his acquaintance who could and frequently did leave him speechless. He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her into her saddle. Harker had tied the broken reins together and handed them to her once she was settled.

  ‘Until this evening,’ Ezra said, swinging into Legacy’s saddle and tipping his hat to her. ‘Keep a close eye on her, Harker,’ he added.

  *

  ‘Is he always so dictatorial?’ Adela asked Harker as she watched Ezra ride away. Had he really invited her to address him informally? Adela wasn’t sure what to make of that. Or about his deeply intuitive understanding of her character. Then there was the way he looked at her with what had seemed at the time to be unguarded passion. Ye gods, she must be more shaken up than she had realised. Ezra certainly felt guilty about her near-accident, but that did not mean his feelings were engaged.

  Aye, most of the time.’ Harker grinned at her. ‘You did well back there not to panic. Most ladies would have.’

  ‘I didn’t have much time to think. It all happened so fast. But I did know that I would prefer not to fall from a galloping, out-of-control horse and do my cousin’s work for him.’

  ‘You think your cousin shot at us?’ he asked sharply. ‘Did you tell his lordship of your suspicions?’

  ‘No, I don’t think it was Daniel. It was just a turn of phrase, since he is the only person I know who would prefer me dead. Lord Bairstow insists there are others, but I remain to be convinced. Anyway, Daniel is not in London yet. I told Lord Bairstow that it was likely an aggrieved husband out to get revenge on him, but he didn’t seem especially impressed by that suggestion.’

  Harker grinned. ‘His lordship makes a point of not dallying with other men’s wives for that very reason. He could, of course. You’d be surprised how many of them make their availability apparent to him. Shocking really, but that’s the ruling classes for you. Too much time and money on their hands and no consciences, if you ask me. Present company excepted, of course.’

  Adela laughed. ‘Oh, of course.’

  They rode the rest of the way home in companionable silence, glad despite her insistence that she was not in danger to have Ezra’s man looking out for her, and more shaken by her close escape than she was willing to admit—even to herself.

  Harker took possession of Willow once Adela had patted her neck and fed her a carrot. She scurried into the house and managed to make her way up to her room without anyone seeing her dishevelled state. She let herself into her room, threw off her clothing and washed in the water from earlier that had not been removed. She ought to chastise Bess for her laziness but would not, since her lack of attention to that particular duty suited Adela’s purposes.

  Only when she had washed, slipped into her bed robe and brushed out her hair did she ring the bell for Bess. Her maid took a considerable time to respond. When she did so, she was red of face and breathless.

  ‘Your pardon, my lady. I did not realise that you were back.’

  ‘I will have some breakfast now, Bess. Arrange for it to be brought up, please, and then lay out my green morning gown while I eat.’

  ‘Very good, my lady.’

  When she had finished her breakfast and was respectably dressed, Adela went downstairs to consult with Mrs Fleming. She was worried that her mother had sprung her intended soiree upon the servants too quickly and that it would create problems.

  ‘Everything’s under control, my lady,’ Mrs Fleming assured her. ‘It’s not as though we have to provide a full dinner, it’s just a light supper. Your guests will have taken dinner before they arrive, so the kitchen here will not be overloaded and we’re well able to cope.’

  ‘Well, just so long as you are sure. Mama keeps inviting more and more people. I try to stop her, but I think we’re up to about a hundred now. Hopefully not all of them will come, but please let me know if any problems arise. Not that I think you are incapable of handling them,’ Adela hastily added, when Mrs Fleming looked a little affronted. ‘But I am here if you need me to arbitrate.’

  Satisfied that she and Mrs Fleming understood one another, Adela went back upstairs in search of her mother. She found her in her dressing room, where her maid was putting the finishing touches to her hair.

  ‘Ah, there you are, my dear. I was about to come and find you. It’s time for us to make our round of calls.’

  ‘Must we do them all in one day, Mama? It sounds exhausting.’

  ‘Well no, not necessarily. I have the cards here of the ladies who are at home today. There are three of them.’ Including, Adela realised as she looked over her mother’s shoulder, Mr Taylor’s aunt. Taylor remained one of her most ardent suitors and Adela was already heartily fed up of tripping over him everywhere she went.

  ‘Then I had best fetch my bonnet and gloves and order up the carriage.’

  It was Harker who opened the landau’s door for them when Adela and her mother stepped from the house. He looked very smart in his livery and top hat and winked at Adela as she foll
owed her mother into the conveyance.

  Two hours later they returned to Eaton Square, their duties discharged. Adela already wondered how she would endure the formal rigmarole that society deemed essential. Frankly, the visits had bored her rigid, and if she was tired of it already, it did not bode well for the future.

  But worse was to come. Talbot opened the door as they climbed the steps and gravely informed them that Lord Ripon and his lady mother had arrived.

  ‘Already?’ Adela asked, her heart sinking.

  ‘Oh, how delightful,’ Mama said at the same time, clapping her hands. ‘It is so very obliging of them to put themselves out and follow us so quickly. I assured Mabel that we would manage very well but she insisted that we would benefit from her guidance.’

  ‘Are they in the drawing room, Talbot?’

  ‘They are, my lady.’

  ‘Very well.’ Adela removed her pelisse, bonnet and gloves and handed them to Bess, who had come to take them from her. ‘Let’s get this over with.’

  Mama did not hear her uncivil remark, since she had already gone up to her chamber. Unlike Adela, she wouldn’t think of greeting visitors before first removing her bonnet in front of a mirror and having her maid tidy her hair.

  Adela stood at the open drawing room door, watching Daniel and his mother before they noticed her. Her aunt sat beside the fire, sipping at her tea. Daniel, handsome and impeccably attired, prowled around the room like a caged animal. He picked up a porcelain figurine and turned it upside down to examine the maker’s name, almost as though assessing its value in anticipation of owning it one day.

  ‘See anything you like?’ she asked, strolling into the room.

  Her voice caught Daniel unawares, and he almost dropped the figurine. ‘By all that’s holy, Adela, you almost gave me a heart attack.’ Better luck next time. ‘I did not hear you come in,’ he added unnecessarily, returning the figurine to its correct place and striding across the room to grasp her hand and kiss the back of it. Adela snatched it back again, not caring how impolite she seemed. ‘You are looking exceedingly well.’