An Affair to Remember (18 page)

She bit her lip, though it appeared as if she were more amused than sorry. “I don’t know what came over me—I rarely frighten.”

“Hm. You didn’t happen to climb trees when you were a child, did you? You have quite a grip for a gently bred lady.”

Color again bloomed in her cheeks, contrasting with her red hair and the cream of her skin. Anthony thought he’d never seen a more beautiful woman.

She sniffed. “No, I did not climb trees as a child. I did, however, excel in scaling the trellis outside my window in an attempt to be near the barn at all times. I like to ride and
my father was adamant that it should not interfere with my studies.”

“Ran from the governess, did you?”

She grinned, her teeth flashing whitely. “Like a hoyden. But it was worth it. I’d have done anything to be with my horse, Princess. She was a beauty.”

“And yet you refuse to ride with me. I begin to feel slighted.”

“Only because it would be unbecoming for me to be seen about the countryside with my employer.”

“Ungrateful brat.”

“I am not ungrateful, Greyley. In fact, I am fully aware of what I owe you for this morning’s efforts. Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

“Don’t think about it. Some aspects were quite pleasing.” Like the way her thigh had been so delightfully close to his mouth. The thought sent a pang of heat to his nether regions, and he was damned glad they were in full view of the house, or he might have been tempted to do something about it, to hell with propriety.

“If there is anything I can do to repay you, I hope you will not hesitate to ask.”

“You can thank me by going for a ride with me tomorrow morning.” He wanted her alone and in his arms, he realized with sudden clarity. Not that he was searching for a dalliance. Good God, he hoped to be married in three months.

But still…his gaze slid slowly over Anna. Her wet gown clung lovingly to every curve, making him think of a dozen reasons that he might want to reconsider his “no dalliance” rule.

She was a sight indeed—tall and slender, with generous breasts and rounded hips that made his groin tighten. Better yet were the long legs he could see clearly outlined by the
white muslin—the length and curve of those legs far exceeding even his active imagination. By Zeus, but she was a woman made for passion.

Anna pulled her skirts to one side and began squeezing water from them, the gesture unintentionally outlining one leg and hip in stark relief. “I am in your employ, Lord Greyley. It is never a good idea to mix with the help.”

“I will mix when and where I will, thank you.”

“Earls and governesses do not go for rides together.”

“According to what rulebook?”

“According,” she said in a voice he was sure she normally reserved for her pupils, “to the rules of society. I seem to remember you preaching them to your sister not so long ago.”

“My expectations for my sister and for myself are quite different.”

“Spoken like a true man.” She shivered as she spoke, and for the first time, Anthony noticed how very transparent muslin became when wet. He could see the outline of her breasts so clearly that his breath thudded to a halt for a moment. Her nipples appeared faintly through the layers of drenched material—large and dark and desirable, perfectly made for his mouth.

Anthony discovered that it was possible to lose both the power of speech and thought all in the same instant.

Anna lifted her arms to push her hair back from her face, and Anthony was presented with an even clearer image of what lay beneath the layers of cloth. His body ached with the images and he had to swallow a groan.

Her hair secured behind her ears, she turned to the house. “I need to return to the nursery. The children must answer for this latest escapade. I’ve decided that they will write a letter
of apology to both of us and then will do chores to help pay for the replacement of your shoes.”

Anthony could have told her that it would take the children several years to do that, but he refrained. She was right; the children should be punished and he had to admit she’d thought of a fair method.

He cleared his throat. “While the children are doing chores, I suppose I will be off riding alone somewhere.” He stared into the distance with what he hoped was a sad expression.

Anna frowned, her bad mood worsening. She’d been mocked, had almost died, and now had been forced to stand in front of Greyley and pretend she didn’t look like a drowned rat. She pulled her hair to one side and again attempted to twist some of the water from it, only to discover a huge lily pad on her forehead. She pulled it free, embarrassment heating her cheeks. “I am returning to the house.”

“Don’t you think you owe me something? After all, I saved you, and at great personal cost, too, for I nearly gave up my own life in the process. The least you can do is ride with me.”

“No rides.”

“Then I’ll settle for a kiss.”

It was infuriating the way this man could turn a simple sentence into a lazy challenge. And Anna was not good at passing up a challenge.

It would be nice to ride with an adult for a change. Lovely, actually. The children were prone to go in different directions, and she spent most of her time trying to keep them all together.

Anna peered at Greyley from under her lashes. He
looked
harmless enough. Oh, he was handsome, and charming when he put his mind to it. But he had none of the polished address of the other wasted fribbles she knew. Perhaps it wouldn’t
hurt to go for just one ride. “Oh, very well. But only for a half hour.”

“Half an hour is hardly long enough to give the poor horse a stretch.”

“Forty-five minutes and not a moment more.”

“An hour. I won’t settle for less.”

Heavens, but the man did not know the meaning of the word “no.” Anna sighed. An hour wasn’t that long, she supposed. She had just opened her mouth to agree, when he added, “Every day for a month.”

She gaped at him. “You must be joking.”

“I saved your life,” he reminded her yet again, a very smug grin on his face. His gaze wandered over her face and down to her breasts. Something about the intensity of his expression alerted her, for she followed his gaze and gasped to see how little her wet gown hid. She hurriedly crossed her arms over her chest, but not before Greyley’s grin set her face aflame.

How she disliked arrogant men. They made for beastly earls and horrid employers. “I will ride with you for half an hour every morning, for one week only. I can’t spare more time than that.”

He reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers over her wet cheek. “What’s wrong, Thraxton? Afraid to be alone with me?”

She sniffed. “I’m not afraid of anything. Just don’t expect me to speak. I’m not a witty conversationalist before I’ve had my breakfast.”

“Of course,” he replied smoothly, as if he didn’t care if she bothered to speak at all. “May I add that I hope you teach the girls how to accept an invitation with better grace than you have shown today?”

Drat the man! She plopped her hands on her hips. “Lord
Greyley, rest assured that the girls will benefit from the time they have spent with me.”

Too late, she realized that she’d forgotten to cover herself, for his dark brown gaze was once again fastened on her chest. Her temper snapped. “Damn it, Greyley, pay attention!
I
am speaking, not my breasts.”

His gaze rose to her face, his eyes hot and brown, his mouth strangely soft. “You may not be able to hear your breasts speaking, but I can.”

Anna gasped and covered her chest. “That is quite enough.”

“Indeed it is,” he agreed, taking two swift steps and closing the space between them.

Anna instinctively moved to retreat, but Greyley reached past her and picked up his coat from the grass. He shook it out, then swung it over her shoulders and pulled it closed.

“You can’t walk into the house like that. I’d have to fire every footman we’ve got, and Jenkins would not be happy. He’s just trained them.”

His fingers brushed her chin as he fastened the coat up the front. The gesture was so quixotic, so unlike Greyley, that Anna neither moved nor protested.

He fastened the last button, then chucked her under the chin as if she were a child of six. “There you are, sweet. That should get you indoors without too much of a bustle.”

“How chivalrous,” she said, then moved to step away, but Greyley’s notion of chivalry included imprisonment, for he gripped her shoulders and held her fast. She scowled. “Let me go.”

He smiled then, that indolent smile that was all his. The smile that crinkled his eyes and made her heart flutter in the most uncomfortable way. “Miss Thraxton, your hair is in
credibly fetching when wet. I had no notion it was so long.”

She wondered warily what he was up to now. “I daresay I look well slathered with mud, too.”

His gaze traveled from her face to her throat. “I believe you’d look fetching no matter what you did, or did not, wear. There are few women who can say that with any measure of truth.”

His voice rumbled low and intimate, almost hypnotic. Truly, the man was a conundrum—one moment insulting her, and the next complimenting her like a courtier. Her confusion must have shown in her face, for he grinned and then turned her toward the house and gave her a little push, as if she were a recalcitrant child. “Go and don some dry clothes. We will meet in the morning for our ride.”

Lord help her, but when had Greyley turned into such a captivating man? She caught sight of his bare feet. “How can you ride without boots?”

His gaze followed hers. “I’ll borrow my brother’s while I send to London for some new ones. Never fear, I’ll be properly clothed when we go for our ride.”

Anna met his warm brown gaze with a sinking feeling. She didn’t dare ride alone with him, for her own safety as well as his. Gathering her rumpled composure, she turned and marched toward the house, all too aware of Greyley’s silent company as he followed behind. She could almost feel his gaze on her shoulders, her hips, her legs.

She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, yet when she caught his gaze just as she reached the house where Jenkins stood waiting, she thought she detected a surprising blaze of warmth. A look so fraught with promise that she barely managed to curtsy before she mumbled a disjointed thank you and then unceremoniously fled.

Later, dressed in a fresh gown, drying her hair before the
fire in the nursery while the children wrote their apology letters, Anna remembered in vivid detail her conversation with the earl. Something had changed. He was no longer chasing after the elusive schedule, but her. She could see it in his eyes, in the way he watched her. Some part of her thrilled at the thought. He was incredibly handsome. And she was beginning to realize that there was more to him than she’d thought—the way he took such care of the children, for instance.

That made him all the more dangerous. She would go riding with him—she’d promised. But she’d take her own protection, one destined to end Greyley’s desire to ever go riding with her ever again.

“T
he
brown
waistcoat, my lord?” Ledbetter’s voice resounded with disbelief.

“Yes, damn it. And be quick.” Anthony was to meet Anna in ten minutes and he was running late.

Yesterday, after the incident at the pond, Anthony had changed into dry clothing and then retired to the library. Instead of being greeted by the faithful Dalmapple, he found Brand waiting. From his vantage point of the library window, he had apparently witnessed a good bit of Anthony’s conversation with Miss Thraxton and was brimming with an inappropriate amount of curiosity.

Anthony had brushed aside Brand’s insinuations that there was more between him and Anna Thraxton. But still…he couldn’t forget the heat that flared between them. It was the damnedest thing.

His marriage to Charlotte was to be the usual arranged affair—once she’d given him the children necessary for the
continuation of the Greyley line, she’d go about her amusements just as he planned to go about his. Like many men of the
ton
, he’d probably have taken a mistress once the patina of wedded bliss wore thin. After the first year, of course; he was a gentleman, after all.

All that had changed once he’d seen Anna Thraxton in a dripping wet gown. He’d be damned if he’d wait another moment. Though he’d been born an Elliot, he’d been raised a St. John. When he wanted something, he obtained it. And he wanted Anna Thraxton. She would be the perfect mistress; he was certain she would be as passionate in bed as she was out of it. All he had to do was awaken that passion and fan it to heights she couldn’t ignore.

The idea played through his mind over and over. The end result was that he had stayed up far too late planning his stratagems, imagining the ultimately pleasurable outcome of his success. He would make sure the alliance would be to her advantage as well. It bothered him to see a woman of her station laboring away, regardless of the fact that it was becoming more and more plain that she had a gift for taking care of people.

She deserved silks and sapphires, a lovely home and the safety of knowing she’d never have to labor again. And he was going to give her all of that, and more.

The tantalizing thoughts followed him to bed and he’d dreamed of winning Anna in ways that left him hot and ready. It was the early hours of the morning before he finally fell into a mercifully dreamless sleep that lasted well past the time he usually rose.

He glanced at the clock, cursed loudly, then yanked on Brand’s riding boots. They were a size too small and pinched like the devil, but he didn’t care. The intractable Miss Thraxton would not wait a second past the appointed time.

Ledbetter appeared with the brown waistcoat. He ventured to say, “You’ve never worn this before. You said it was ‘overly ornamented.’”

“Hand it to me,” Anthony growled. If Anna decided not to wait on him and had returned to the nursery with the children, she’d be as safe as a nun locked in a cloister.

He buttoned the waistcoat, yanked his coat in place, and strode out the room. He reached the foyer and was relieved to see his quarry standing at the bottom of the stairs before the wide cheval mirror, adjusting her collar. “Miss Thraxton.”

She peeped at him from beneath the brim of her hat, an almost mischievous expression in her light gray eyes. “Lord Greyley, you are late. I was just going to ask one of the footmen to send you a note.”

“I’m afraid I overslept.”

“Did you?” Anna gathered her skirts and walked past the footman who held the door open, the white feather on her hat bouncing cheerfully. “I’ve been ready for hours.”

Anthony frowned. She should be wary, if not irritated, he’d foisted this ride on her. He was halfway down the steps when he realized what had left his future mistress in such good spirits.

Not two, but seven horses were saddled and ready for the ride. At the front sat Selena astride a very fat old pony that appeared none too pleased to be awake at this time of the morning. “We’re going riding,” she piped up, her voice breaking the chill morning silence. “With the sun!”

The other children broke into burbling talk, annoyingly eager to be off. Even Desford seemed less filled with scowls.

Anthony caught Anna’s arm and brought her to a halt before him. “This was not part of our bargain.”

She pulled her arm free and tugged on her gloves. “We
had no bargain. You invited me to go for a ride and I accepted.” She turned a calm gray gaze his way, her lashes casting shadows over her cheeks, her wide mouth curved in a smile. “What difference does it make, Greyley? The children won’t slow us down. They are capital riders, even Selena.”

“Perhaps I wished for the opportunity to speak with you without interruption.”

“If we ride two abreast, we will be able to do just that,” she returned, then sailed down the remainder of the steps and allowed a groom to assist her onto her horse.

Anthony watched her with reluctant appreciation. The minx had outmaneuvered him. So far. A ghost of a grin soothed his irritation. His success might be delayed, but only that.

He followed her down the steps and mounted his own horse. Soon they were under way, the wispy morning fog lifting as the sun heated the day.

Anthony led them to a wide, leafy pathway that led to a small, gurgling river. He’d originally intended to take another route, but there would have been no opportunity to ride two abreast on such a narrow path.

But Anna still managed to avoid him, riding forward to check on Selena, whose stubborn pony showed an annoying tendency to stop walking and take a nap, or to quell Desford and Richard, who wanted to race at breakneck speed.

Content for the moment just to watch her, Anthony let her have her way. She was amazing with the children, speaking to them as if they were adults. She calmed Elizabeth, who had developed a fear of Marian’s pony because it tried to nip at her, convinced Selena to be firmer with her stubborn mount, and then adroitly soothed Richard’s wounded feelings when Desford decided to ride ahead.

Finally, there was nothing more to be done—the chil
dren were settled, enjoying the ride and the feeling of the crisp air and the bright sunshine. Anna returned to ride by his side.

Anthony nodded toward Desford, who rode just ahead. “I remember very little about being that age.”

“Even if you did, it wouldn’t help you to understand Desford. Poor child, he doesn’t have anything of his own. Not really.” At Anthony’s surprised look, she waved a hand. “Oh, I don’t mean clothing and such. I mean personal items. I, for example, have a locket that belonged to my grandmother. It isn’t very valuable, for Grandpapa bought it for her at a fair. But it is dear to me all the same and gives me the feeling of belonging somewhere.”

“Surely he has something of his father’s?”

“No. Not a thing. I gather the children were collected from their home and brought here in a rather abrupt manner.”

Had they? Anthony’d sent Dalmapple to bring the children to Greyley, but he couldn’t remember telling anyone he was in a hurry. Oh, he
might
have told someone not to dawdle, but surely—He caught Anna’s accusing stare and frowned. “I never intended that they leave anything behind.”

“That’s not the impression they were given.”

“I shall remedy that as soon as possible.” Ahead, Desford was engaged in a loud argument with Marian about the quality of their mounts. It reminded Anthony so much of himself and Sara at that same age that he almost smiled. “I was about Desford’s age when my stepfather gave me my first knife. I have it still. Perhaps I should pass it on to him.”

She slanted him an interested glance. “Your sister once told me that you were fond of your stepfather.”

“I try to live up to his name every day.

Anna tilted her head to one side, a fat red curl coming to
rest on her collar. “I think you are far more St. John than Elliot.”

“Miss Thraxton, you unman me.”

“If it were that easy, Lady Putney would have done it long ago.”

He had to laugh. “Indeed she would.”

Anna smiled and they rode in silence for a way. The sunlight dappled her hair with a lacy pattern and caressed the white line of her cheek. She had the smoothest, most perfect skin of any woman he’d ever seen, white as cream and silken to the touch.

The increasingly loud sound of rushing water interrupted his thoughts and they came to a large clearing beside a stream. “We should stop here,” he said just loud enough for the children to hear him.

“May we swim?” Marian asked, already sliding off her pony.

“Not in those clothes,” Anna said.

“Oh,” Marian said, disappointment in her tone. She looped her pony’s reins over a bush and looked longingly toward the stream. The other children did the same, Desford helping Selena down as soon as his own mount was secure.

“Maybe we can just wade,” Elizabeth said hopefully.

“There is a path you can explore,” Anthony offered as he dismounted. The children were off down the path in a trice, talking excitedly. Desford followed at the rear, casting one or two curious gazes behind him as he went.

Anthony glanced at Anna. “The path only goes a short distance and leads them away from the water. They will be back within thirty minutes, depending on how long they tarry.” He looped his reins over a branch, then returned to Anna. “It appears we will have some privacy after all.”

Anna’s fingers curled tightly about the reins. For some
reason she was finding Greyley’s dark glances even more disturbing than usual. “That was devious.”

“Surely not.”

She ignored his outstretched hand. “I don’t like the children wandering through the woods. They could get hurt.”

“They are within shouting distance. Once you dismount, we could wander in their direction. I daresay we’ll meet them coming back.”

She looked down at him, at the way his dark gold hair fell over his brow, softening his stern features. There was a hint of humor about his mouth, and in his dark brown eyes. “You wish to discuss that damnable schedule.”

“Among other things.”

She really didn’t have a choice. To remain on horseback put her at a distinct disadvantage in locating the children. With a barely repressed sigh, she dismounted. Instead of stepping away, he moved closer, clasping her waist with a strong grip. Anna was used to being as tall as, if not taller than, most men, and she noted the strength of him with approval.

Once her feet touched the ground, she glanced up at him. “Thank—”

His mouth descended on hers, warm and commanding. For a startled second Anna did nothing, but savored the feel of a man’s arms about her, of being possessed and cherished. His hands tightened, then moved to her hips, and suddenly it was as if her senses exploded in a flame of searing heat. She forgot where she was, forgot who she was, and melted beneath his kiss.

The kiss deepened and Anna moaned restlessly. She was afire, hot and restless, drained of the will to protest. She didn’t want to protest—she wanted this man in a way she’d
never wanted another. The realization shook a path through her bemused senses and she broke free, stepped away, trembling. “You cannot do that.”

His eyes glowed with heat. “Why not?”

“Because you are an earl and I am a governess.”

He smiled then, and captured her against him, his warm body sparking a response deep within her. “You are also a Thraxton while I am a mere Elliot. Your family is far more respectable than mine.”

It was madness. It was folly. It was also unaccountably delicious.
So long as I keep my heart in my possession…
She found herself leaning forward, her lips brushing his with the faintest of touches.

The simple touch was lost in an avalanche of emotion. They were not just kissing, they were tasting, devouring, their hands pulling each other closer, harder. Anna moaned as Greyley’s hands cupped her bottom intimately, pulling her against his erection. She tilted her head back and his lips traced an impassioned line down her throat.

“Miss Thraxton?” came a childish voice.

It broke over Anna like a wave of icy water and she took a stumbling step away from Greyley.

There, not ten feet behind her, stood Selena. The little girl eyed her warily. “Are you sick?

Heart thudding, Anna managed an uncertain laugh. “Sick? No, no! I’m fine.”

“You were moaning like your tummy hurt.”

“It wasn’t her tummy,” Greyley murmured, his voice low and indecently husky. “It was her—”

“Eye,” Anna said sharply, glaring at him.

“That’s what I was going to say,” he replied, a dangerous quirk to his mouth.

Anna conjugated the Latin word for “kick” before she managed a smile at Selena. “We were just looking for something that was stuck in my eye.”

“A large piece of bark,” the earl offered.

“Exactly,” Anna said, a little mollified the blackguard was finally assisting her.

“A large,
hard
piece of bark,” he added.

Anna snapped him a look. “I’m sure Selena does not need to be told every
little
detail.”

His smile disappeared. “Little?”

“
Little
she repeated firmly.

“There you are,” Desford said, coming down the path, his gaze on Selena. “Where have you been?”

“Talking to Lord Greyley and Miss Thraxton. She had a piece of bark in her eye and he was kissing it out.”

Anna made a distressed noise while Desford’s gaze narrowed thoughtfully. “No, no,” she said. “It was nothing like that.”

The boy’s mouth pursed, but to her surprise, he made no further comment. Instead, he took his sister’s hand and led her back down the path. “We found a waterfall,” he said as he went, disappearing behind the curve of the trees.

“Oh no,” Anna said fretfully.

Greyley’s warm hands encircled her waist again, but Anna moved away. “That’s enough of that.”

“You didn’t enjoy it?”

“On the contrary,” she said bluntly. “I enjoyed it far more than was suitable.”

His gaze flared and he took a step toward her, then stopped, his hands fisted at his sides, a smug expression on his face. “What are we going to do about this, Thraxton?”