The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables Book 2) (16 page)

“Smitty!” Beaumont called out as he saw her. “So glad you could join us. We were just about to start. He gestured toward a middle-aged man who was writing in a book. “That’s Nevins. He records all the wagers.”

“Come, I’ll introduce you,” Andrew said smoothly. He wanted to guide her on how much to wager and on whom. He kept his voice low as they walked. “Bet on Harcourt. Thirty pounds.”

“Is that enough?”

“For this first race, yes. You don’t want to draw overt attention to yourself.”

She nodded.

He studied her, trying to discern whether she was wearing the wig he’d sent. He’d procured one that was the same color hair as hers. Unable to see for himself, he had to ask. “Are you wearing the wig?”

“Yes, thank you. It fits quite well.”

He was glad. He’d been able to approximate the size of her head after cupping it the other night. Bloody hell, why was he thinking of that right now? He glanced at her, wondering if she’d thought of their…
interlude
at all.

He’d actually spent far more time contemplating it than he ought, which should have been not at all, largely due to his efforts to banish the other episode from that night from his mind. So far, reliving Miss Parnell’s delicious kisses had proved an excellent diversion from the ghosts of his past.

She stopped and looked around. “Where is Harcourt?”

“He and the other racer, Lord Edgecombe, have already gone to the start. This is where they’ll finish.”

She looked at him, her hazel eyes widening. “Edgecombe?”

“Yes, do you know him?”

“I do,” she said softly.

A sliver of jealousy needled into Andrew’s chest. “How well?”

She shrugged. “Not terribly. We danced at Lady Colne’s ball. Thanks to your attention, I was besieged with more dance partners than I knew what to do with. It was most taxing.”

He laughed as the jealousy he’d felt slipped away. “I won’t burden you again.”

“What you
should
do, actually, is dance with my friend Miss Aquilla Knox. She could use the attention. She wants to marry, and she’ll make an excellent wife.”

“I have no plans to attend another ball anytime soon, but if I do, I shall make a point of it.”

She looked at him with open appreciation. “Thank you.”

“Last call for wagers!” Nevins’s shout pulled Andrew from the intoxicating depths of Miss Parnell’s eyes.

“Come.” Andrew introduced her to Nevins and a few other gentlemen. She’d become quite good at adopting more masculine mannerisms—she held her shoulders a bit higher and walked with a longer stride. It had to be exhausting.

They went to stand just off the track as they waited for the race to start.
 

Beaumont leaned toward Miss Parnell. “Once, a gentleman lost control of his horses, and we had to scatter like rats in daylight.” He laughed. “Damn near knocked us all down.”

She shot Andrew a concerned glance. He subtly shook his head in response. They’d be fine. He’d keep a close eye on things. He always did, but he was especially alert today with her here.

The race began. They could see Edgecombe and Harcourt across the park. Edgecombe started off much better than he usually did, and for a brief moment, Andrew worried that he’d given her bad advice. But Harcourt quickly overtook him, and in the end, it wasn’t much of a contest.

Harcourt crossed the finish line amidst cheers, and Edgecombe received a similar welcome a few moments later. They steered their vehicles off to the side. The next racers were already queued at the starting line.

Edgecombe climbed down from his perch and shook his head. “I thought I had it for a moment there.” He was always a good-natured sport. He gestured toward Andrew’s phaeton. “You’re not racing today?” All the racers typically left their vehicles near the starting area.

“Not today.”

“That’s too bad. Always easy money when you race.” He chuckled, and his gaze fell on Miss Parnell. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Andrew moved closer to her. “Allow me to present Davis Smith. Smitty, this is Edgecombe.”

She offered her hand, and Andrew could see the strength with which she gripped the other man. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Indeed.” Edgecombe’s eyes squinted slightly, and Andrew didn’t like his scrutiny.
 

Andrew nudged Miss Parnell. “Time to make our next wager.” He nodded at Edgecombe as they passed by him. “I didn’t care for the way he was studying you,” he whispered.

“I don’t think he recognized me.”

“Still, I think it’s wise if you steered clear of him.”

“Probably.”

Her agreement made him relax. He advised her on the next wager and hoped he was right. This would be a much closer race. The cheering grew to a rousing crescendo as the phaetons careened, side by side, around the final corner. Unfortunately, his pick crossed the finish just behind the other racer.

Andrew grimaced at Miss Parnell, who was frowning. “I’m not always right,” he said quietly so only she could hear. They stood at the edge of the group.

She gave him a sardonic look. “How refreshing to hear a gentleman say so.”

Andrew coughed. Charles had walked toward them as she spoke, and she hadn’t been using her disguised voice. Plus, her comment wasn’t one that Smitty would’ve uttered. Charles, however, didn’t appear as though he’d heard.

He greeted them with a jovial smile. “Dartford and Smitty. Together again, I see. Smitty seems to be our newest member.” He looked at Miss Parnell. “Of our group.”

Andrew laughed. “We have members? I wasn’t aware.”

Charles waved his hand. “You know what I mean. Say, why aren’t you racing today? I can’t remember the last time you didn’t.”

“Just taking a respite.”

Charles chuckled. “Going to give others a chance, eh? Or maybe no one wants to race you since they always lose.”

“I’d race him.” A tall, lanky fellow strode toward them. He was young—near Miss Parnell’s age—but with a robust confidence and a bold swagger. Yet at the same time, Andrew wouldn’t call him arrogant.
 

Andrew wasn’t a braggart, and if he said he could do something, he did it. And usually with aplomb. “I’ll take you up on that sometime, Greene.”

Greene nodded and turned his attention to Miss Parnell. “Robert Greene.”

She shook his hand, demonstrating the same strength and assurance she had earlier. “Davis Smith.”

“We call him Smitty,” Charles interjected. He looked at Andrew with beseeching eyes. “Come on, Dart. Race Greene.”

Greene arched a brow in question, then gave a shrug. “I’m up for it.”

Miss Parnell cleared her throat. “You aren’t scheduled to race someone else today?”

“I am not. But I always bring my vehicle, just in case.” He indicated his elegant phaeton and grinned.

Andrew eyed the vehicle with envy. It was new and reminded him of the model he was having made. The carriage on both was a bit smaller than typical and the wheels taller. He was excited to see it finished. “When my new phaeton is ready, we’ll race.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Greene said. He turned to Miss Parnell. “Do you race?”

“I don’t.” She eyed Greene’s phaeton. “But I should like to.”

“Perhaps you should race me, then. You could borrow Dart’s vehicle.”

Andrew didn’t like where this conversation was going. “I don’t think he’s ready for that, are you, Smitty?”

She made a grimace—a very manly one—and shook her head. “Unfortunately not, but I think you should have a go.” She looked pointedly at Andrew.

Hell.
She wasn’t supposed to say that. He’d been clear about his intention to stay with her today.

Charles elbowed him in the arm. “I think it’s unanimous. Go on.”

To refuse now would create a scene, and he didn’t want that. He began to question his idea to bring Miss Parnell along. Still, he had to admit it was better than a gaming hell. He could, at least, trust these gentlemen not to erupt into fisticuffs. At least not at this time of the morning. Late at night, after they’d all been drinking? That was another situation altogether.

“All right, then.” He looked at Greene. “Will you alert Nevins?”

“Certainly.” Greene rubbed his hands together as he ambled off.

Miss Parnell looked at him expectantly. “I need to place my next wager.”

She started toward Nevins, and he rushed to catch up. He glanced around to make sure they were out of anyone’s earshot. Still, he kept his voice low. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Don’t be obtuse. You’re too smart for me to believe that. Plus, you sound guilty.”

She chuckled. “Do I? I wanted to see you race, and who knows when I’ll have another opportunity.” She spoke in her deeper “man” voice, which was probably for the best. More and more, however, Andrew longed to see and talk to her without her disguise.

Now it was his turn to laugh. “I see. Well, I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“I wish I could ride with you.” There was an edge of wistfulness to her tone that he’d heard before. “But I’d slow you down.”

He eyed Greene and turned his head to look at the man’s phaeton again. “Yes, but I think I could still win. However, if you rode with me, you wouldn’t be able to wager.”

She stopped before they got to Nevins. “I could actually go with you? It wouldn’t be odd?”

Andrew came to a halt beside her. “Not terribly. Sometimes faster drivers do it to offer an advantage to someone less experienced.”

“Like Greene?”

“Greene’s one of the better drivers, especially for his age.” Andrew grinned. “He’d probably take offense if I said I was taking a passenger. However, I like this idea. I won’t have to leave you unattended.”

She frowned. “But I can’t wager. Even so, I don’t know when I’ll have a chance to do this again…” She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling, her lips parted. “Let’s. Please.”

He was powerless to resist the feminine lure of her gaze and the breathless seduction of her plea. “Then let’s place your wagers on the next races before we head over to the start.”

He instructed her on the races leading up to his, which would be last. After Nevins recorded their bets, Andrew turned to Greene, who lingered nearby.

“Greene, I’m going to take a passenger to make things interesting.”

Greene’s brow climbed. “Who?”

“Smitty, here.”

Greene raked his gaze over Miss Parnell, and Andrew felt a ridiculous urge to plant his fist in the other man’s face. “I’ll take someone too then.” He glanced over at the men gathered near the finish. “Beaumont.”

Beaumont was several inches taller than Miss Parnell, and several stones heavier with his athletic build. “Are you certain you choose him?”

Greene smiled. “Like you said, to make things interesting.”

Andrew nodded. “As you say.”

He and Miss Parnell walked to his phaeton. “Can you climb in by yourself? I can’t help you without drawing notice.”

“I’ve been scaling trees my entire life. This is easy.” And so it was as she vaulted up into the vehicle.
 

He joined her on the seat and picked up the reins. “Do you know how to drive?”

“I do.”

He handed her the ribbons. “Then you drive over.”

She turned her head, blinking, her mouth open in shock. “You’ll allow me?”

He leaned back in the seat. “Why not?”

“I’m… Thank you.” She clutched the reins for a moment before guiding the pair of horses forward. She proved a sure and steady hand as she drove them to the starting area.

As they drew near, the next race started. His team didn’t flinch as the gun sounded, and neither did Miss Parnell.

They watched the race, and she cheered as her driver won. She turned her head toward him, laughing. “I’m doing well today. Thank you. I needed to make up for the other night when I lost money.”

“Well, that is our intent, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” She touched his sleeve, and he pretended the movement didn’t send a jolt of desire straight through his belly. “But you’ve given me so much more. These are experiences I never would’ve been able to have without you. I’ll remember—and treasure—them forever.”

He stared at her, thinking they were far too close, but realizing he couldn’t move away without falling from the vehicle. Was she speaking of everything they’d done together or just this—the racing, the shooting, the gambling?

She turned her head, but he saw the blush creeping up her neck.
 

Hell.
They’d done a good job this morning of ignoring that the other night had ever happened. And yet now there was a…
thing
between them. What he didn’t know was if she regretted that event or if, like him, she secretly hoped it might happen again.

Which it bloody well could
not
.

They sat in mostly awkward silence as they waited their turn. The next two races ran. She lost the first wager and won the second. Finally, it was time for him and Greene to pull up to the starting line.