The Duke's Legacy (12 page)

“But what if I’m observed?” she asked, biting her lip with indecision.

“There’ll be too much confusion for anyone to take notice of us.” He could see she was still vacillating and openly goaded her. “Where’s all that courage I know you possess? What’s become of the young lady who called alone at a single gentleman’s house
and
accepted his kiss?” He broke off and devoured her features with eyes that unquestionably wanted, forcing her to return his gaze. “The young lady,” he continued softly, “who enjoyed being in that gentleman’s arms.”

“You’re insufferably arrogant, you know. Has anyone ever told you that?”

He laughed. “If you wish to insult me, you’ll have to do better than that.”

Abbey lifted her chin and offered him a riotous smile. “I have no wish to insult you at this particular time, Lord Denver. I wish to go hunting instead.”

With a burst of laughter she spurred Sonnet forward. Sebastian caught up with her and ensured they remained at the back of the field. He watched her closely. The kaleidoscope of emotions that flitted across her lovely face was a joy to behold. He suspected this was the first time in her life, apart from calling upon him in London, when she had disregarded the rules laid down for her protection quite so flagrantly. He could see she was enjoying the experience enormously and was glad to have suggested it. She sat erect in her side-saddle, clearing hedges and open ditches with elegance and style. The occasional whoop of pleasure escaped her lips as she landed safely and caught his eye, sharing her exhilaration with him.

No one existed in Sebastian’s universe at that moment, except Abbey. Her face was flushed with excitement, her eyes glowing. His attention was caught by the rise and fall of her breasts against the tight confines of her habit. He was totally compelled by the picture she presented and something stronger than his own will prevented him from looking away, until they approached an especially high obstacle—a hawthorn hedge that hadn’t been cropped. Many riders were going around the side, or coming spectacularly to grief. Sebastian noticed virtually all the ladies had chosen to take the safer route and indicated to Abbey that she should do the same. But, fully committed now, she was having none of it.

“I may never get an opportunity to do this again,” she yelled across the distance that separated them. “I don’t intend to waste this one. Sonnet can clear that hedge easily.”

Sighing, Sebastian wondered if he had acted wisely by encouraging her to rebel. His worries were compounded when he noticed those who had attempted the hedge converging on the lower end, and a tangle of fallen riders littering the ground. He and Abbey would have no choice but to aim for the high part of the obstacle or risk their horses trampling on the fallen riders. He turned Warrior in that direction and with Abbey at his side they set the horses at the obstacle on a collected stride.

Both of them cleared it with ease.

It was only as Warrior’s hooves hit the ground that Sebastian glanced to one side and recognised one of the fallers. Lord Evans was just picking himself up, his breeches caked with mud and his coat torn. Annoyingly he happened to look up as the last of the horses cleared the hedge. His mouth fell open, slack with shock, as he obviously recognised Abbey streaking away from him, bubbling with laughter.

Sebastian glanced in Evan’s direction and offered him an ironic salute, aware that Abbey’s act of rebellion could not now remain a secret, and that he would have some awkward explaining to do. He glanced at her animated features, absorbing her musical laughter as it floated towards him.

Hell, it had been worth it!

Chapter Nine

After the incident at the hawthorn hedge, Sebastian thought it wise to withdraw from the field. Not having seen Evans, Abbey was unaware her presence had been observed and it was with obvious reluctance that she complied. Sebastian scrutinised her as they walked their horses back in the direction of her lodge. She was mud-splattered and dishevelled, but had clearly thoroughly enjoyed her moment of rebellion. He was unlikely ever to forget her animated expression as she soared so elegantly over the hedges, displaying a flair for horsemanship which vindicated his decision to join the chase.

He looked heavenwards in an effort to disguise his growing desire for her and noticed the dark clouds that had threatened earlier rapidly closing in.

“It looks as though we shall have snow,” he said.

“I love snow.”

“Do you now, child?”

“I am
not
a child, and I wish you’d stop addressing me as such. Just because I enjoy snow—”

He smiled at her enthusiasm. “What do you love about it?”

“Oh, everything. It looks so pretty and romantic when it covers the trees and turns the landscape into a wonderland of white.”

“Romantic?” Sebastian suppressed a grin. “I thought there was no room in your life for romance.”

She tossed her head. “Remind me never to reveal more of my secret thoughts to you.”

She turned her back to issue this retort, facilitating the accident which tearing hell for leather across the hunting field had failed to accomplish. A low branch glanced against the back of her head. With a gasp of surprise she slid from her saddle and landed on her derriere in the middle of the muddy path they were following. Sebastian dismounted and was at her side in seconds.

“Are you all right?”

She lifted her head, moved it experimentally from side to side and retrieved her hat which had also finished up in the mud.

“That’s what happens when you provoke me,” she scolded.

His charming little child-woman was hopelessly inept when it came to concealing the more passionate traits of her character. It was obvious she was more affected by his close proximity than concerned about any injuries she might have sustained. God’s beard, she had no business looking at him with such naked longing in her eyes. Without pausing to consider the wisdom of his actions, Sebastian gave way to the temptation that was never far from the surface of his dealings with the minx. With a smothered oath, he pulled her to her feet and straight into his arms.

“And this is what happens when you look at me in that way.”

He lowered his head and slowly closed his lips over hers, giving her ample opportunity to object. Passion burned through him like a ravenous hunger as he plundered her mouth, gradually sating his appetite. He hadn’t stopped to consider what her reaction might be but when she remained passive in his arms, neither returning his kiss nor attempting to evade it, he was unsure how to continue, or even if he should. He wasn’t accustomed to ladies being indifferent to his advances and had no wish to frighten her. Worse, he wouldn’t have her respond out of some misguided sense of duty. Perdition, he shouldn’t have given way to his baser impulses!

She stirred in his arms, wound her arms around his neck and with a soft little sigh leaned her body into his. Sebastian’s sense of triumph was out of all proportion to the scale of his victory. Rational thought once again left him and he set to work doing what he’d been told he excelled at. His swirling tongue lazily probed the recesses of her mouth as he took his time to become familiar with the taste of her.

The desire that raged through him caused Sebastian to break the kiss before it had really started. He absolutely shouldn’t be doing this and if he didn’t stop now, he was unsure if he would be able to.

“What am I to do with you, Lady Abigail?” he asked softly.

She made no answer, nor had he expected her to, but the expression in her glowing eyes spoke volumes. Sebastian leaned his back against the tree which had so inconveniently dislodged Abbey from her saddle, creating a situation he ought to have avoided like the plague. Never one to waste time on remorse, Sebastian gave in to temptation, pulled her more closely against him and forced his hands to remain at her waist as he kissed her again.

***

Abbey felt the full force of his lips as they fused with hers, causing her pulse to quicken and her breath to come out in uneven gasps. Lord Denver was no longer treating her as a child and her body was on fire as a consequence. She was curious to know what might happen next, even if it would be unwise to allow matters to develop. He was devastatingly attractive, but was also dangerous and knew how to indulge in flirtations without engaging his emotions.

She did not.

Glorious though the fizzing was, it couldn’t go on…well, not for much longer anyway. Her head was spinning, but not because she’d fallen from her horse. She desperately gulped air from the mouth that covered hers, convinced he must be able to hear the thud of her heart as it crashed its irregular beat against her ribs. Presumably it was gauche to feel so aroused, but she simply didn’t care. Just as with the hunting, she gave herself up completely to the experience because it was new, exciting, intriguing…and forbidden.

His tongue darted inside her mouth on a fresh sortie, forcing her lips apart, demanding and easily receiving her complete capitulation. Too easily, surely? Whatever must he think of her? He deepened the kiss, held her a little tighter and all thoughts of propriety, duty and responsibility vacated her mind. Instead a tide of surging pleasure coursed through her, transporting her to a place beyond rationality.

Just as quickly as the kiss had started, it stopped. Abbey bit her lip to prevent herself from protesting. A moment ago she had definitely wanted him to stop—she was almost certain she had. Now she felt affronted because he had done so without her permission. She struggled out of his embrace, hot with embarrassment, and turned her back on him as she endeavoured to regain her composure.

“I’ve upset you,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I apologise. I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know what came over me.”

Abbey, trembling with a combination of desire and confusion, shook his hand off. “What is that you want of me?” she asked, keeping her back turned towards him so he wouldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes.

“It was wrong of me—”

“One moment you’re treating me as though I’m a child. The next you are…well, you’re making advances.” Anger replaced her confusion and she swirled around, no longer caring if he saw how distressed she was. “Perhaps it’s true what everyone says about you.”

“That rather depends upon what they say.”

“They say you…well, that you have mistresses all over the place and you are anxious to leave here because you have a lady waiting for you at your hunting box.”

He quirked a brow. “And yet I stopped here with the deliberate intention of helping you. Or perhaps you think I mean to seduce you?”

“No, of course not!” She moved away from him. “Presumably you’re bored, but I won’t be your play thing. I absolutely will not!”

“I’m not surprised you have such a poor opinion of me. It shows how desperate you must have been to seek my help anyway,” he said softly. “And now I’ve offended you.”

“I’m not offended.” She tossed her head, willing the tears not to fall and spoil her display of dignity. “We ought to get back.”

“You have twigs in your hair,” he said.

“Have I?”

When he moved closer and extracted them, Abbey froze with indecision. She didn’t want him to touch her—not even her hair—but couldn’t return home decorated with twigs. She looked away until he had tidied her to his satisfaction. Then his thumb gently wiped away a rebellious fat tear that had slipped past her guard. Trust him to notice!

“There, that’s better.” His voice took on a brisk edge. “Come, we should get back before the snow starts.”

The horses had wandered to graze on a patch of grass close by. He caught them, helped her into her saddle, mounted Warrior and fell into step beside her. Abbey was still struggling to make sense of what had just happened. It was clear Lord Denver would offer no further explanation and so she tried to put the incident behind her. She still needed his help and it would be better not to frighten him off with missish displays of outrage.

“You ought to be aware that due to the grossest misfortune our presence at the chase was observed by Evans,” he said.

“Oh botheration!” Abbey’s hand flew to a face. “I thought you said we would remain undetected at the back of the field.”

“And so we would have done, had Evans not disobliged us by falling at that hawthorn hedge and then looking up just as we were clearing it.”

“I’ll be for it now,” she said gloomily.

“That’s why I gave you advance warning. Place the blame at my door and convince them I persuaded you to join the chase against your better judgement. They will have no difficulty in believing you.”

“Since you speak nothing less than the truth that is obviously what I shall tell them.”

He sent her an annoyingly smug smile. “Your uncle will be angry at first, I dare say, but he’ll get over it.”

“Perhaps Lord Evans won’t tell him,” she said without much conviction.

“We both know he will.”

“I expect my uncle will be more concerned that I rode out with you unescorted than anything else.”

“Yes, but no one else need be privy to that information so no lasting harm has been done to your reputation. Once your uncle recovers from his annoyance, he won’t wish it to be known. Besides, this is hardly the
ton
and the rules are less stringent in the country.”

“Lord Evans knows,” she reminded him.

“Yes, but it wouldn’t suit his purpose to broadcast the fact. As to your uncle, apart from evicting me from the house and ordering you never to speak to me again, what else can he do?”

Insist that you marry me. Please make him insist that!

Lord Denver’s apparent unconcern at the prospect of being deprived of her company caused a dull ache to take up residence in her breast and her temper to bubble over.

“If they do that,” she said, treating him to a quelling glance, “then how are we supposed to discover who wants to kill me?”

“We’ll find a way.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” Really, the man was insufferable. She lifted her chin as they rode into the stable yard and tried for a lofty expression. “You’re far too sure of yourself, my lord.”