The Hopeless Hoyden (26 page)

             
Glancing about, Emily saw they were quite alone, the others from their group having gone in different directions.  It entered her mind that now was the perfect time to question Gabriel about his rash promise to Tom about marrying her.  But Emily was thrilled with the attention he'd shown her since he'd helped her dismount.  With a few words, he'd placated her aunt, and now, with the prospect of a sunny afternoon at the fair, she loathed to bring up any unpleasantness.  The matter of their betrothal, she decided, could be put off until later.

             
They strolled among the booths, pausing to listen to different hawkers.  Gabriel caught Emily eying a pig roasting over a pit behind one of the stalls as the aroma of hot loaves of bread assailed his nostrils.  Leaning over, he let his lips brush her ear and softly asked, “Would you care for something to eat?"

             
When Emily's startled glance met his and a hot blush colored her cheeks, Gabriel laughed, glad to see the crease between her eyes disappear.  He figured she was concerned about the fact that Cecil Caldwell could go about as he pleased.  But he intended to avoid the matter for as long as possible.  And fortunately, the fair seemed to be diverting her thoughts.              

             
Stepping up to the counter, he bought two small loaves of bread along with a generous portion of succulent pork.  Standing by the counter, he watched Emily nibble away on the juicy meat.  From a wandering pie man, Gabriel purchased a slice of pigeon pie to share with her.  It delighted him to see how she relished every morsel and washed the whole down with a tumbler of lemonade.  In a society whereby ladies were expected to peck at their food in public, Gabriel was glad to see his Emily did not lack an appetite.

             
They stopped before a booth where Punch and Judy puppets were shouting and pummeling each other to the hilarious squeals of a dozen children.  Next, at Emily's urging, they examined what was reputed to be the skeletal remains of a man who was half donkey. 

             
At an equestrian exhibition they met up with Freddy and Jane.  Sylvia and Ellison soon joined them, the latter wearing a look of disgust, which Gabriel attributed to Sylvia clutching his friend's arm.  Together, they sat on low wooden benches.  Emily, Gabriel observed, was utterly fascinated by the performance put on by two men and a lady, clad in a pair of balloon-like pantaloons.  As horses circled the ring, the three balanced themselves on the backs of their mounts and jumped off and on while doing flips in mid air.

             
“How do you suppose they manage not to fall?" Emily asked, as wide-eyed as the children around them.

             
“Lots of practice," Gabriel answered.

             
“Don't look easy," Freddy added.

             
Ellison was less impressed.  “Queer way of making a living if you ask me.  You'd have to be some sort of fool to try it."

             
Freddy shook his head.  “No, I think they're gypsies."

             
“What an odd skirt the lady has on?" mused Emily as the female acrobat dismounted a white stallion by somersaulting off its rump.

             
“I believe those are pantaloons from the Far East," Jane spoke up.  When Freddy gave Jane an awed glance, the young lady blushed to the roots of her hair and stammered, “I read about them in a book."

             
Ellison dolefully shook his head. “Ain't the thing for a woman to wear pants."

             
“But those do not show the shape of her legs," Emily said.  “And see how much more freedom she has.  She could never ride like that in a cumbersome skirt."

             
With one finger laid along the side of his nose, Freddy answered in an overly loud whisper, “They ain't British, you know."

             
Gabriel, while inclined to chuckle over Freddy's succinct explanation for the performers' peculiarities, had an uneasy suspicion that Emily's questions were prompted by more than casual interest.  “That is not something an ordinary person can do, Emily."

             
Without taking her gaze off the acrobats, she cocked her head to one side.  “No, but it must be very exciting, all the same."

             
Tom, who had slipped in late with Prudence on his arm, chided, “Don't be beacon-brained, Em."

             
Warning signals suddenly went off in Gabriel's head.  If Emily's brother felt the need to admonish her, surely that spelled trouble.   “Em--"

             
“Oh pooh," she laughed before Gabriel could say more.  “Not you, too, my lord.  What harm can there be in daydreaming about doing such feats."

             
Tom had an answer.  “It ain't ladylike, that's what for one."

             
“That has never stopped your sister before," Sylvia sniped.

             
Seeing the light dim in the depths of Emily's eyes, Gabriel decided to side with his wood sprite.  "Emily's right, Tom.  There's not a one of us who hasn't fantasized of achieving some daring feat.  After all, where would this world be if we couldn't fall back on our dreams to get us through the rough parts."

             
Emily turned to Gabriel and rewarded him with a dazzling smile, though she made no comment.  It was enough just to know that he did understand.  And one more reason why she was finding it extremely difficult to break the engagement.  Turning her gaze back to the acrobats, she was more confused than ever.

             
The show ended and their little group moved on to the next attraction.  Emily was highly conscious of Gabriel's hand at the small of her back as he solicitously guided her through the crowd.  By the time they gathered at the landau, it was nearing the hour for tea.  Ladies Raines and Spivey had long since taken their places in the carriage, anxious to return to the Park.               

             
As they passed the carriage, Emily noted her aunt's curious eyes on her while Lady Raines, looking particularly grumpy, said,  “I am as open minded as the next, but all this mingling with the hoi-poli is hardly beneficial.  It can only give them airs above their stations."

             
“Perhaps," replied Gabriel, putting his hands about Emily's waist, then lifting her on Marabell's back.  “But it amounts for a fun outing."

             
“And you, Emily?" asked Esmeralda, vigorously fanning herself.  “Did you enjoy mixing with the rabble like some republican?"

             
Before Emily could reply, Gabriel winked at her and said, “We all did, Lady Spivey, as well as your goddaughter, Miss Burke-White."

             
The only one who did not enjoy the day was Ellison.  He confided to Emily on the ride back that he detested ladies who hung on his arm.

             
“Don't mean I ain't partial to females, mind you," the dandy added, giving her a meaningful look after glaring at Sylvia's back where she rode beside Gabriel. “But can't abide clinging vines.  All that grasping quite tends to put creases in smooth lines of one's sleeve, you know."

             
Glancing ahead, Emily saw Gabriel politely listening to Sylvia's chatter.  He appeared the perfect host, although she noticed how he scowled every time his eyes strayed to Deborah and Cecil, who rode with Freddy and Chesterfield.  Of course, she was disappointed that Sylvia had maneuvered Gabriel away from her. But for once, Emily was too preoccupied with ideas she’d gleaned from the fair to be perturbed.

###

              At breakfast the next morning, Gabriel planned to entice Emily in a ride about his estate.  More and more, he craved her smiles, her laughter.  He was disappointed when his wood sprite didn't show and decided to ride out to see one of his tenants.  He was headed for the stable when his bailiff waylaid him going down the hall.

             
“Good morning, milord," Gibson hailed him.  “May I have a word with you?"

             
“Can it wait, Gibson?"

             
“I require only a moment of your time, milord."

             
Nodding his consent, Gabriel led the way to his study.  Once the door was shut, Gibson came straight to the point.

             
“I thought you'd want to know there's been talk of a stranger hanging about."

             
“Have you a description of the man?"

             
“No one's seen enough of him to do that.  Shies away from folk, and he wears his cap pulled down so it covers his face.  He's been hanging around the west boundary mostly.  I checked the old gamekeeper's place, and there are signs of someone using it recently."

             
Gabriel was silent for a moment as he assimilated this information.

             
“Shall I set a trap for the poacher?"

             
Gabriel caught the expectant glint in his loyal bailiff's eyes.  “He's not a poacher.  But he's likely armed and could be dangerous.  Just keep an eye on the hut, Gibson, and report back to me anything you see."

             
At the stable, Gabriel ran down his head groom in the tackle room.  “Have you seen Miss Pendleton this morning, Gresham?"

             
“Aye, milord."  The gray haired man laid aside the bridle he'd been mending.  “The little miss had me saddle up that mare of hers over an hour ago.  Headed out toward the north pasture," the old man added with a knowing grin.  “Ain't no cause to worry none, milord.  I sent Jeb out with the little miss."

             
Still, Gabriel found this unsettling.  With Cecil's accomplice close at hand--for there was little doubt of the identity of the interloper at the old gamekeeper's hut--Gabriel was now anxious to find Emily.  There was no telling the trouble she could get into on her own.

             
Twenty minutes later, Gabriel blinked several times after coming out of a spinney of pine trees into the bright sunshine and encountered Jeb, sitting on a cob horse with his eyes fixed on Emily with a look of awe.

             
“You can return to the stable, Jeb," Gabriel instructed the groom.  “I'll look after Miss Pendleton."

             
Gabriel didn't notice the groom leaving as his own gaze focused on Emily.  He hoped his eyes were deceiving him. 

             
But they weren't.

*** Chapter 12 ***

             
By Jove, the girl needed a keeper!               

             
Gabriel urged Ajax forward, all the while holding his breath.  Barefooted, which didn't surprise him in the least, Emily was standing on Marabell's rump, arms outstretched for balance as the little mare trotted across the field.  It was inevitable that before he could reach her, Marabell stumbled over a dirt clod, causing Emily to lose her footing.

             
Gabriel helplessly watched as his beloved tumbled head over heels to the ground.  He dismounted Ajax before the stallion skidded to a halt and went down on one knee before the still form of his fallen wood sprite.  Gently, his fingers began an exploration for broken bones.  His efforts earned him a giggle.

             
“Do stop, Gab.  That tickles."

             
“Damn, Emily."  Breathing a sigh of relief, Gabriel sat back on his haunches and took in her hair splayed across the grass, her brilliant smile, her sparkling eyes.  “You scared me half to death."

             
“Why?"

             
“Because," he ground out between gritted teeth while springing forward, to grab her by her slender shoulders.  “You could have broken your neck."

             
“Oh pooh.  All I did was fall off Marabell, and that has happened--"               

             
He stopped her chatter, scooping her up by the shoulders and clutching her to him in a fierce hug.  “You silly, foolish, lovable girl.  Don't you know by now I'd be lost if anything happened to you?"

             
He pulled back to stare into her violet eyes and was surprised by the confusion they held.  He could only deduce that somehow he had frightened her and so allowed more space between them.  “What would I do without you to watch my back?" he said, trying for a lighter tone.

             
“Your back?"  Bewilderment lingered in her eyes for a few more seconds before being replaced by something else.  Was it disappointment?

             
“Have you forgotten our bargain already?" he teased, wanting her to smile again.  But she shuttered those expressive eyes, leaving him more in the dark than before.               

             
“Help me up, please, my lord."