The Irish Duke (38 page)

“Messing about?”

“Take you for a row, among other things.”

He was clad in a white silk shirt and her eyes were drawn to his wide shoulders.
He has the muscles of a champion oarsman.
She tried not to picture him without his shirt, but it was impossible. “Among other things?”

“All right, I’ll confess. I’d like to teach you to swim. I want you to conquer your fear of the water, if that’s possible.”

“I’m not afraid of water!” she protested. “I’m only afraid of male louts who push me under.”

“Do you consider me a male lout, Louisa?”

“That remains to be seen. So far you have shown me only gallantry,” she admitted.

“Flattery, begod.” He picked up the tray and put it between them on the bed. “I brought us breakfast to save time, and the cook is packing us a lunch so we can eat out by the lakes.” He served her scrambled eggs and held a rasher of crispy bacon to her lips. Its smoky aroma was too tempting to resist. She ate it eagerly and took another piece.

“Greedy wench! Save some for me.”

She reached out and held a strip of bacon to his lips. Before he could bite down on it, she snatched it away. Then she relented and offered it again.

He grabbed her hand so she couldn’t pull it away a second time; then he proceeded to eat the bacon. On the last bite, his teeth came down on her fingers.

She drew in a sharp breath, anticipating the sharp bite, but instead James licked her fingers with his tongue. He smiled knowingly when she shivered. “Stop teasing!”

He lowered his gaze to her lush breasts; then he rolled his eyes in mock ecstasy. “On the contrary, Lady Abercorn, you are the one who is doing the teasing.”

“Since you are the one who pulled off my covers, you are the villain in this game. So suffer away, Lord Bloody Abercorn.”

James grinned with appreciation.

“Someday, if you practice long and hard, you may be a match for me.”
Long and hard . . . o my God, I can’t believe I just said that.
She felt her cheeks suffuse with a blush.

Eyes brimming with laughter, James focused on finishing his breakfast. When he was done he got up from the bed. “I’ll let you get ready. Whatever it is you put on under your dress, make sure it’s suitable for swimming.”

Thinking of the adventures to come filled her with eager anticipation. She opened a drawer to select a petticoat, and mischief bubbled inside her.
I’ll make his eyes roll!

 

Because it was warm, Lu wore a plain cream linen dress for their ride to the lakes. James left off his coat and wore only his shirt and riding breeches. The blue sky reflecting in the water made the chain of lakes look like a sparkling necklace.

“Look, there’s an otter,” she said, pointing to the shallows.

“He’s a bold fellow. Look carefully and you should see his mate. They are bonded into pairs by summer.”

“Yes, there she is! I don’t know anything about otters.”

“The females are called queens. She’s a plump one. She’ll be giving birth any day.”

“Do they have litters?”

“No, usually just one pup, sometimes two. They are playful and highly intelligent. Look at the flat rocks at the edge of the water. If you watch quietly, you’ll see them dive for crustaceans, then carry them to the rocks and crack open the shells with a stone.”

“I enjoy watching wild creatures. They are so clever.”

He pointed to the branches of a willow tree at the edge of the water. “Do you see that raven? He’s so intelligent that he makes use of the otters’ skill. If a raven finds something with an extremely hard shell, like a nut, he will leave it on the rock and wait for an otter to crack it open for him.”

“It could be a female raven,” she pointed out.

“Yes, females are likely more intelligent than the male of the species. They certainly have the self-confidence to survive and make sure their offspring thrive.” James wanted Louisa to develop more confidence in herself. Though she tried valiantly, she could not always hide her vulnerability. Teaching her to swim would give her self-assurance.

They rode on and dismounted beside a rustic boathouse. “No need to tether the horses, Lu. They’ll enjoy roaming the bank of the lake and cropping the lush grass.” James removed their saddles and placed them under a shade tree. He opened the boathouse door and they went inside. There were two boats. One was a skull that he used for racing practice, and the other was a rowboat complete with crimson leather cushions. He got in first to hold it steady, then offered his hand in invitation.

Without hesitation she placed her hand in his and stepped into the boat. She sat down opposite him to watch his every movement. He placed the oars into the oarlock sockets, sat down facing her, and braced his feet.

As they glided from the boathouse into the lake, he tracked a straight course without turning around to see where he was going. When he felt the hot sun on his shoulders, he removed his shirt. “If you like, I’ll take us through all three lakes.”

Lu gazed at his naked chest and rippling muscles. “Yes, I do like.”

“Rowing is great exercise, but it’s also good for the mind. The rhythm of the strokes brings a sense of peacefulness and lets you become one with your surroundings.”

Louisa sighed with pleasure as his long, slow strokes carried them smoothly down the lake. She noticed the shape of his strong hands on the oars and saw that he dropped his wrists at the end of each stroke, feathering the spoon-shaped oars so they glided over the surface. Rowing was second nature to him, and his technique wasted little energy.

“Careful, there are ducks behind you.” She heaved a sigh of relief as they glided past the boat without so much as a ruffled feather.

“Those are tufted ducks. We call them
tufties
; they stay all year round.”

“Oh, they have babies . . . how sweet.”

“Everything has babies at this time of year. It is the order of nature.”

Louisa looked down into the crystal clear water and saw that it was teeming with hatchling fishes. When James rowed into the second lake, it was populated with swans.

“You are right, James. The swans are so majestic. I cannot believe how tiny their cygnets are. They look like little balls of gray fluff.”

“Before summer is over, they’ll develop brown feathers. They don’t start to get white plumage until their second year.”

“You are a true nature lover. It makes me happy that you are not a hunter.”

When they reached the far end of the third lake, James turned the rowboat.

“Don’t you need a rest?” she asked with surprise.

“None of the lakes is more than a mile and a half in length. Both ways adds up to less than eight miles.”

She laughed. “And I suppose you could row that far with one arm tied behind you?”

He grinned. “Of course not—we’d go in circles.”

As she watched his powerful arms, she was reminded of the dream she’d had last night.
He held me in those arms and it made me feel beautiful and desirable.
She lowered her lashes in a deliberate attempt to protect herself from the irresistible lure of the attractive devil. But even though she couldn’t see him, she felt the mesmerizing rhythm of his strokes and heard the enticing splash of the water. Her heartbeat took on the same exciting tempo as his compelling nearness threatened to overwhelm her.

When she glanced up and saw the boathouse, it broke the spell that held her in thrall.

James guided the boat inside, jumped out, and tied it securely. Then he reached out to help her alight. When she placed her hand in his with complete trust, he knew that half the battle was won. He picked up his shirt but didn’t put it on.

The sun was high in the sky as he walked beneath the shade tree to retrieve lunch from his saddlebags. “I worked up an appetite. Are you hungry?”

“That all depends on what you have to offer, my lord.”

James smiled a secret smile. “You choose the spot—sun or shade?”

“Sun . . . and let’s go closer to the water.”

He spread his silk shirt on the grass to protect her dress. When she sat down, he knelt and unwrapped a huge linen napkin to reveal crusty whole wheaten bread and soft homemade cheese. There was a string of spicy dried sausages and two russet apples. “It’s peasant fare, unlikely to tempt a lady.”

“It looks good to me. But then my tastes are not too refined.”

“That’s encouraging,” he teased. “Perhaps I still stand a chance.”

She ignored his beguiling words but could not close her eyes to the fact that he was wooing her. Louisa helped herself to some bread and cheese. “This is delicious.”

James poured them each a cup of blackberry wine. “I promise this isn’t as strong as poteen.” He bit down on a spicy sausage. “Try one of these.” When she looked skeptical, he goaded her. “You have to be adventurous to eat an Irish sausage. God knows what unthinkable porcine parts they put in it.”

She took one immediately. “I’m adventurous. I’ll try anything once.”

His eyes were alight with mischief. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Cheeky Irish sod!” When she finished the sausage, she licked her fingers and picked up an apple.

His eyes never left her face as she bit into it with gusto, and laughed when the juice ran down her chin. When she finished, she stood up and tossed the core into the trees. “The deer will eat it. They enjoy apples.”

He reached into the napkin and pulled out something wrapped in tissue paper. He undid it and held out his hand. In the center of his palm sat a sugared mouse.

“Oh, James!” She went down on her knees and touched it with her finger. The love token had totally disarmed her. She took it to her mouth and licked it.

“Swatemate,” he murmured, his eyes on her lips.

She knew he was not referring to the mouse.
I’m his swatemate.

He picked up his apple and lay back in the grass, enjoying the feel of the sun on his bare chest. When he finished it, he closed his eyes.

She stole a glance at him, and when she saw his dark lashes resting on his cheeks, she gathered the courage to allow her eyes to roam over his naked torso. His tanned skin stretched tautly over wide shoulders and the rippling muscles of his powerful chest. Once again her dream came back to her and she remembered exactly how it felt to be enclosed in his embrace and pressed to his heart. She felt drawn to him by an invisible force that was so compelling it was impossible to resist. Stealthily, she moved closer. She could smell his sun-warmed skin and see the faint shadow of his beard along his jaw. She reached out her fingers to touch the crisp black hair that curled on his chest.

Her hand stopped midair. Words he had said to her in the library at Woburn came back to her:
Your jasmine stole to me some time ago.
She knew he would be able to smell her perfume.
Don’t play with fire, Louisa.
She moved away from him cautiously, silently. Then she stood up and walked to the water’s edge, putting a safe distance between them.

Ten minutes later, James sat up. He had been fully aware of Louisa’s close proximity and her desire to touch him. He silently rejoiced and hugged the secret knowledge to himself. “Are you ready to swim?” he called.

She hesitated. If she backed out she knew he would think she had lost her courage. Worse, she would consider herself a coward. “Of course I’m ready.”

He tucked the remainder of their lunch into his saddlebags and pulled out a couple of towels. He joined her at the lake’s edge and removed his riding breeches. “Your turn.”

She glanced at his linen undergarment, removed her dress, dropped it onto the grass, and waited for his reaction. He didn’t disappoint her. He staggered in shock and rolled his eyes. Instead of the petticoat he was expecting, she stood before him clad in white drawers decorated with crimson ruffles. Her tiny busk was adored with red ribbon.

“If I’d known you were wearing such scandalous trappings beneath your prim and proper dress while I was rowing the boat, I would likely have capsized us.”

His teasing made her laugh. “Don’t pretend to be shocked, Abercorn. You are the one who believes my undergarments are designed to be flaunted.”

“You have extremely theatrical taste, Lady Lu. Are you ready for your water ballet?”

She giggled as she took his outstretched hand and waded waist deep into the lake. “Ooh, it’s cold.”

“A bit bracing when you first get wet, but you’ll soon get used to it. I think you should learn to float before you try to swim. Take a deep breath to fill your lungs with air, then lie back in the water. I’ll keep my arms underneath you so you won’t sink.”

She did as he instructed her, splashing about whenever she felt insecure, but kept at it doggedly. Never once did James allow her to sink or let her nose and mouth go below the surface. Finally she gained enough confidence to put her head back and float on her own. “I did it!” she cried.

“You certainly did. Take a bow, marchioness.”

“Let me do it again. Stand over there and be ready to catch me if I sink.”

She floated perfectly, and he applauded her performance. “You are ready for a swimming lesson. May I suggest the breast stroke?” He knew she had no idea that her white drawers were transparent in the water, so he made a valiant effort not to roll his eyes in appreciation.

He placed his hand beneath her chin. “Keep one foot on the bottom and pretend you are swimming. When you’re ready, lift your leg and kick.”

Louisa did it over and over, but each time she felt confident enough to lift her foot off the bottom, she began to sink. She feared her face would go under the water, but James supported her chin, never allowing her mouth or nose to dip beneath the surface.

“Do you think I’ll ever do it?”