Then she was lying there on the blanket bereft, actually shocked, he got up so quickly. He stood above her running a hand through his hair. He was panting. His face was flushed. When he finally met her eyes, she saw the regret in his. He hadn’t meant to arouse her like that, or himself.
That was even more apparent when he said, “We will forget that happened.”
She was flustered, incredibly disappointed, but she somehow managed to hide it by sitting up and pertly replying, “Of course, already forgotten.” Yet she knew she’d never forget it.
He gave her a skeptical look. She gave him a smile. If it killed her, she wasn’t going to let him know how deeply moved she was by what had just happened. So she added, “I’ll just consider it another lesson from Cupid.”
“Amanda, that’s not why I . . .”
Whatever he was going to say, he changed his mind and fell silent. She was too disturbed to probe or say any more about it herself. But she suddenly had help in putting it from her mind—for now. Getting to her feet, she pointed out to him what was missing and was able to laugh.
“It would appear you’ve caught a fish—and it’s run off with your pole.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT anyone could be grateful to a fish, but Amanda certainly was today. First she couldn’t help laughing at Devin’s confounded expression when he realized his fishing pole was nowhere in sight, then at the sight of his running along the edge of the creek looking for it. He was almost out of view when he found it.
But that bit of humor helped her to compose herself and push away the last remnants of the amazingly passionate encounter she’d just shared with him. She’d had no idea she could want a man so much, and she could probably have gone on living indefinitely without knowing that if she didn’t keep finding herself alone with such an earthy, virile man as Devin. She couldn’t imagine Kendall losing restraint like that. Robert she could—no, actually not even him. His amorous behavior at the ball had been fueled by drink. Without it he would likely remain the gentleman to a fault, which would exclude stealing kisses or revealing any improper passion prior to marriage.
Aware now that she had passions—twice confirmed!—she felt some urgency again about getting married, and quickly, so she could experience more of those passions in the appropriate manner. Yet now she had still another worry, thanks to a few of her married friends who’d admitted their husbands wouldn’t even sleep in the same bed with them and they made love with their bedclothes on! After today, she knew that she would not accept that sort of marriage, yet how the deuce could she find out ahead of time whether her choices would be that prudish after marriage? She certainly didn’t have to guess about Devin in that regard. He’d want them as naked as the day they were born. He wouldn’t mind her touching every inch of him. He’d probably encourage it!
She fanned herself for a moment, feeling quite steamy with the thought, then laughed at herself because she was feeling a little chilly now that the sun had gone behind a cloud.
She laughed again over Devin’s expression when he returned. “After all that, the bloody fish got away.”
“Well, I think I’ve had enough fishing for today.” She stood and shook out the blanket in preparation for leaving. “And I confess, I’m eager to meet the mare you brought me, so I’m going to the stable.”
He nodded and took the blanket from her to carry it and grabbed her pole. She paused only long enough to tip over the container of worms so they could crawl back to safety. She caught Devin rolling his eyes at her.
“And you actually thought you could bait your own hook?” he chuckled.
“I used to!”
“What a child will do isn’t a reflection of what the adult will do, because a child hasn’t yet acquired all the qualities he or she will grow into or develop as an adult. You turned out too softhearted, minx.”
She huffed, “That’s not a bad thing.”
“For a woman, no, it’s not.” He offered his arm to her.
She pretended not to notice and quickly moved off ahead of him. She was afraid to get too close to him right now because the passion they’d shared was still too fresh in her mind. He did catch up with her with his longer stride, but he didn’t insist on guiding her through the woods, merely walked beside her, keeping a respectable distance between them.
It took about fifteen minutes to return to the manicured grounds. With the house in full view now, he remarked, “Two hundred guests would fit easily into that edifice.”
She laughed. “Not really. The rooms are all oversize, and while many of the younger guests will be crowded together, many of the older ones will insist on private rooms. Did you get your room yet? Depending on how many people show up, you might be asked to share, too.”
“I haven’t been to the house yet. I stabled our horses and went off to fish.”
She wished now that he hadn’t. Some things were best left to the imagination. She’d known that she liked kissing Devin, but now she knew she liked it too much.
“Does she have a name?”
They’d gone straight to the stable and he’d just opened the stall so she could examine her new horse. The mare was beautiful, didn’t have that albino look that some whites had. Her color was solid, her eyes were blue. It was love at first sight!
“You can call her anything you like,” he said.
“I think I’ll call her Sarahtoo.”
“Another Sarah?”
“No, Sarahtoo.” She spelled it for him.
“Lady Amanda, did you want your carriage hitched?” old Herbert asked, approaching them.
“Not today.” She took a moment to introduce the old groom to Devin. “I came to visit my new mare.”
“You’re not happy with the old one?” Herbert asked curiously.
Amanda laughed. “No, I’m going to be riding this one.” When Herbert’s brows rose in surprise, she added, “Devin helped me to get over my fear. I’ve been riding for several weeks now.”
Amazed, Herbert walked away, shaking his head, mumbling, “The man’s a magician!”
She blushed while Devin chuckled. “Does everyone here know about your . . . reluctance to get back on a horse?”
“No, just my family and Herbert. He was my original instructor when I was a child.”
Devin nodded, understanding, then glanced across the aisle. “Who does that fine-looking Thoroughbred mare belong to? I noticed her immediately when I got here.”
Amanda didn’t have to look to know which horse he was talking about. “Me. She won two races. Her owner retired her with that undefeated record so he could demand an exorbitant price for her! My aunt heard that she was going to be sold, and I talked my father into buying her for me. That was four years ago.”
“But you were afraid to ride, so why would you want a horse like that?”
“For my carriage! I love racing it to Norford Town and back.”
Devin gave her an incredulous look. “Your father doesn’t object to that?”
She grinned. “Shh, he doesn’t know.”
“What else doesn’t he—?”
He cut himself off abruptly and took his eyes off her. She blushed. His tone had been sensual! But he obviously hadn’t meant it to be or hadn’t meant to allude to their second kissing lesson, which she didn’t doubt he’d been thinking of.
He cleared his throat and forced a casual tone. “So you never had her race again?”
“No, I liked owning an undefeated champion. While I was tempted a time or two to enter her, I resisted the urge because I didn’t want to take the chance of her losing her title.”
“Has she ever bred?”
“No.”
“Would you like to have her bred?”
Amanda shrugged. “I never thought of it because that would have kept me from using her as my carriage horse, but I just might be riding to town henceforth on Sarahtoo, so that could be a possibility now. Are you recommending one of your stallions? A joint venture, a
s it were?”
“She could produce a champion. You wouldn’t mind sharing a horse with me and having it entered in the races?”
What an exciting idea! A horse she actually owned racing and winning! Well, half-owned. But she liked the idea of sharing something like that with Devin even more. It would mean that she wouldn’t lose contact with him after . . . she married. What the devil. She’d just been deflated at the thought of marriage?!
Thoroughly confused by her emotions, she merely said, “Definitely something to think about.”
“In the meantime, are you ready for another lesson?”
Her stomach fluttered at those words! Because “lessons” with him had gone beyond riding. But he only meant on the mare, of course, and she left the stall, saying, “I’ll need to change clothes first, and you need to get settled in the house. I’ll meet you back here within the hour.” And she hurried away before he noticed her blush.
Chapter Forty
AMANDA ENJOYED RIDING AROUND the estate grounds that afternoon with Devin. Sarahtoo proved to be as gentle as her namesake, and it occurred to Amanda that she was beginning to really like riding. Her father wanted her to give up the notion of rounding out her lessons with the sidesaddle, which she was happy to agree with, since she’d been dreading those lessons. So riding no longer had any worries associated with it.
She pointed out to Devin all the places she had played as a child with either Rafe or her friend Rebecca, reminding him, “You met Rebecca at the ball, and my cousin Rupert, whom she married recently. You’ll see them tonight at dinner. Aunt Julie arrived this morning with her family.”
“I won’t intrude on a family dinner.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re our guest. It would be rude to decline.”
He gave her an amused look. “And how is it you think that would concern me?”
“Of course.” She tsked. “I forgot rudeness is your forte.”
He chuckled and said with a roguish grin, “I have a few, but that isn’t one of them.”
He was just teasing. She knew that. Yet the remark made her cheeks light up anyway because she didn’t doubt he’d just made a reference to his kissing skill, which he’d demonstrated twice for her—or perhaps something even more intimate, which she dreamily imagined him demonstrating for her.
But he wiped away the titillating thought by reminding her that his skill with horses was also one of his fortes when he added, “I’m going to be training your mare while I’m here. I want to make sure she doesn’t give you any difficulty.”
“Thank you.”
He did show up for dinner that night, when she’d almost been sure he wouldn’t. Ophelia and Raphael were there, both greeting him when he entered the room, though Rafe’s expression was a little less cordial than Ophelia’s. Esmerelda, Preston’s oldest sister, had shown up early, too, for Rafe’s birthday. She’d brought a lap robe to dinner and was wearing a coat over her thick brocade gown, which she intended to keep on, causing a few grins from those already gathered when she shooed off the footman who tried to take it from her. Her presence was why the room was a trifle warm tonight. She complained of cold nearly as much as her mother, Agatha, did. Agatha Locke usually declined to leave her rooms for any reason these days because of it, and tonight was no exception, though tomorrow night Preston would insist she make an appearance.
Julie was delighted to see Devin again and gave him an effusive greeting. She found him to be a perfect foil to her gruffness because he didn’t bat an eye over it, and she was in good form with that tonight, thanks to Rupert’s attire. Rupert was too handsome. Women even called him beautiful when he put on effeminate airs, which he did deliberately whenever he wore his bright satins. He wore them just for his mother, to rile her. It always worked.
Julie had sacrificed her softer side so many years ago so she could take on the role of both parents for her sons while they were so young. In an extreme transformation that mostly amused the family, she turned herself into somewhat of a bully. Rupert simply gave his mother purpose when he donned such unfashionable clothes, giving her something to browbeat him about, so she would continue to think her boys needed her. He didn’t actually wear those dandy clothes out in public, he only let her think he did. Besides, he rarely dressed outlandishly anymore because it was harder to get a reaction from his mother over it, when she was so pleased with him for finally settling down with a wife.
He was giving it a good attempt tonight, though, and his bright lemon satin coat with lace dripping from both cuffs immediately drew Julie’s eyes and her caustic remark “One of these days I’m going to find where you hide those atrocious clothes and make pillows out of them.”
Rupert gave her an angelic smile. “My tailor loves me.”
Julie snorted. “Your tailor should be shot.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I won’t embarrass Uncle Preston once the guests start arriving.”
Preston didn’t even glance up from eating to say in one of his more authoritative tones, “I know you won’t.”
But Julie pointed directly at Devin to say, “We already have a guest.”
Rupert glanced at Devin, too, grinned, then told his mother, “Cupids don’t count because they favor flitting around bare-arsed naked shooting little bows.” And to Devin: “Oh, I say, old man, we would make a pair, wouldn’t we?”
Julie scowled. Everyone else followed Preston’s lead and dug into his or her meal, except Devin, who was still watching the unusual one-sided bickering with interest.
“Using the proverbial image when the man does nothing of the sort?” Julie said to her son. “That doesn’t let you off the hook, m’boy.”
For some reason Julie wasn’t letting the subject go tonight as she usually did after a few disgruntled remarks, probably because they did have a guest, so she was embarrassed more than usual by her oldest son’s looking like a peacock. But Rebecca intervened, whispering something to her husband. He chuckled, but her expression turned stern, which made him stand up with a sigh.
He said with an aggrieved expression that most of them could tell was contrived, “You’ve finally won, Mother. You now have m’wife on your side.”
“About bloody time,” Julie mumbled as Rupert left the room to change into something reasonable.
Rebecca gave her mother-in-law a look that said, Enough, and Julie immediately turned her attention to Devin instead. Rarely mincing words, she posed a question that was bold even for her. “So, young man, we wonder, who is Cupid interested in?”
If Devin was surprised to become the center of attention with such a personal question directed at him, he hid it well, merely saying, “If such a lady existed, I wouldn’t discuss her over dinner, madam.”
“But I think more’n one of us are quite interested,” Julie continued.
“Indeed? Why?”
“How will it look if the man who makes happy marriages for others doesn’t have one himself?”
That was simply too personal even for Julie’s bluntness, prompting Preston to intervene at last. “Julie, m’dear, if you don’t give it a rest tonight, I’m going to hire Devin to find you a mate.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” at least four relatives said in so many words, both of Julie’s sons present included.
That did shut Julie up for the moment, and separate conversations started up after that. Raphael, sitting next to Devin, remarked on the pretty new mare he’d seen in the stable. Amanda didn’t hear Devin’s reply because she was reminded of her surprise just before dinner, when she’d asked her father what the mare had cost and found out that Devin had given the horse to her as a gift.
“He wouldn’t take payment for her, although I insisted several times,” Preston had answered. “Said she was a well-deserved gift for your courage and perseverance. You didn’t know?”
“No, I—I suppose he was embarrassed by the gesture so didn’t want to mention it to me” was all she could think to say about it.
He should have told her.
The reason he gave her father was simple enough, so why couldn’t he have told her that? But she wasn’t sitting next to him tonight so she wasn’t able to ask. She wished she were sitting next to him. Sitting across the table from him, she found it difficult to keep her eyes off him, and she lost count of the number of times their eyes met. She felt herself blushing every time she thought he might have noticed those covert glances. Rebecca noticed and kept grinning at her. Her brother noticed and frowned at her a few times.
Unfortunately, her father had noticed, too, and pulled her aside after dinner. “Should I speak to Devin about his intentions?”
She gasped. “No, of course not. His only intention is to turn me into an avid horsewoman.”
Preston raised a brow. “Yet you have trouble keeping your eyes off the man.”
She groaned inwardly. “Devin is very handsome. I can’t help noticing that.” She quickly added, “So are Lord Kendall and Lord Robert.”
Preston gave her a skeptical look. “I saw you with Brigston, m’dear. You barely looked at him the entire time he was in the same room with you.”
She sighed. “I’m confused is all. It’s deuced difficult, deciding between them, and while I’d hoped and prayed to have this very difficulty to deal with, now that I do have it, I don’t like it one bit!”
He chuckled over that complaint, but it suddenly dawned on her what his original question had implied. Amazed, she asked, “You actually wouldn’t object to Devin as a husband for me?”
“Why would I?”
“When I first saw him, I thought he was a brute. He doesn’t care if he gives that impression, you know. He is a gem in the rough, as it were, definitely not typical gentry. He’ll insult you without blinking, won’t even try to prevaricate to be polite as he ought to.”