His Reluctant Lady (8 page)

“
As it turns out, they won’t
be able to make it.”

“
That’s strange. I don’t
recall being notified of this, and considering we haven’t even had
breakfast, it’s too soon for you to receive any such
news.”

“
Yes, well, I had the
pleasure of talking to Claire at the ball, and she doesn’t like
horses. The whole thing upset her terribly, so I offered to take
her place.”

With a sigh, he shrugged. “All
right.”

“
All right?” Christopher
asked, not believing his guardian was so quick to accept
it.

“
It’s obvious to me you have
every intention of spending the day with Lady Richfield and will
probably do whatever it takes to make it happen. I could spend the
next three days fighting it or just accept it now and enjoy some
peace and quiet.”

“
Three days? That’s when
this outing will occur?” Perry nodded, and his grin grew wider.
“Splendid!” In three short days, he’d get to be with Lady
Richfield. He couldn’t wait!

“
Now, let’s enjoy some
breakfast.”

Chapter Seven

Three days later, Agatha’s hold on her
horse’s reins tightened when she realized Lord Clement brought
Mister Robinson with him. The two were still a ways off but even
so, she could feel the weight of Mister Robinson’s stare on her.
Was there nothing he wouldn’t do to be with her?

She glanced at Sophie who was fidgeting
in her saddle. “I know it’s been years since you’ve been on a
horse, but please act like it wasn’t that long ago. Lord Clement
loves horse riding. This will give you something in
common.”

Sophie grimaced. “I don’t enjoy riding
them as much as I used to. Walking is more convenient.”

“
Once you’re married, you
can make up excuses on why you’re unable to ride, but for now, you
have to grin and bear it.”

She settled into the saddle but sighed.
“I don’t want to marry him.”

“
Why not?”

“
I love to dance and he
can’t dance. Shouldn’t it be important that he shares some of my
interests?”

Agatha began to laugh but stopped when
she realized the gentlemen were almost in hearing distance. “No one
cares what the lady thinks, Sophie. It’s a gentleman’s world and
the sooner you come to grips with that, the better off you’ll
be.”

“
Lord Thomas liked to dance.
He danced very well, too.”

“
Lord Thomas lacks
intelligence. In addition to riding elephants and camels, he walks
on burning coal and puts fire in his mouth.” She shivered as she
recalled his ‘adventures’. “You’d be much better off with a
gentleman who doesn’t take undue risks.”

The gentlemen arrived and she turned
her gaze to Lord Clement. “We’re glad you could make it, my
lord.”

“
As we are that you two
ladies have made it, though I could have provided horses for you,”
Lord Clement replied. “I hope you didn’t go through too much
trouble.”

“
Of course not,” she assured
him with a smile. “I already had these two. There was no need to
let mine linger about in their stalls all day.”

“
Well, they’re fine
steeds.”

“
Thank you.”

“
I hope you don’t mind that
I brought my cousin and ward, Mister Robinson, with me. Lord and
Lady Roderick were unable to come.”

Agatha glanced from Mister Robinson to
Lord Clement. So there were related. Who was to know this little
inconvenience would pop up? But it explained why Mister Robinson
was able to work his way into today’s outing. Her smile strained,
she said, “It’s certainly a small world.”

“
Indeed it is,” Mister
Robinson agreed, undaunted by her less-than-enthusiastic reaction.
Looking at his cousin, he added, “Lady Richfield and I will follow
you and Miss Garrison.”

As her sister and Lord Clement rode
ahead of them, Agatha reluctantly urged her horse to ride beside
Mister Robinson down Rotten Row. At least the broad track was aptly
named. This outing was bound to be one rotten
experience.

While Lord Clement and Sophie talked,
Mister Robinson glanced in Agatha’s direction. “You do well on a
horse.”

“
Of course, I do.” She
wasn’t incompetent on it like her first husband was. “Just because
I’m a lady, it doesn’t mean I can’t ride as well as a
gentleman.”

“
I never implied you didn’t
ride as well as a gentleman.”

“
That’s true,” she
relented.

“
Why would you even think
I’d say something like that?”

“
Because most gentlemen
assume a lady can’t do anything as well as they can.” She looked at
him, challenging him to argue this simple fact with her.

He laughed and shot her a charming
smile that made her heartbeat pick up. She hated it when he did
that. A gentleman had no right to be so good looking when he smiled
that way. “I assure you that I don’t doubt your abilities, my lady.
You ride better than some gentlemen I know. You also have sharper
wit than most of them.”

She relaxed. “Oh.”

“
Don’t be so quick to judge
me. I know you’re my equal. It’s why you enchant me.”

She had no idea what was wrong with
him. Any other gentleman would have given up on her by now. Why he
insisted on pursuing her, she couldn’t understand. “Mister
Robinson, would it help if I told you that I have no intention of
marrying anyone? My disinterest in you isn’t personal. I’m a very
happy widow. I answer to no gentleman, and I prefer it that
way.”

“
Now you do me a grave
disservice. I don’t want to control you. I want to be your
companion, someone you’ll share life’s joys and sorrows with,
someone who’ll stand by your side and support you in all your
endeavors.”

Be her companion? Since when did any
gentleman want that, unless… “I have no desire to take a lover,”
she said in a low voice so the couple ahead wouldn’t overhear
her.

“
Me neither. I don’t do
anything halfway. I want all of you.”

She sighed. “What will it take to make
you give up this foolish nonsense? Money?”

He gasped and pressed his hand to his
chest. “Surely, my lady, you don’t mean to imply that I am so
shallow that I only value you for your money.”

“
It’s no secret I’m
wealthier than most widows.”

“
My cousin has plenty of
money. If I cared so much about money, I’d do everything I could to
make sure my cousin never got married. Without an heir, his title
and money will go to me.”

“
But he’s young. The chance
of him dying anytime soon is minimal, something that makes marriage
to a wealthy widow more appealing.”

“
It’s a shame you think so
little of me. I suppose only time will prove my intentions are
honorable.”

Goodness! Did that mean he really
wasn’t going to stop vying for her hand? She didn’t know whether to
be excited or frustrated. As much as he baffled her, she found his
determination intriguing.

“
May I visit you sometime?
Say tomorrow afternoon?” he asked.

“
No. I need to do something
important.” This wasn’t a lie. She needed to get back to her
writing, and she got so little opportunities to do it ever since
she agreed to help her sister find a suitable husband.

“
I can help you with
whatever pressing matter you have,” he offered.

“
What I need to do has to be
done alone.”

“
Lady Richfield,” he began,
his eyes pleading with her, “can’t you give me a chance? I won’t
disappoint you.”

“
So you will give up your
pointless pursuit?”

“
No. I’m just afraid if you
keep forcing me out, then I might have to find a
less-than-desirable way to marry you. Scandals are easy to arrange
if one is creative enough.”

“
Do you take such delight in
being a rake?”

“
I don’t mind being one. My
cousin does but I don’t let his opinion stop me from doing what I
want. I will only delight in taking you as my wife, and I will do
whatever it takes to make that happen.”

“
Hmm… That sounds like a
threat.”

He shrugged but shot her a disarming
grin. “If you truly minded my company, you’d find a way to join in
the conversation up there.” He nodded toward his guardian and her
sister. “I can’t help but notice you’ve stuck by my
side.”

“
Only to give my sister time
to get acquainted with your guardian.”

“
If you insist…”

She narrowed her eyes at his tone. She
shouldn’t be surprised that he didn’t believe her. The gentleman
must assume every lady was hoping he’d pay attention to her. Well,
she had no need to give into his delusions. She urged the horse to
quicken its pace so that she was riding alongside her sister.
Offering Sophie and Lord Clement a smile, she asked, “Having a
pleasant conversation?”

“
I can’t speak on Miss
Garrison’s behalf, but I am,” he replied.

Agatha glanced at her sister who said,
“Yes, it’s pleasant.”

“
Good,” Agatha replied. At
least someone was enjoying this afternoon excursion.

“
Well, I’m having a
marvelous time,” Mister Robinson called out as he rode up along
Agatha’s other side. “I can’t remember when I’ve had so much
enjoyment. Maybe it’s the beautiful weather. It’s a gorgeous day.
The kind of day where everyone should be outside.”

“
I couldn’t have said it
better myself,” Lord Clement agreed. “And it certainly is nice to
be in the company of such beautiful ladies.”

“
Yes, that’s true,” Mister
Robinson added, winking at Agatha.

Her hold on the reins
tightened, and as much as she wanted to believe it was because he
was irritating her, a strange spark of excitement shot through her.
The gentleman had the charm of a rake but seemed to possess a hint
of innocence as well. She didn’t get the sense he made it a habit
of pursuing ladies. At least he never made it in the
Tittletattle
, and if
anyone should know which gentlemen pursued the ladies, she would.
Not once did his name pop up in any of the circles she attended
when she dressed up as
Gerard
Addison.

She needed to submit a piece
of gossip to the
Tittletattle
before the week was up. That meant she had to find
a way to slip out of the townhouse again without being caught in
her disguise. She groaned. Between helping Sophie find a husband
and masquerading as two gentlemen, she had little time to write as
of late, and it was starting to annoy her.

“
Something troubling you, my
lady?”

She looked at Mister
Robinson who continued to smile in that irritatingly charming way
of his. “Actually, there is. Have you done anything worthy of
the
Tittletattle
?”

“
I should hope not,” Lord
Clement said with a slight frown at his ward.

“
I’ve been on my best
behavior ever since I returned from Lord Roderick’s estate,” he
told his guardian, his tone indicating that he was offended by the
notion anyone would think otherwise. Turning his gaze back to
Agatha, he added, “Truly, I have been a saint.”

She sighed in disappointment. While she
didn’t expect him to come out and admit any scandalous behavior in
front of his guardian, she’d hoped his expression would hint at
something she could extract from him. Well, she’d have to pay Ethan
a visit. Perhaps he heard of something at White’s she could use
unless Mister Robinson knew something. He was Ethan’s friend, after
all.

“
I’ll let you get back to
your conversation,” she told Sophie and Lord Clement then pulled
the reins on her horse so it slowed.

As she hoped, Mister Robinson followed
her lead and returned to her side. “I don’t blame you for leaving
them,” he told her. “I think they were discussing the weather and
horses. Boring topics, if you ask me.”

“
If they enjoy such
conversations, then they might be well matched.”

“
If that’s the case, then
yes. I, however, prefer something a little more stimulating. When I
talk to someone, I want to stay awake, not fall asleep.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to
suggest that he might want to follow his guardian’s example if he
expected a reputable lady to take an interest in him. He didn’t
have a title or a significant amount of money to his name to get
away with some of the topics he enjoyed talking about. But at the
moment, she needed him to engage in some of his scandalous talk.
“You’re well acquainted with Lord Edon, aren’t you?” she asked,
deciding to offer a flirtatious smile his way.

“
Yes. We’re good
friends.”

Excellent. She scooted her horse closer
to him so she could lower her voice. No sense in anyone overhearing
her. “Does he tell you what happens at White’s?”

“
I see no reason why he
should. I belong there myself.”

“
You do?”