The Trouble With Princesses (12 page)

She drew to a halt, her eyes fixing on the waiting curricle. “Oh, is that what we’re taking?”

“Yes,” he said, walking forward to assist her up into the vehicle. “What did you imagine we would be driving?”

“Well, there was talk of a high perch phaeton this morning at breakfast.”

He shook his head with wry amusement as he got her settled in the seat. “That was
your
talk, not mine. Only a fool would let a beginner try to learn on a high perch phaeton. The first time you drew up short, we’d both be tossed over the horses’ heads and break our necks.”

She was unusually quiet as he leapt into the curricle and took a seat beside her. Gathering the reins in his hands, he checked for traffic, then set the horses in motion.

“So, are you really going to teach me to drive?” she asked after a long moment, “or did you just tell Emma and Nick that so you could get us conveniently alone?”

“Both, actually. As I said this morning, we need a plausible reason to be in each other’s company more often.”

“And I told you I don’t see why. You could come to my room at night and we can continue on as we’ve always done the rest of the time.”

“Trust me,” he said, not surprised by her stubbornness. “This will be the better arrangement.” He maneuvered past a heavy, slow-moving coach and four. “Do you not want to learn to drive? Somehow I thought it might appeal to you, particularly given the freedom it would afford you.”

She shot him a glance from under her eyelashes. “I hadn’t really given serious consideration to the idea before, but yes, you’re right. It does have a distinct appeal, I must confess.”

Her blush-pink lips curved upward as if she were savoring the notion, her jewel-bright eyes sparkling. She let out a sultry little laugh, a sound that went straight to his groin.

His hands tightened on the reins and he shifted on the seat. He forced himself to keep his eyes on the road rather than giving in to the impulse to stare at her.

There would be time later for that and more.

A great deal more.

But first he had driving lessons to give.

“When do we begin, then?” she asked. “Can we start now? Here, pass me the reins.”

He gave a short laugh. “Are you mad? I would like to live through the rest of the afternoon, if you don’t mind.”

“I wouldn’t be that bad.”

“No, you would be worse.”

She crossed her arms. “If you think my driving will be so very dreadful, then why are you bothering to teach me at all?”

“I believe we’ve already established the reason. But you mistake the matter. I don’t think you’ll be dreadful, not once you have a bit of instruction. Until then, however, I’m not about to set you loose on a street full of unsuspecting passersby.”

“Fine,” she bit out. “You don’t have to be so cross about it, you know.”

His brows rose. “Who is being cross?”

“You are. But then what else should I have expected? Perhaps I ought to have you take us back to Lyndhurst House. I knew if I was with you for any appreciable amount of time, we were bound to start a row.”

“Is that what we’re doing? I can’t say I mind arguing with you these days. Not when it leads to such interesting consequences.”

When she remained silent, he turned his head to look at her, trying to decide if she was really angry or not. “Do you truly want me to turn around? It seems a shame, seeing we’re nearly to Green Park. I thought it would be a nice quiet place where you can practice without fear of encountering a great many other vehicles. Assuming you still want to learn to drive, that is.”

She lowered her arms to her sides and said, “I do. But only if you curb that nasty tongue of yours.”

“As you wish. But be careful, Ariadne. You might find you like it if my tongue is a bit nasty every now and again.”

Her gaze flew to his, her green eyes wide as she digested the implications of his remark.

He grinned back, suddenly realizing that he was going to enjoy this affair of theirs even more than their sparring.

A few minutes later they arrived at the park. He drove to one of the less-used lanes, then brought the team to an easy stop. The meadow stretched around them, the grass rippling slightly in the light breeze.

“Here we are,” he announced. “Time to begin. Let me show you how to take the reins.”

“Oh, I can take then now, can I?” she said mockingly.

“Only because you’re in no danger of killing anyone here.”

She made a face.

“Don’t pout. It’s very unbecoming, even if it does put me in mind to kiss you.”

Her brows arched. “Does it?”

“Indeed. But only because of the way your lips look and not because of what is coming out of them.”

“You’re treading on very thin ice today, Your Royal Highness,” she warned teasingly. “Very thin.”

But rather than rise to her bait, he laughed.

After a moment, she laughed too. “So, how do I hold the reins?”

•   •   •

Half an hour later, Ariadne slowed the powerful team of horses from a gentle trot to a controlled walk, her arms aching slightly from the unaccustomed strain as she guided the carriage along the park lane.

“Splendid, Ariadne,” Rupert said encouragingly. “Really splendid. If I didn’t know this was your first time driving, I wouldn’t have believed it. You’re clearly a natural.”

She smiled, but kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, not confident enough yet to look away, despite Rupert’s approval. She had to admit that in the past she’d never thought driving looked terribly difficult, but now she realized just how mistaken she’d been. There were an astonishing number of factors involved, every one of which needed to work in harmony in order for the carriage to be driven safely forward.

Most important of all, however, was her ability to communicate well with the horses. The animals were keenly aware of her every movement and gesture, able to sense even the slightest uncertainty or hesitation in her actions. The team had been wonderful, though, tolerating the worst of her novice errors with a benevolent patience that many other creatures would not have displayed.

It had taken a few attempts before everything had fallen into place. One minute she’d been struggling to remember the myriad tips and instructions Rupert had given her, the next she’d been maneuvering the carriage smoothly around a turn, everything suddenly making perfect sense.

She directed the team carefully to the left side of the lane, then brought the carriage to a halt. Only then did she give herself permission to celebrate, a wide smile on her face as she turned to Rupert.

“Well done,” he told her again. “Excellent.”

She beamed, suddenly becoming aware of the way her heart was thundering in her chest. “Thank you, Your Highness. That was quite . . . exhilarating.”

“Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked, raising an inquiring brow.

“Yes,” she answered, surprising even herself. “Or at least I did once I figured out how to keep from driving us off the path. You were right not to let me drive in traffic. I would have murdered us all.”

He met her gaze. “If you would be so good, please say that again.”

“That I would have murdered us all?” she asked, confused.

“No, the part about me being right. I cannot recall ever hearing those words come out of your mouth before.”

She shot him a look. “And you likely won’t ever again, so enjoy the moment, Your Highness.”

Rupert tossed his head back and let loose a deep, throaty laugh, his eyes a vibrant blue in the sunlight.

She relaxed, marveling that she felt so at ease in his company. Strange, when they’d never gotten along in the past. Yet to her great surprise, she now knew it to be the truth. She was comfortable with him in a way she could be with only a handful of people. And soon she would be even closer, allowing him the liberty of both her virtue and her trust.

How had that happened?

Was Emma right? Was it possible she and Rupert might actually end up friends?

“If you are sufficiently recovered,” she said, her words brusque with unexpected emotion, “where shall we go next? Or are we returning home?”

“No, not unless it is your desire to return to Lyndhurst House.” He gave her an inquiring look. “I had rather thought we might venture out into Town instead. There is a place I thought we would visit.”

“Oh? What place is that?”

A slight smile flickered over his mouth. “I would prefer to keep it a surprise for now.”

She thought that over for a moment. “I rather like surprises, so long as they are good ones. Very well, then, Your Highness, you have my leave to surprise me.”

“Rupert,” he reminded her gently.

Taking her hand, he raised it to his mouth and placed a kiss against the bare skin of her wrist just under the edge of her glove. “When we are alone, Ariadne, let us enjoy the intimacy of using our given names.”

She swallowed, hoping he couldn’t feel the wild beating of her pulse. “Very well, then,
Rupert
, please do surprise me.”

His smile deepened with a look that made her pulse speed even faster. “Would you care to drive? You’ve done so ably today; I think you could handle some actual Town driving.”

She shook her head. “I thank you for the compliment, but I would rather save the Town driving for our next outing. For now, I shall happily entrust the ribbons to you.”

“Perhaps you are right,” he said, taking up the reins. “There’s no need to do everything in one lesson.”

She peeked up at him from under her lashes.

He flicked the reins and set the horses in motion, heading toward the gates.

•   •   •

Twenty minutes later, Rupert brought the carriage to a halt inside the mews at the rear of a great stone house. In that time, he had driven them steadily west into the less-populated area surrounding London, where there were great expanses of open land and quaint, tidy villages.

“Whose home is this? Are we visiting someone?” Ariadne asked.

He turned his head and read the curiosity and interest in her luminous green eyes. “The estate belongs to a friend of mine, who said I might avail myself of its use whenever I like. Presently, he is away.”

“Oh,” she said, her eyes widening fractionally.

“There is minimal staff,” he went on. “Only a caretaker who lives in a small cottage on the property. Otherwise, we are quite alone.”

She linked her fingers together in her lap and glanced down.

He put a knuckle under her chin and forced her to look at him. “Where is my bold Ariadne? Surely you are not nervous?”

“Of course not,” she declared. “I was just not expecting this today. Here, in the afternoon.”

“Ah, but daylight is the best time. It makes everything so much easier to see.”

He laughed at her expression. For all her brazen talk, she was still such an innocent.

And I have sworn to corrupt her.

He swallowed a sigh and wondered if he shouldn’t just turn the carriage around and drive her home. But if he did, and they did not proceed with the affair as planned, he knew she was stubborn enough to look elsewhere. Foolish enough to seek out another man, who might use and discard her without a second thought for either her well-being or her reputation.

Then there were his own personal motivations and the fact that the more time he spent in her company, the more he wanted to proceed with their mad arrangement.

The more he wanted her.

“You may relax,” he said. “I did not bring you here just to seduce you. I had a picnic luncheon packed and stored in the boot. I thought we might begin with that.”

“Oh, yes,” she said, with a breathless quality to her voice. “That sounds lovely.”

He nearly laughed again. Only imagine if he’d taken her up on her offer to come to her room last night—how nervous she would have been if he’d really put her resolve to the test.

He was smiling as he sprang from the carriage. He reached up to lift her down, fitting both hands around her trim waist. As he lowered her to the ground, he couldn’t look away. Even shaded by the wide brim of her hat, her eyes were more vividly green than the ripe June grass that swayed gently on the lawn around them, her skin as soft and fragrant as the roses that grew in the gardens nearby.

It would be easy to kiss her, easy not to wait. But here in the stableyard wasn’t the place.

Reluctantly, he let her go.

With no grooms in attendance, it was up to him to see to the horses. Despite the fact that he had been born a prince, he’d learned young how to care for a variety of animals. He’d never felt that seeing to their needs was beneath him; in fact, he’d always enjoyed working with animals. They were honest and open; they either liked you or they didn’t. One never had to wonder about any ulterior motives when it came to creatures of the non-human variety.

Ironically, he could say the same of Ariadne, although she might take some slight offense at being compared to a horse or a dog or a cat. But she wasn’t one to suffer fools lightly, and she made little effort to conceal the truth of her views from anyone, no matter the consequences. Wasn’t that one of the reasons they were here today? Because she acted on her wishes and beliefs in a straightforward manner without regard to the dictates of Society’s rules? As for liking or disliking people, she was generally honest in that regard as well.

So how did she feel about him these days? A month ago he’d known he was in the
Dislike
column, but now he wasn’t entirely sure.

After the horses were watered and secured in a shaded area next to the stables where they could stay cool and clip grass at their own leisurely pace, he retrieved the picnic hamper from the carriage and hooked it over one arm. Striding across to Ariadne, he took her hand without a word and led her toward the house.

But rather than escorting her inside, he went around to a plain wooden door set in a tall stone wall. He flipped open the latch and led her into the intimate garden beyond.

“Oh, how beautiful,” she said. “Just smell the flowers.
Hmm
, it’s like breathing honey.” Pulling her hand free, she moved deeper among the verdant cultivars, stopping here and there to inspect a bloom, rather like a butterfly collecting nectar.