Page 39 of Regency Whispers: Scandalous Matches

The horse showed no sign of slowing and she was not experienced enough to know what to do for the best. Her heart was thumping in her chest and she could even feel the pulsation in her temples.

A flash of dark brown caught her eye and she risked turning her head a fraction, regretting the move as she slipped a little more in the saddle. Tom was galloping up beside her, although she didn’t know what he planned to do other than pick up her broken body once she fell from the horse. He was gaining ground and then suddenly he was beside her, picking up the reins from where she had dropped them and pressing them into her hands.

‘Gentle pressure,’ he shouted across at her. ‘You need to show the horse you are calm and in control.’

It was hard to resist the urge to pull on the reins with all her strength, but she managed to follow the instruction, exerting a firm but steady pressure on the reins. The result was almost instant. The horse did not stop, but Jane could feel some of the panic ebbing away, and gradually the gallop became a canter and then the canter became a trot.

When the horse had slowed enough, Mr Stewart leaped from his saddle and took hold of the bridle, holding the animal steady and placing a calming hand on his neck.

‘I’ve got him...you can come down.’

‘I can’t,’ Jane said.

‘Are you stuck?’

She nodded and Mr Stewart took a moment to look her over to try and assess what was preventing her from getting down.

‘You’re not tangled. You should be able to slip down.’

‘I can’t,’ she repeated.

He started to speak again and then went still, his eyes meeting hers and understanding blossoming in them.

Jane took in a ragged breath as he stepped towards her and placed his hands on her hips.

‘You’re safe,’ he murmured, smiling at her softly in reassurance. ‘I’ve got you.’

Gently he lifted her down, holding her as he placed her feet on the floor, as if knowing her knees would buckle underneath her.

‘You’re safe,’ he said again, and this time Jane felt it.

For a long moment they stood body to body with his hands on her hips and then he reached out, placed a finger on her chin and tilted her face up towards him.

Jane felt an overwhelming surge of desire and as she looked up into Mr Stewart’s eyes she knew he was feeling the same. In that moment she didn’t have the ability to question it. All she knew was she wanted to be kissed more than she had ever wanted anything else before.

Slowly, as if savouring the moment, Mr Stewart moved towards her and then his lips were on hers. At first he was gentle but, as Jane moaned and swayed into the kiss, he gripped her tighter and kissed her harder.

Jane felt as though her knees might give way again, but Mr Stewart’s strong arm around her waist held her up, pulling her even closer. She felt the irresistible draw of his body and without thinking pressed herself against him. He groaned and tangled his free hand in her hair.

Jane never wanted this moment to end. She pushed away all rational thought, refusing to allow any thought of consequence or scandal cross her mind. Instead, for perhaps the first time in her life, she allowed herself to be ruled by her desires.

Suddenly Mr Stewart pulled away and Jane felt herself almost topple. She felt naked, empty, as if half of her had been ripped away.

For a long moment they stood face to face, just looking at one another. Jane saw the panic in his eyes, the uncertainty, the regret and all the warmth from a moment before left her. He looked horrified to have kissed her.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, taking another couple of steps away, only realising he was tethered in place by the reins he was holding on to when they went taut. ‘I’m sorry,’ he repeated. ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’

She wanted to scream at him, to tell him she had been as much to blame as him, to do anything to wipe the look of horror from his face. Surely kissing her hadn’t been all that bad?

He looked around, as if only just remembering they were standing in a public place, that anyone could have seen them. Jane did the same, noting thankfully that the relatively early hour meant this part of the park was deserted and no one could have witnessed their indiscretion.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Stop saying you’re sorry,’ Jane snapped.

For a long moment he gave her an assessing look and then turned away, ostensibly to see to the horses.

Panicking now, Jane tried to stop the thoughts racing at speed through her mind and allow a little space for something rational to materialise. She knew she was so unsettled because she wasn’t sorry. For the past couple of weeks, an undeniable attraction had been building, and after their kiss in the glass house she had craved another, wanting it more than anything else.