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“I fail to understand,” he said, his tone natural despite the chaos happening in his mind and body. “You are here because you do not enjoy fainting at the sight of horses? It appears your actions are quite counterproductive to me.”
Elizabeth giggled behind her hand. The sound sent his heart racing. Unable to help himself, he glanced at her, wanting to tuck the wisps of hair tickling her cheek behind her ear. Wanting to pull her close to his body and nuzzle his lips against her swan-like neck, to taste the bare skin there and drink in her mesmerizing scent until he couldn’t forget it.
Control yourself, William, he told himself. The way you are acting now is simply because you have not laid with a woman in a long while. It is nothing more than carnal emotions that you cannot help.
He tried to tell himself that was the reason for missing Elizabeth during his trip, that his hot-blooded thoughts were the only reason he’d cut his business short to return home earlier than he’d planned to.
It didn’t help very much.
“It is simple, really,” Elizabeth said, drawing him from his thoughts. “I wish to overcome my fear of horses. It has gone on for far too long now.”
He slid his eyes towards her, frowning a little. “What has brought on this sudden change?”
“Do not worry,” she said, her tone both kind and dismissive. It shocked him. “It is not because of you. I merely did not like my embarrassing reaction when I rode this horse a few days ago, and I wish to change it, is all. And considering the fact that I cannot very well leave this manor, I believe it will be a decent use of my time.” She turned to him so suddenly that William blinked in surprise. Her eyes dazzled. “Will you help me?”
William had so many matters to take care of that simply standing here talking to her was wasting time. But, even though he knew that, he still nodded, still said, “Very well, then. I suppose it could help to have me around considering you might get yourself hurt otherwise.”
“If I did not know any better, I would think you are worried for me.”
“A lady being injured in my manor is not something I want to deal with,” he stated coldly but his words only seemed to have bounced off her.
Elizabeth’s smile remained on her face, even as she shook her head. “Your words cannot hurt me today, William,” she said to him. “I am far too happy to see you again to care about anything else you might say.”
That took him by surprise—and his surprise deepened when he felt a smile tug at his lips. “You’ve always been far too stubborn for your own good.”
“Yes, that is true,” she agreed with a nod. “I suppose that hasn’t changed about me, although many other things have.”
Elizabeth faced the horse again on those words. An odd expression flashed across her features so quickly that William wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it. He watched as she lifted a hand, as if intending to pet the horse on its nose, and let it fall to her side once more.
He said nothing. He only watched as her hand trembled this time, but touched the horse’s nose and began to stroke back and forth. The twinge of jealousy he felt for the horse felt wrong and irritated him.
“All right,” Elizabeth said, letting her hand fall again. “I think I am ready to ride it.”
William scoffed. “I doubt that.”
“Why?” she asked, glancing at him. “If I have the courage to touch him, then I most certainly have the courage to ride him, don’t you think? And you’ll be by my side, so nothing bad will happen.”
Her words made his heart skip a beat. “You cannot even think about riding this horse until you trust it enough. And it is clear that you do not.”
“What use is trusting it?” she challenged. “It’s just a senseless animal who doesn’t even know who I am. As long as he is trained, then isn’t that all that matters?”
“It isn’t a senseless horse. You must know that animals can be as smart and as emotional as humans can, which is why they should also be treated with care. Simply jumping onto its back while you shiver like a leaf will only upset it.”
“Then what use is a horse if it cannot do the one thing it has been bred to do?”
William blew a breath of frustration out his nose. “You’ve stayed away from horses nearly all your life, so why are you challenging everything that I say?”
“It is precisely because I’ve been away from horses all my life that I do not want to get atop a steed that cannot match its rider.”
“Then perhaps you should leave this stable altogether and occupy your time with something else.”
