“That last little bit seemed rather clumsy,” Grant said. “But the rest of it was bang up to the mark, as far as I could tell.”
“Youarequite good, Nick,” Graeme said with reluctant admiration. “No wonder all the ladies love you.”
When Victoria shot him a startled glance, Nick wanted to curse. “That is entirely ridiculous,” he said in a stern tone.
“Not according to Royal,” Grant said with his usual artless naïveté.
When Nick directed a glower at Royal, his brother gave him a taunting grin. “I may have exaggerated your social prowess while on the Continent by a wee bit,” his brother said.
“There was no prowess,” he replied sharply.
It wasn’t his fault that more than one lady had pursued him from time to time. But he’d never chased afterthem, although he hadn’t necessarily turned them down when they’d offered, either. After all, he was a widower, not a monk.
And, like any man far from home and family, he had occasionally suffered from pangs of loneliness—not that he would ever admit as much.
“Sorry,” Royal said, not looking sorry at all.
Victoria was now regarding Nick with a wary frown. Leave it to his idiot brothers to ruin the one pleasant evening he’d had in months.
“Thank you for the dance, Miss Knight,” he said, giving her a smile and a little bow. “It was delightful, and instructive for my brothers, I’m sure.”
She gave him a dignified nod. “I’m happy to be of assistance, my lord.”
The starched-up governess had returned. That was probably a good thing.
“Would you mind doing that twirly thing again?” Grant said, spinning his hand. “I want to watch your feet when you do that.”
“Aye, Nick. Ye and the lassie should do it again,” Angus piped up. “Show the lads how to do it proper.”
Nick peered at his grandfather’s suspiciously cheerful countenance. Only minutes ago he’d been objecting to the very notion of teaching the twins how to dance. What the hell was going on?
“Oh, I think I’m quite worn out with all that spinning around,” Miss Knight said, edging away from him. “Perhaps we could resume the lessons another night.”
Holy hell.She was now staring at him with something close to dismay. Was the girl actually afraid of him? Given how she’d reacted while they were dancing, that didn’t make any sense.
Of course, Royal’s inane prattling had probably given her the impression that he was a rake. Everything inside him rebelled at the false image, but he forced himself not to protest.
“I quite agree, Miss Knight,” he said. “I’ll be in my library if anyone needs me.”
He took in the flare of relief in her eyes, then turned and stalked from the room.
Chapter Eleven
Victoria trotted the mare along the castle’s curtain wall, returning from a glorious hour’s ride across Arnprior lands. Kade wasn’t yet up to strenuous physical activity, but she’d missed spending time outdoors and in the saddle, so she’d finally taken her courage in her hands and asked the earl for access to his stables.
Working in his library, Arnprior had put down his pen and studied her with the intensity that always unnerved her. Fortunately, she was now well aware of the impact he had upon her, and she’d mastered the outward signs of her disturbance.
For all that she bothered. These days, the earl seemed not to notice her, unless she asked him a question. She supposed she should be grateful for that, since she did not need the attentions of another rakish aristocrat. Not that Arnprior acted much like a rake, despite Royal’s assertions. Given the earl’s scowling reaction, it seemed that likely Royal had simply been teasing.
“I have no objection to you riding my animals,” he’d said, “if you’re proficient enough and strong enough to handle them. I have no slugs in my stables, Miss Knight.”
She’d been annoyed by his obvious skepticism.
“I’m an accomplished horsewoman,” she’d replied. “In fact, several of my previous employers asked me to provide riding lessons for my young ladies.”
His clear amusement with her pronouncement had brought heat rushing to her face.
“You are indeed a woman of many accomplishments,” he’d said. “Very well, I’ll speak to my head groom. But don’t leave the estate or stray far from the roads. You’re not familiar with the area and the ground can be rough. I don’t want you getting lost or taking a tumble.”
