She hadn’t been able to repress a scowl. “I’m not a ninny, my lord. I will do neither.”
“I would never call you a ninny, Miss Knight,” he’d responded gently.
Victoria had mumbled an apology and fled the room, feeling nothing less than acompleteninny.
She slowed the mare to a walk as they rounded the last corner and entered a spacious courtyard, enclosed on three sides by a handsome set of red brick stables and several outbuildings. The main tower house at Kinglas might be ancient, but successive generations of Kendricks had modernized their holdings over the years by adding two spacious wings that jutted out from the original castle.
While the current earl was also keen on modernizing, his estate manager was not. Victoria had witnessed more than one terse disagreement between Arnprior and his grandfather, and she’d even heard a few shouting matches from behind the closed doors of the library. The old man had seemed to do most of the shouting, usually along the theme of the superior utility of traditional ways.
Since it was none of her business, however, Victoria usually pretended not to hear—no matter how much she might sympathize with her much put-upon employer.
As she guided her horse toward the mounting block, the earl strode out from the wide double-doors of the stable building in boots and breeches, wearing a leather jerkin over his shirt. In such an outfit, he might have been a groom—although she’d never met a groom as devastatingly handsome as Arnprior.
When her hands involuntarily tightened on the reins, the mare pranced a bit.
“Hush,” she murmured, bringing the dainty lady under control.
The earl hurried over to take the bridle. “Problem, Miss Knight?”
“Not in the least, sir. In fact, we had a lovely ride.”
His gaze ran swiftly over both her and her mount. Apparently satisfied, he nodded. “I’m happy you took advantage of the fine weather. I’m afraid it won’t last much longer.”
“Youwouldhave to say that,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I was just convincing myself that we were in for a mild winter.”
He snorted. “Yes, we can pretend if it makes you feel better. Now, let me help you dismount, so the groom can take this lassie in and get her settled in her stall.”
When she hesitated, his eyebrows went up in a faint, incredulous lift.
“Thank you, my lord,” she said, forcing a polite smile.
She placed her hands on his broad shoulders and let herself slide into his arms. As he guided her to the ground, supporting her easily, she could feel the impressive strength in his body.
Victoria could feel quite a few other things too, like her breasts tingling when they brushed against his chest, and her legs quivering when they momentarily pressed against his thighs.
He kept his hands on her waist when she wobbled a bit. “All right?” he murmured. His breath whispered across her ear and neck, making her shiver.
“Are you catching a chill?” Arnprior asked when she didn’t respond.
She shook her head and stepped back from his loose embrace. “I never get chills, sir.”
He still looked worried, so she gave him a reassuring smile. “I may be rather slight, my lord, but I’m perfectly fit. Skinny but strong as an ox, my grandfather used to say when I was a child.”
He laughed. “I take it your grandfather was a blunt-speaking man.”
“That, sir, is an understatement.”
“Then I suspect we would have gotten on very well.”
She paused, arrested by the thought. “Yes, I think that’s true.”
“You must tell me about him someday.”
“I’m sure you have better things to do than hear stories about my relations.”
The earl nodded to the stable boy, who was patiently waiting to take the mare. “Not true. I’m very interested, especially since my coachman said you were able to diagnose a problem he was having with the old traveling carriage.”
“Oh, that. It was simply a small issue with the roller bolt.”
