Page 55 of One Night with an Earl

As she walked across the lawn, two gardeners entered the conservatory with tools and pots of fresh soil. Another gardener trimmed hedges and flowering bushes on the property, while a different worker scrubbed the stone benches in the gardens with a brush and bucket of soap. It was more evidence of the earl’s care of the estate.

Ana stepped inside the stable, and the tangy scent of fresh hay and horse was strong. A young stableboy was busy brushing down a horse. He set aside the brush when he spotted her.

“Good morning, Miss.”

“Good day. I’d like to ride.”

“Alone, Miss?”

“I’m a capable horsewoman.” The idea that she needed a chaperone was humorous.

The boy rubbed his forehead. “But the estate is large. You may get lost.”

This argument was even more ridiculous. She knew Rosedown like the back of her hand.

After ensuring him she preferred to ride alone, he led out a dappled gray. “This is Lucy. She is gentle and well-trained.”

The fine horse was fifteen hands, and Ana reached out to stroke her soft muzzle. She’d often ridden in her youth and had filched a pair of breeches from one of the stable lads and ridden astride.

The stableboy led her to a mounting block, and Ana sat sidesaddle. She longed to ride astride once again but knew that was not possible.

She urged her mare to a canter and headed north. After she gained confidence, she let the horse have her lead and absorbed the beauty of their surroundings on a clear day. For the first time in many days, a sense of freedom coursed through her. She spotted a flock of sheep and kept riding past the rolling hills to the spot she’d often go to when she longed to be alone.

She came to the top of the hill and spotted a figure upon a bay stallion overlooking a river that cut through the valley. Ana knew who it was by the way he sat the saddle—tall, confident, and commanding.

Oliver.

He turned as she approached. “Why are you riding by yourself?”

His tone irritated her. Gone was the seductive charmer of the prior evening. “I came to be alone to think.”

“This is where I come to ponder things as well.”

She looked at him in surprise. They inadvertently shared the same spot?

He dismounted and motioned for her. “Come join me.”

He helped her dismount, his big hands easily encircling her waist to lower her from the gray. She tried not to think of those hands—large, strong, and skilled traveling over her skin. If only she didn’t know the pleasure he could give her.

Together, they took in the view. From this vantage, she could see for miles. A cool breeze blew tendrils of curls that had escaped from her ribbon, and the sun kissed her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

Overlooking the magnificence of Mother Nature, she breathed in deeply then glanced at Oliver’s handsome profile beneath lowered lashes. What was wrong with her that she was irrationally drawn to him? He was unsuitable for her.

You can be lovers.

Lovers. The simple word made her pulse skitter and her body warm. Here and now, overlooking the vastness of the lands spread out before her, the idea sounded possible. Madame Crescent’s advice was wise. Ana was far past the age of marriage, and she knew her place in society.

Still, there were risks. For her.

She brushed her hands on her skirts. She was highly conscious of her hair—barely tamed by the ribbon and curling wildly down her back. She’d left her scarf behind as well, and the well-worn riding habit revealed far too much skin.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

You. “Many things.”

“I’d love to know what is going on inside your beautiful head.”

She wasn’t a vain woman, but the notion that the Earl of Drake thought her beautiful sent a warm rush through her veins.