Page 76 of The Gentlewoman Companion

They debated and settled upon guidelines that would regulate the competition, and Miss Trelawney nodded for the race to begin. Louisa saw a path through the crowded park and began negotiating her way past pedestrians, horses, and other carriages. But after only a few seconds, Mr. Peasley, whom she had met at the salon, hailed her.

“Hello, Miss Thorpe,” he said.

She slowed her horses to greet him politely. Miss Trelawney smiled at Louisa as Mr. Morden passed.

“Please excuse me, sir. I am in a rush,” Louisa said, “but I trust I shall see you this evening at…” She couldn’t remember what her plans were, so she let her words trail off and loosed the reins. They moved forward again, but not swiftly enough for her needs.

“Lord Halverton!” Another gentleman on horseback waved at them. Louisa did not like to be rude, especially for her companion’s sake, so she waited.

“Carry on,” Halverton said, signaling off the approaching man.

Louisa maneuvered the horses as quickly as was appropriate but was endlessly waylaid. “How is Mr. Morden moving so quickly?”

“He is ignoring anyone who tries to speak to him.” Halverton laughed.

“A clever strategy. You dismiss those who interrupt, and I will focus on the horses.”

“Agreed.”

When anyone approached, Lord Halverton waved them on or shrugged and pointed at her as if he had no control. Louisa finessed through the throng until she was a horse span from the landau. She would not lose. With expert touch, she lengthened the reins enough to pull beside Mr. Morden. But he sped through the park, disregarding etiquette yet hardly drawing any attention.

Her cheeks flushed, part indignation and part excitement. If Mr. Morden could break the rules with barely a glance, she might as well. Over her shoulder, she said, “Hold tight, Graham,” before shouting, “Go on,” and prodding the horses with the whip.

The gate lay just ahead. James’s hands hovered over the reins, and he was speaking urgently, but his voice was a whoosh in her ears. It was too dangerous for him to take control at their speed. Knowing this, she pressed on, cooly dodging anything in her path. Chill wind forced water from her eyes and bit her ears. Her cheeks ached from smiling. How glorious, how thrilling to drive faster and faster still, all emotions absorbed in the exhilaration of the moment.

“Gallop!” she cried, and they passed the landau, wound around a curricle and pulled to a stop just short of the gate. Heart thrumming, she cast a triumphant smile at Halverton.

He gripped his seat and let out a shaky breath. “If your intention was not to raise an eyebrow, I’m afraid you failed.” He nodded behind him.

She turned around and beheld several small groups in apparent conference, regarding her with gleefully scandalized expressions. Gripped firmly, the reins pinched into the flesh of her palm and between her fingers. With each breath, frigid, sharp air stretched her lungs, harsh and exciting. She relished it, longed for more.

A woman sporting a fine lavender velvet cape trimmed in plum satin locked eyes with Louisa and nodded her head very slightly as if she knew the spectacle was not over. Was it a dare or a warning? For Louisa was not finished. If society would gossip about her, she would give them a story.

Before Mr. Morden came to a full stop, she thundered out the gate, giving the pair their heads. She rounded a corner, cutting off a hackney whose driver shouted an obscenity. Never scraping the phaeton once, she did not pull up until arriving in Grosvenor Square, where she halted the vehicle precisely in front of the Halverton’s front door.

She drank the chilled air and let it out in a long sigh. The thrill of driving at full speed filled her, chasing away troublesome emotions. She grinned and spoke as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, as if nothing were the matter in the slightest. “That was quite refreshing! Thank you for allowing me to drive per our agreement.” She did not need to look at Lord Halverton. Feeling his stiff posture beside her was enough. Graham appeared—thank heavens he was so quick—and helped her shaking frame from the carriage. She thanked him, catching a glimmer of amusement in his eye.

Then Halverton was in front of her, had taken her by the wrist. “You could have killed us—or someone else.”

“Oh! Not at all. I was in complete control.” With her free hand, she secured a loose hat pin, assuming a calm façade.

His fingers tensed, and her heart pounded in her ears. Of course he was angry, but it was her reputation to ruin, not his. Even if he were condemned for allowing her to drive, it would not affect an earl. His eyes flashed, dark and moody, as he looked past the pretense and posturing until her stomach writhed against what anxiety he must surely see in her.

“What has upset you?” he asked, his voice so gentle it sent a throbbing ache from her chest to her knees.

“I…I am simply anxious to return to your mother. She needs my help with preparations for the salon.”

He did not withdraw his gaze, nor did he respond, and she knew he was asking for the very thing she wanted most in all the world. She longed to dismantle the barrier that hindered their mutual affection—a great presumption but one that felt as true as the waves that crashed against the Cornish shore. What would it feel like to land in his arms, to rest against the support of his strength? Her arms relaxed; her shoulders drooped. He’d confided in her, trusted her, asked for her advice again and again, while she had grudgingly disclosed only what was necessary. He wanted her to expose her heart to him. She wanted that, too.

Her lips were slow to part, her tongue heavy. “I…it is only…I feel it closing in on me.”

“If you would but explain, I could help.”

“Not with this.” Let Charles tell him, for she could not. She twisted from his grasp and mounted the steps two at a time.