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Disappointed to have the moment cut short, Helena walked silently beside Adam to the hackney stand, where he engaged a driver. After giving the man instructions, Adam cast a glance back over at his shoulder toward the carriage trail, where a doubtless impatient Priscilla awaited him. "I must return to Miss Standish now."
"Of course you must," she agreed, no less regretful for acknowledging that truth.
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Adam handed her into the carriage, not letting go of her elbow until the last possible moment—as if as reluc tant to release her as she was to send him back to his fiancée.
He gave her a smile that looked forced. "Try not to run off with this carriage before it can convey you home."
She smiled back. "I shall try."
"As for what happened with your horse...we will talk about that later."
Not until I've decided what I mean to do about it, she thought, returning a noncommittal murmur.
Adam shut the door and the vehicle lurched off. Helena caught one last glimpse of him standing by the road, watching her as the coach pulled away.
Shaking her head, she tried to dissipate the lingering effect of his sensual spell and regather the thoughts his nearness had scattered. She needed to consider the circumstances of Pegasus's injury—and Francis Standish's probable role in it. Since she was almost certain to encounter Priscilla's cousin at dinner tonight, she had best decide what she wanted to do about it quickly.
As they entered the dining room that evening, Helena was satisfied to discover she had been seated beside Francis Standish.
Since she knew Priscilla would not have done her the honor, she wondered if this were an attempt by Priscilla's father to allow his heir to try to charm her and her wealth, or whether Francis wished to see up close the effect that had been wrought by his trick in the park.
310 THE UNTAMED HEIRESS
Whatever the reason, she thought, setting her lips into a determined line, she trusted that by the end of dinner she would have induced in Francis Standish a firm resolve to avoid her
permanently.
As she had been avoiding Adam. Expecting he would have checked with his groom upon arriving home and thus be eve n keener to discuss the incident in the park, she had delayed leaving her chamber until the carriage had been brought around, then sidestepped his attempt to speak with her in the parlor before dinner. Tempted as she was to fling in his face this evidence about the true character of his betrothed and her cousin, if Adam were barred from severing the engagement, she would rather spare him the distress of learning of meir behavior from her.
Priscilla had evidently recovered from her momentary concern for Helena, for as soon as the company was seated, she said,
"May I commend your fortitude in rebounding so quickly from your ordeal this afternoon, Miss Lambarth. How fortunate Mr.
Dixon was able to bring your horse to a halt! I only wish you had allowed Adam to choose your mount." Smiling at her fiancé, she squeezed his hand. "I'm sure he would have found a more suitable one."
"My papa always warned me reckless behavior leads to a fall,"
Miss Standish's friend, Lady Cordelia, added from her seat opposite Francis Standish. "Though we are all glad, of course, that you did not fall, Miss Lambarth!"
To Helena's surprise, Adam removed his fingers from his fiancée's grip. "Far from falling, she controlled the 311
horse magnificently—with no need of assistance from Mr.
Dixon. 'Twas a marvelous display of horsemanship."
Priscilla's smile faltered and Lady Cordelia's smug look faded.
Before Helena could respond, Lord Blanchard looked up from gazing adoringly at Charis to add, "I only wish I'd been present to see it! Her sangfroid and skill were the talk of White's when I stopped by this evening."
In the short silence following Blanchard's remark, Priscilla's expression soured further. Having received so unsatisfying a return from her efforts, she turned and directed her conversation to her mother. At the other end of the table, while Mr. Standish monopolized his dinner partners, Helena was free to concentrate on Francis.
At first he seemed guarded. But after two courses during which she ventured only deferential replies to his occasional comments, he relaxed and began regaling her with anecdotes in which he played the principal role.
Finally the fruits, nuts and sweets were brought in. Selecting an apple and a sharp knife, Helena waited for a break in his monologue.
When Standish paused to fill his mouth with syllabub, she said, "Have you traveled abroad, Mr. Standish?"
Francis swallowed and gave her a patronizing smile. "I have not. Though some tout the improving nature of a Grand Tour, one has only to recall the rapacity of the French and the inability of other European nations to
3
prevent Napoleon's rampages to know all the benefits of a superior culture are to be found here in England."
"But such an amazing variety of civilizations exist in the world! I've read a number of accounts written by travelers to distant lands and find them fascinating." She picked up the apple and began slowly paring off a long, hair-thin slice of the red peel.
"Too much reading burdens the mind, especially a female's.
You would do better to follow Priscilla's example and let your thoughts be guided by gentlemen."
"Ah, but one might miss so many.. .pointed details, were one to leave observation only to men. And one should always seek to discover the truth of what happens around one, do you not think?"
His air of assurance faltered a little. "I.. .I. suppose so, Miss Lambarth."
"But I was speaking of foreign cultures. Recently I read a mesmerizing account of travel among the peaux rouges of America," she continued, paring off another slice. "It seems the savages have a barbarous practice of scalping their enemies, often sneaking up under cover of darkness to overwhelm their victims as they sleep. Is that not incredible?" She peeled another slice, cutting this time deeper into the flesh.
Francis's gaze dropped to the slow work of her fingers and he swallowed hard. "Yes, um, incredible."
She laughed softly as she continued paring the fruit. "I suppose it's the fault of my sadly deficient upbringing, but I find myself rather in sympathy with the savages. If someone were to hurt some object or person
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dear to me —a horse, for example—I should strongly consider taking just such a bloody revenge."
Finished, she dropped the naked apple onto her plate beside the curl of peelings and gazed up at him." "London nights are so very dark, are they not?"
His eyes wide in a face gone suddenly waxy, Francis stared back at her. Then, dropping his napkin onto his plate, he sprang up, almost knocking over his chair.
"Good heavens!" Mrs. Standish exclaimed. "Francis, whatever is the matter?"
"I am feeling... suddenly indisposed. You will excuse me, please." Hand to his mouth, he hurried from the room.
At his end of the table, Adam had to smile at Francis Standish's loss of composure. For once paying little attention to his fiancée, he had been surreptitiously watching Francis and Helena all through dinner.
Though his ire had cooled somewhat, he was still furious after speaking with Johnson when he arrived home from the park. As incredible as it seemed that anyone would be reckless or mean-spirited enough to deliberately cause Pegasus to bolt, there appeared no other explanation for the thorn Dix told the groom Miss Lambarth had removed from the animal's flank. Johnson had adamantly insisted nothing of the sort would have been overlooked when he saddled Pegasus before her ride. Nor were there any bramble patches she would have traversed in the London streets between St. James Square and Hyde Park.
Besides, Pegasus had behaved perfectly until 314 THE UNTAMED HEIRESS
Helena remounted after walking the animal beside Francis—
who was the only one close enough to have tampered with the saddle blanket. Though Miss Lambarth's performance with the apple tonight had been outrageous, he could only applaud the fear she had so cleverly induced in Francis Standish. Which showed the man to be a coward as well as a sneak.
Standish deserved more than a good fright, Adam thought fiercely. His breath hitched as he recalled the horror he'd felt when Helena's horse had bolted. Were it not for her exceptional riding skill, she might at this moment be laid out in a winding sheet instead of sitting at this table. A shudder rippling through him at the thought, he uttered a silent prayer of thanks for her safety.
He didn't know why Standish would have wanted to perpetrate such a prank. But though he refused to believe Priscilla would have initiated such a scheme, given the disparaging comments she had addressed to Helena during the drive and at dinner tonight, he suspected she might have encouraged Francis to do some thing to show Miss Lambarth at a disadvantage. He intended to interrogate her about the matter as soon as they had an opportunity in private.
Recalling Priscilla's petty remarks in front of the company earlier this evening, Adam frowned. The ladies met frequently when making social calls. Did his fiancée speak as slightingly to Helena when he was not around to object? Though Miss Lambarth had never complained of such treatment, he meant to question Priscilla about that, too.
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Belatedly he noticed that Mrs. Standish had risen to lead the ladies out and jumped to his feet. Since all the guests were proceeding to other entertainments, he would be spared making stilted conversation over brandy and cigars.
