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“Ah, then she enjoyed herself.”
“She most assuredly did,” Nicole replied, descending the stairs to join them. “Thank you for the opportunity you’ve afforded me, my lord. Dagger is all you claimed and more.”
So are you, Dustin wanted to say, drinking her in like a fine wine.
Dressed in the promised breeches and shirt, her face was devoid of cosmetics, her throat adorned only by a delicate silver locket. And her hair, loose and unencumbered by a jockey’s cap, was just as he’d remembered it—a cloud of rich black silk.
He clenched his fists to keep from reaching out and running his fingers through it.
“You rode superbly,” he said instead. “I haven’t spoken to Brackley since I left the course, but my guess is he won’t stop muttering and shaking his head for weeks. That’s how astonished you’ve rendered my impervious groom.”
“Fear not,” Nicole returned. “Brackley recovered. He was quite composed when he showed me around the stables. Nevertheless, I appreciate the praise. I also apologize.”
“For what?”
&n
bsp; “For taking Dagger out without summoning both you and Brackley. It was wrong of me. My only excuse is that Dagger and I had begun to relate so well, and I didn’t want to take a chance … that is, I thought perhaps …”
“You can be frank,” Dustin finished for her. “You thought perhaps Brackley and I would appear and destroy the rapport you’d established with Dagger. And you would have been right. That’s precisely what we would have done. Hence, your apology is unnecessary but accepted. I would, however, be interested in hearing what method you used to bring my reticent stallion around. I tried everything experience has taught me and barely managed to break the surface. The fear he brought with him to Tyreham was deeply ingrained.”
“I wish I could boast some miraculous secret, but I can’t. The truth is, I’m a woman. You know that. I know that. And now Dagger knows that. Since whoever abused him was undoubtedly male, his fear does not extend to me. I had only to wait for him to perceive my gender, then coax him into trusting that I had the best of intentions. The rest came naturally.” She shot Dustin a shrewd look. “Further, I’m certain you realized all this long before I offered my explanation. You’re a renowned horseman. And, since what I’ve just told you is both obvious and elementary, I have to wonder why you asked me to clarify my methods. Is this a test of my knowledge or my candor?”
Dustin heard Nick’s sharp, astonished gasp. “Nickie …” he began.
“It’s all right, Aldridge.” Dustin waved away the interception. “Nicole’s question is entirely justified.” He met her defensive gaze. “The answer is neither. It’s my careless attempt to appear gallant by praising you. As I’ve mentioned, I’m unaccustomed to people who prefer truth to flattery.”
The fire in her eyes banked, softening their color to a warm, smoky violet. “’Tis a pity, my lord. Frankness suits you far better than artifice. You should try it more often.”
“I’ll do that,” Dustin promised. “In fact, I’ll begin right now. Might I trouble you for some refreshment—more specifically, your scones? After hearing your colorful description, I’m impatient to sample them.”
“You picked an unfortunate subject on which to test your newfound candor.” Nicole’s grin was impish. “Once you’ve tasted my scones …” She shuddered. “Suffice it to say that your eagerness will be transformed to nausea.”
“I’ll take my chances. After all, what is life without risk?”
Their gazes met.
“Very well, my lord.” Nicole looked away first, heading for the kitchen. “You and Papa go to the sitting room and await your undoing.”
“Not I,” Nick called after her. “I’ll have some of that delicious gingerbread Tyreham’s cook sent over. If the marquis chooses to die, that’s his business.”
Nicole’s shoulders began to shake. “A wise decision, Papa,” she commended over her shoulder. “I’ll bring enough gingerbread for two—plus a bit extra, should Lord Tyreham live long enough to change his mind.”
Thoughtfully, Nick watched his daughter disappear from view, then led Dustin into the sitting room. “Tyreham,” he said the instant they were within, “I appreciate your taking Nickie’s insolence in stride. I don’t know what came over her. I’ve never heard her speak that way. Oh, she’s forthright as hell, but never rude, certainly not to my employers. Or, in this case, to her employer.”
“I don’t think the remark was aimed at her employer,” Dustin answered quietly, settling himself on the settee. “It was aimed at me. Or rather, the inbred highborn in me.” A faint smile. “In case you haven’t noticed, Nicole is no fonder of the nobility—or its affectations—than you are.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed. Actually, a good part of that intolerance is my doing. And I’m not apologizing for it. The truth is, I have little regard for frivolous living and no respect for those who are uncommitted to their family and their work. Nickie’s grown up listening to my convictions and forming her own. I’m proud to say that she, too, has little use for lazy, unprincipled people.”
“Not all noblemen are lazy and unprincipled.”
“No, they’re not. Or rather, not when it comes to business. When it comes to women, however, I’ve seen just the opposite.” Nick shrugged. “At least that’s been my observation.”
“I won’t argue. For the most part, you’re right. However, there are exceptions. There are also those of us who would like to become exceptions—transgressors awaiting the right opportunity or the right incentive to reform.”
“I suppose.” Obviously uncomfortable with the turn the conversation was taking, Nick cleared his throat. “I wonder what’s keeping Nickie.”
“You forget how heavy my scones are, Papa,” Nicole replied, making her way into the room. “I could scarcely hold up under their weight.” So saying, she deposited a tray of tea, gingerbread, and what looked to be lumpy balls of browned dough, on the side table. “Refreshment,” she announced, transferring one dough ball to a plate and handing it to Dustin. “How do you take your tea, my lord?”
