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Alex’s adaptation had been incredible.
While he was still reeling from his world’s upheaval, she had slipped into her role as the Duchess of Allonshire with amazing ease and grace. Just as she had captivated the hearts of his crew on La Belle Illusion, Alex had done the same at Allonshire. The servants looked up to her, Samantha adored her, even Blackbeard guarded her with fierce protectiveness and slept nightly by her bedside. As always, Alex was blissfully unaware of her effect on people. Unconsciously she enchanted everyone, just by being herself.
He was far more than enchanted. Determinedly he refused to assign a name to what he felt for his intoxicating wife. But the depth of it staggered him. And though he told himself that it did not matter, he held his breath each night in bed, feeling her body contract with pleasure and listening for her involuntary declaration of love—a declaration that he had not heard in over two months.
Desperately trying to clear his mind, Drake broke into a gallop. The most challenging obstacles loomed just ahead, and a surge of anticipation rose up inside him as they drew nearer. Jupiter could make any jump with effortless skill; Drake himself had painstakingly trained the stallion in hazardous jumps such as these.
The horse seemed to sense Drake’s excitement. His ears went back, his nostrils flared, and he increased his speed, leaving the others far behind. Gusts of cold air blew past them as horse and rider moved as one, nearing the series of intricate jumps.
“Here we go, Jupiter!” Drake called out, nudging lightly with his feet. “Now!”
Then they were flying through the air, sailing with the wind. They had barely touched the ground when the next hurdle loomed before them. Again they went up and over, landing lightly on the other side, only to begin again. Each fence was higher than the one before it, posing increasing danger.
The final fence was before them. No one but Drake would dare to attempt this feat, and the men all paused to watch their friend’s brilliant display of horsemanship.
Oblivious to all but the thrill of the sport, Drake urged Jupiter into a faster gallop and the bold horse responded instantly, gathering his legs under him and, in a flash of movement, springing up and over the fence.
Drake heard the snap when they were in midair. He had no time to think or react as the ground rushed up to meet him. And then a blinding flash of pain took his breath away.
“Would anyone care for more tea?” Alex asked, looking around the drawing room. Personally, if she had one more cup, she would explode.
There was a sudden din from the front door, and moments later Humphreys burst into the room, completely flustered. Alex had never seen the austere butler looking so harried, and she rose immediately to her feet.
“Humphreys, what is the commotion? Is something wrong?”
“Yes, your grace.” He hesitated for a second, knowing that he should take the duchess aside to tell her, then decided that this was no time for protocol. “It is his grace,” he told her. “He has taken a bad fall from his horse.”
Alex was halfway to the door. “Is he badly injured, Humphreys?” she began, then stopped as she looked out into the hall.
Two footmen and a frantic Smitty were carrying a white-faced Drake into the house.
Chapter 26
“I TELL YOU I am fine!”
Drake was sitting, up, bare-chested, on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through his disheveled raven hair and addressing a doting Smitty, who was pacing back and forth across the bedchamber.
At Drake’s words Smitty stopped, frowning. “You are not fine, your grace. You are badly bruised and cut, and your shoulder was dislocated.”
“Which, thanks to you, it no longer is,” Drake finished impatiently, gingerly moving his left arm, which still throbbed with a dull ache. It had been agony when Smitty snapped the shoulder back into place, but the worst of the pain had immediately subsided once the job was done. Now Drake was anxious to forget the whole incident. He glanced down at the raw skin and angry red gashes with a dismissive shrug of his uninjured right shoulder. “My bruises are minimal,” he announced. “I am quite all right.”
“Thanks to some very quick thinking and superb horsemanship, from what I hear.” Alex stood in the doorway, a cool, damp cloth in her hand. She approached the bed, grateful that Drake was improving. She had been overcome with fear at the first sight of him, pale, groaning with pain, covered with blood. Now, an hour later, he looked almost normal, with only the nasty cuts and scratches a reminder of his ordeal. “Alicia said that, according to her husband, if you had fallen any other way, both you and Jupiter would have been badly hurt. As it is, only your arm and Jupiter’s pride were injured.” She applied the compress to his left arm, gently cleaning the wounds.
Drake grinned. “It was pure instinct, I assure you, princess,” he said in a softer tone, enjoying the caressing motion of her hands on his arm. She bit her lip, concentrating on her healing ministrations, leaning over to examine the depth of the cuts. Drake relaxed, feeling soft tendrils of her golden brown hair tickle his bare skin. He breathed deeply, inhaling his wife’s familiar floral scent, thinking how wonderful it was to see her in something other than drab mourning colors. Today she looked young and vibrant and very, very beautiful.
“Smitty, how is his shoulder?” Alex asked, dabbing at the wounds.
“It snapped right back into place, your grace,” he replied. “But it is still quite tender.”
Drake gave a disgusted snort. “Would the two of you stop discussing me as if I were not present?” he demanded.
“Stop moving,” Alex ordered, unbothered by her husband’s angry outburst. “I cannot cleanse these wounds if you don’t sit still.”
Instead of exploding, Drake surprised Smitty by chuckling. “You really are a tyrant, your grace,” he teased, reaching up to wrap her hair around his hand. “You are never content unless you are ordering people about. First on my ship and now at Allonshire.”
Alex’s lips twitched despite her attempt to frown. “I order you about only because you are stubborn and unwilling to accept good advice.”
“Mmm …” he answered thoughtfully. “Now that I think about it, there is but one place where you seem to have no complaints about my performance.” His eyes twinkled as he awaited her blush.
