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He refrained from the mirth that nearly choked him and said gravely, “I am not married and do not at the moment have a sweetheart.”
Their eyes locked as before, and Felicia felt the breath catch in her throat. “Ah, no wife, no sweetheart? I am surprised.”
“Are you?” he asked and then wickedly, his eyes bright, he said, “Perhaps it is because I have too many of them to write them all.”
Her face must have shown her dismay, as he laughed and said, “I am only jesting, love, only jesting. But, you must have realized by now that I don’t allow anyone to question what I do or don’t do, but in your case, I shall make an exception, this one time.” His gaze swept over her face, and his eyes were warm as they looked into hers. “I am writing to my sister, whom I was to have met. By now, she may be seriously worried. There, minx, are you satisfied?”
Felicia blushed and noted that Becky was eyeing them curiously. Oh, what must she think? Felicia almost giggled like a schoolgirl. His words had made her giddy with pleasure.
It was at this moment, however, that Becky’s attention was taken by Scott, who had put a few questions to her. As the two put their heads together, laughing over some anecdote he told her, Felicia once again met Ashton’s eyes. Oh, she thought, I am quite thoroughly taken—so very taken with this titan of a man.
* * *
An hour later, Becky’s father arrived on the scene, and a tearful meeting took place that warmed all their hearts.
Between tears and laughter, hugs and handshakes, he whisked his daughter off. There was an awkward moment when Ashton felt a twinge of guilt as he continued the lie of omission during the introductions. There might come a time in the future when the squire would discover that he was actually not Mr. Glen Ashton but the Duke of Somerset, and what would he think? He should have introduced himself as the Duke of Somerset; it was the only right thing to do, but he simply wasn’t ready to give up his identity. Perhaps this omission would go unnoticed?
Scott sighed and looked forlorn as he watched Becky leave. He then announced that he was fatigued and would return to his bed for a nap. Ashton turned to see Felicia sigh sadly.
She was tireless. Like him, restless. What they both needed was to get out. “Shall we take a bit of a ride, you and I?”
Her face brightened at once. “Oh, yes.”
He found himself reaching for and receiving her hand. It was a thrilling experience. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way before when he touched a woman’s hand. A shiver rushed through his body, and he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than to be with this imp of a woman, watch her flitting expression, look into her eyes … kiss her.
Kiss her? Where had that come from? Damn, but if he were honest with himself, he had been wanting to kiss her from the first moment he’d found her.
When they reached the stables, Felicia meandered over to a small, grassy paddock. A stranger’s horse was prancing about and snorting. Ashton watched her as she watched the handsome gelding.
He followed and stood by her. After a moment, he said, “Come, Felicia … they have our horses saddled.”
She turned to him, and, for a moment, she took, literally took, the breath right out of his lungs. She was stunning. Every single time he looked at her, he found her more beautiful than the last.
Without trying, with her hair blowing about her uncovered head, she simply caused his breath to hitch in his throat. She smiled and said lightly, “Yes, of course, but do look at him. Is he not handsome?”
Ashton glanced again towards the snowy gray prancing about and ignoring the hay that he had been given in a pile in one corner of the paddock. “He is … now come, and I will give you a leg up.”
She eyed him. “You do always want to have control, do you not?”
“I know what is needed,” he said simply, “and attend to it.”
It was at that moment that the owner of the gray turned, and Ashton’s eyes narrowed as the man actually looked Felicia over from her head to her boots.
Ashton had a sudden urge to commit the man to the ground when Felicia politely inclined her head towards the gallant smiling too warmly at her.
Ashton knew she was still naïve enough not to snub a young man for smiling at her, but he saw that the bloody devil took it as encouragement.
Cross, as much with himself for allowing her to be in such a situation as with the young man, he leveled a withering look at the bold man and saw her take note with a repressed giggle. She seemed to swallow a laugh, and he said softly, reprimanding her, “Ignore him and come with me.”
“Yes, master,” she teased.
He ignored this and said as she took her reins, “Up with you on the count of three.”
He saw her mounted, and as she adjusted her black velvet riding skirt around her gelding, he walked over to the groom holding his horse. He took up his reins to nimbly mount, landing lightly into his saddle.
The owner of the snowy gray had, during this short time, managed to sidle up to Felicia. He patted her horse’s neck and told her quietly, but within Ashton’s hearing, “What a charmer, the like of which I have never seen before.”
She arched a brow at his bold meaning and lifted her chin. “You cannot mean that, as your horse is far more prime.”
