Page 495 of From Rakes to Riches

For his part, Gem looked utterly flummoxed. “I have, but?—”

“But?” Artemis prompted. “What?”

Rake found that he, too, wanted to knowbut…what.

Gem’s gaze slid to the ground. “The opportunity has never presented itself.”

Artemis smiled like the cat who got the cream. “Well, you have the opportunity now.”

Gem’s head snapped up, his eyes wide as victory plates. “How’s that?” he asked, wary.

“It’s simple,” said Artemis, only too happy to explain. “You could ride Dido in the Two Thousand Guineas. You should rub along together like two peas in a pod.”

No, shouted every cell in Rake’s body.

With Gem in the saddle, it was Hannibal who would not only win the Two Thousand Guineas, but also the Race of the Century.

And here was Rake on the verge of losing Gem to one of his biggest rivals—his sister.

That wasn’t about to happen.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Artemis.”

Two pairs of surprised and questioning eyes swung toward him.

“And why is that, brother?” asked Artemis, suspicious.

She’d never been able to abide not getting her way.

“Because Gem will be ridingHannibalin the Two Thousand Guineas.”

Artemis’s jaw clenched and released. Her eyes told him she hadn’t yet ceded Gem. “Don’t you think the lad gets a say in the matter?”

Gem squirmed uncomfortably in the saddle. He didn’t want a say in the matter, that was apparent.

The lad cleared his throat and swiped his tongue across his plump bottom lip. Rake found himself following the motion, and again that uncomfortable feeling slithered through him.

Gem glanced between brother and sister a few times before his gaze landed…

On Rake.

“I’ll ride Hannibal,” said the lad.

Rake couldn’t help directing a smirk at Artemis, who threw her hands into the air. “You don’t have to ride for him, you know,” she said. “I’ll pay you double.”

From his perch on Hannibal’s back, Gem gave Artemis a smile of apology. “Hannibal needs me.”

And that was the matter settled.

Artemis exhaled a gusty sigh of irritation and led Dido away without another word, leaving Rake and Gem alone.

Now that the sun had fully breached the horizon, Rake noticed something about Gem. His eyes, namely. Green with flecks of gold, framed by long lashes that shone strawberry in the dawn light.

Something else struck Rake.

Never in his life had he once noticed the subtleties of a stable lad’s eye color.

Rake also noticed the smudges of grime on Gem’s cheeks. “Don’t you ever wash?” he found himself asking.

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