Page 62 of Ravished

Plenty of time to think. Perhaps too much time.

Was he pursuing a kidnapped fiancée or a fiancée who was fleeing from the Beast of Blackthorne Hall?

He longed to believe Felicity was correct when she said Harriet considered herself committed to him. But the notion that Harriet might have run off willingly into the arms of the lovestruck Applegate was a possibility Gideon could not ignore.

She had been very annoyed with him yesterday when he had taken her for that drive in the park. He remembered the little lecture she had delivered on what she called his dictatorial tendencies. She had made it clear she was not accustomed to being ordered about, no matter how well intentioned the one was who was issuing the orders.

Gideon's jaw clenched. She had obviously been doing a great deal of thinking lately about what being married would mean. She had wanted to make it clear that she did not expect to give up her independence after the wedding.

The problem, as Gideon saw it, was that Harriet had been independent for a long time. She had been forced to make decisions for herself and others for several years. She had grown accustomed to doing so, just as she had grown accustomed to running about alone in caves.

She had grown accustomed to her freedom.

Gideon watched the road ahead, absently aware of the play of the leather in his hands as the horses bounded forward. He had chosen Cyclops and Minotaur just as he chose everything else in his world, for their stamina and endurance, not their looks. Gideon had long ago learned that superficial beauty mattered little in horses, women, or friends.

A man who was obliged to face the world with the scarred features and the ruined reputation Gideon possessed and who found himself judged on that basis soon learned the virtue of looking beneath the surface in others.

Harriet was like his horses, he reflected. She was made of sturdy stuff. But she had a mind of her own.

Perhaps she had decided life would be more pleasant for her if she married someone like Applegate, who would never dream of issuing orders to her.

Applegate had a great deal to offer, including a title and a fortune. On top of all that, Gideon realized, Applegate shared Harriet's interest in fossils. Harriet might have found herself overwhelmingly attracted to Applegate's brain.

Marriage to Applegate would have a number of advantages and none of the drawbacks that would most assuredly accompany marriage to the Beast of Blackthorne Hall.

If he were truly a gentleman, Gideon thought, he would probably allow her to run off with Applegate tonight.

Then he pictured Harriet in Applegate's arms. Gideon suddenly felt coldly sick. He imagined Applegate touching her sweet breasts, kissing her soft mouth, pushing himself into her tight, welcoming heat. Anguish and a shattering sense of loss tore through Gideon.

It was impossible. Gideon knew he could not give her up.

Life without Harriet was too bleak to contemplate.

He remembered something Felicity had said earlier about exhibiting Harriet to Society as though she were some rare creature from a distant part of the globe. Gideon's hands tightened briefly on the reins as he acknowledged to himself that he might have done just that.

The only woman on earth who is not afraid to marry the Beast.

Gideon loosened his grip on the reins, urging the horses to an even faster pace. He could only pray to whatever god had abandoned him six years ago that Harriet was not running away willingly tonight.

The brandy fumes filled the interior of Lady Youngstreet's massive traveling coach as it bowled along the road to the north.

Harriet opened a window as Lady Youngstreet led Lord Fry in a rousing rendition of yet another bawdy tavern song. She made a note to ask the lady where she had learned such ballads.

There was a voting lady from Lower East Dipples Who was blessed with an astonishing pair of nipples.

Across the way Lord Applegate gave Harriet an apologetic look. He leaned forward to make himself heard above the lusty verses.

"I hope you are not too offended, Miss Pomeroy. Older generation, you know. Not quite so refined. They mean well."

"Yes, I know," Harriet said with a rueful smile. "At least they are enjoying themselves."

"I thought it best to bring them along tonight. Their presence will lend countenance to our elopement," Applegate explained earnestly.

"The thing is, my lord, as I have tried to tell you for some time, I do not intend to marry you even if we should happen to reach Gretna, which is highly unlikely."

Applegate gave her an anxious look. "I am hoping you will change your mind, my dear. We have several hours left for you to consider the matter I assure you, I will be a most devoted husband. And we have so much in common. Just think, we shall be able to go exploring together for fossils."

"It sounds quite delightful, sir, but, as I keep reminding you, I am already engaged. I could not possibly break my commitment to St. Justin."

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