Page 6 of Untaming Lady Violet
“Come down this instant.”
The words were not a veiled plea in the interest of safety but a command she should follow without question.
Ordinarily, Violet would have scrambled down as instructed. She would have obeyed the assertive tone of that husky voice without hesitation, but for some reason, she grew more still. Her body, while internally snapping to attention, refused to actuallymove.
Wasn’t that just the strangest thing?
“Lady Violet, should I procure a saucer of milk as enticement?”
“What? I do not understand...” she stuttered. Why would he offer her milk, of all things?
“I’m told kittens love it.” Tristan’s manner shifted, becoming something silky and… wicked. “Will that bring you down? Or will you be lured by other means?”
Violet’s lip pursed. He confused her. It was as if the viscountwanteda reason to make her obey his demand.
Silence stretched between them until she shifted her feet. The branch swayed in response.
Tristan moved closer. “You misunderstand me.” There was the impression he might prove dangerous should his commands go unheeded. His eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m not making a suggestion.”
“It is you who misunderstands, Lord Longleigh. I’ve no wish to disobey you, but… You see, you must turn around,” Violet explained.
Tristan’s dark slashing eyebrows knit together in a vee of irritation.
“I cannot extricate myself while you watch,” she sputtered with embarrassment. Did he have no comprehension of her dilemma? “It’s quite improper.”
“Improper.” His full lips quirked. “Stuck midway up an English oak, and you are concerned for propriety? Despite the strangeness of this situation, I think I find you most amusing.” He waved the slipper at her. “By chance, are you still wearing this one’s mate? Let me see.”
Violet quivered at the scandalous suggestion. Crippling shyness might shroud her like a morning mist, but it wasn’t enough to silence her tongue.
“I’mnotstuck.”
She deliberately ignored the wicked directive to lift her skirts.
The viscount made a noise that might have been a snort.
“Well, I’m not.” Violet’s stubborn tone was quite foreign to her, the tilt of her chin even more so. She hoped she sounded very brave when she loftily instructed, “Turn around, my lord. I shall not come down otherwise.”
“Oh, very well!” Tristan’s hands rose in surrender as he whirled and presented his back. “When you fall, you may only blame yourself. Even with my reflexes, I doubt I’ll catch you.”
“I won’t fall.” Violet shimmied around the tree, strategically placing her feet in different crooks and crannies. “I’ve always thought this oak well suited for climbing, although this is my first attempt with such endeavors.”
A wave of dizziness swept her and was fought back.
“Climbing up was much harder,” she explained unnecessarily. This chatter wasnotnormal for her, but Violet attributed it to nerves. After all, she’d never descended from a tree with a handsome viscount in such close proximity before.
He isn’t peeking, is he?My position is most unladylike. Oh, I do hope he has not crushed my slipper too badly.
With a shake of her head, she gathered her courage while continuing her descent.
“I did not have use of both hands before, as you see I was holding the poor bird. Which means, Lord Longleigh, the chances of a tumble now are greatly reduced.”
Chapter 3
Afeminine cry of alarm was Tristan’s only warning of impending disaster.
He spun just in time, dropping the slipper and catching Violet as she plummeted like a stone. Well, in truth, he only partially caught her. Mostly, he served as a breakpoint for her fall.
With a muffled“Oof!”they landed on the ground, cushioned by lush grass and loamy earth. By twisting his shoulders just so, Tristan maneuvered them so he absorbed the brunt of the crash.
