Page 16 of Denying a Rakish Duke
“Ready,” she agreed. “Go!” she giggled and leaned into Apple’s neck as best as she could, her beloved steed tearing off into a run so suddenly that Joseph was momentarily struck by how beautiful Vanessa looked when she smiled, the wind ruffling her dress about her body, Apple’s mane tossing in the wind before he urged Apollo forward.
He could not tear his eyes from Vanessa as they sped down the path, attracting the attention of other patrons of the park on this lovely afternoon, but as Vanessa did not seem to care, he did not either. She looked like a wholly different person. He wondered how often she was allowed to be this freer version of herself and how often she had to maintain the uptight, diligent persona that she appeared to the other men of theton. He wondered how many men, if any, had ever been given the chance to witness her thus.
“I am gaining on you!” Joseph called to her as he urged Apollo further forward. They raced side by side, both horses’ powerful legs in stride with one another.
“Only for a moment!” Vanessa taunted and clicked her tongue for a burst of speed. Joseph leaned forward, wanting to coax his mount into a burst of speed that he was more than certain the young horse was capable of— but he was distracted by a frantic cry from the lawns to the left.
“Mimzy! No!” A blur of pale-colored skirts started hastily across the lawns toward them preceded by a white, fluffy puppy who seemed to have no sense of self-preservation whatsoever. Beside him, Vanessa hauled back on Apple’s reins to slow her. Joseph attempted to do the same, but Apollo would have none of it. The young stud was frightened by the small creature that appeared to be charging at him and reared back onto his two hind legs with a frightened whinny.
Joseph was only aware of the fact that he was sliding backward in his saddle as Apollo came crashing down, stamping toward the now terrified puppy as Mimzy’s owner shrieked from the lawns. Joseph’s grip slipped from the reins, and Apollo defiantly bucked Joseph clear off of the saddle.
For a moment, Joseph was weightless as his fingers reached in vain for the reins, the saddle, anything to keep himself from being tossed, and then he was falling down, straight into the lake.
ChapterTen
“Your Grace!” Vanessa’s eyes widened in shock as she watched the Duke tumble off of his horse and into the cold waters of the lake. Apollo, spooked, took off running in the other direction.
“Quickly, you fools! After him at once!” Uncle Tobias shouted at the servants in attendance at the picnic that they had been setting up on the lawns. They took off at once after Apollo. “I spent far too much money on that stud, and I demand that he be returned immediately!” Tobias toddled off after the servants chasing the frightened horse.
Amanda ran into the path and scooped up her beloved new puppy. She cradled the small thing tightly to her chest as she whispered soft condemnations in an affectionate voice. Petunia seemed unsure of who she was supposed to attend to first and was frozen in place. Vanessa saw none of it. She slid and dropped off of Apple’s side and landed heavily on her feet. She ran to the side of the lake and balled her skirts up in one arm while she sloshed a few steps into the water, not thinking about where they were or who was watching as she extended her free hand to Joseph’s prone form.
Humiliation tinted his cheeks red as he attempted to stand in the muddy bank, only to have his feet slip out from underneath him, and he landed heavily on his rear a second time. He grunted in frustration and chose to ignore the hand proffered him.
“Your Grace!” she exclaimed again when he did not answer. “Are you all right? Are you injured? Did you hit your head?” Her heart was a butterfly in her chest as she strained to reach him. Joseph stood up finally, soaked through with water and mud clinging to his clothes and hair. Anger and indignation were evident on his handsome features despite it all. A hot embarrassment spread the red tint to the back of his neck as he shook his hand to flick the bulk of the mud away.
“I ought to pull you in here with me,” he groused. He could only hope that nobody was mocking him. He had never felt so ungraceful in his life. Much to his surprise, Vanessa laughed at his threat. Just a short chuckle before she caught herself, but not before his mind was filled with the mental image of Vanessa down in the mud beside him, however fleeting as it was. He did not think that he had heard her laugh properly before this, and the sound stuck in his mind even after she had composed herself.
“At least your mind is in working order.” Vanessa shook her hand insistently in his direction, but he did not take it. He forced himself to stand on his own; he could not allow Amanda to see him struggling, much less taking the assistance of her sister. He also did not trust himself to touch Vanessa again. No matter how minor the touch would be. Not after the other night had left a fire in him.
Somewhere in the distance, the servants caught hold of Apollo, and Uncle Tobias started to riotously proclaim every fact about Apollo’s pedigree that he could think of off the top of his head, loudly, to anybody that would listen.
“Never has he done something like this before!” he shouted as if that excused the behavior. They were lucky that nothing worse happened as a result of the spooked horse. He would never allow himself to think that somebody would say something negative about a possession that he owned. Tobias Farbridge had always had to have the best of the best in everything. His self-worth was directly tied to the opinions of others. “Take him homeat onceandhandlethe situation!” the Earl shouted, wanting to seem in control. People were looking, and that made him more uncomfortable than anything else. He was very content to gossipaboutpeople but could not tolerate being the brunt of the same gossip.
Even his loud display was not quite enough to distract from the other display that was the Duke of Willow attempting to recover gracefully from his accident. “This is your fault, you know.” Joseph flashed his rage in Vanessa’s direction, and she quickly shuffled backward and away from him and to the bank of the lake that she had been standing on.
“I can hardly be blamed for the poor animal getting frightened!” She was of half a mind to push himbackinto the water again. He certainly would deserve it. “Just as I cannot be held accountable for a dogaccidentallyrunning out into the path at the precise moment that we crossed it!”
“You plotted this, somehow, did you not? To embarrass me in front of my intended?” Joseph projected his indignation on Vanessa and regretted it the moment that the look of hurt crossed her face. All emotion fell from her, a mask of neutrality covering her as her spine straightened. He could not take back what he said, not now.
Petunia came up behind her youngest daughter, who still held her puppy firmly despite how the beast wriggled for freedom, wanting to run and be free again. They both waited for whatever the Duke was going to say next. “Your Grace, are you well? That was a terrible fall; please, how can we be of assistance?”
Vanessa mumbled something under her breath that had the Duke standing up straighter. “I am quite well; I had hoped to convene with you in order to spend the afternoon with Lady Amanda, getting to know her better, but unfortunately now I am afraid that I must retire home to dry off.” Joseph fixed a bright smile into place. “Fortunately, the afternoon is quite warm, so the predicament is not too terrible.”
“Your Grace, allow me to at least lend you my coat?”
Vanessa did not recognize the voice of the man speaking right away, and her attention snapped to him. Thomas Farbridge, Uncle Tobias’ son, stepped forward from where he had been behind Petunia and Amanda, already shrugging out of his coat so that he might lend it to the Duke.
For as unattractive as Tobias was, his son was quite the opposite. He was tall and thin. He was not a man built for war or dueling of any sort. He had the pallid complexion of a man who spent most of his time indoors despite his extensive travels. His hair was a fair blond, and his eyes were a pale brown. He had freckles down the sides of his neck, down his weak chin, and over the tops of his hands. However, he had a kind disposition and was generous to a fault. The exact opposite of his father in every way. He liked to handle his affairs personally and was offended when others would not allow him to care for them. Someday, he would make a lovely Earl of Evans when his father passed.
He had spent the better part of the last three years abroad, traveling and experiencing the world at his father’s insistence. More than once, Vanessa and Serafina had speculated that this was because Tobias wanted his son to come home with an exotic wife, but Thomas was always far more interested in books. Uncle Tobias was always going on about how when his son returned to London, he would have his pick of women, but Vanessa had not been informed that her cousin would be returning forthisSeason. Why had no one informed her?
“Why thank you, that is far too kind of you.” Joseph attempted to replace his wet jacket with the warm, dry one, but it was far too narrow in the shoulders. However, his manners would not allow for him to seem put out by it, even as the fabric groaned in protest to accommodate the Duke’s much more muscular form.
Petunia glared at Vanessa expectantly, and Vanessa shifted her weight from one foot to the other anxiously. She knew that something needed to be said in order to smooth the situation over, but all she could come up with was “Thank you, that was very gracious of you.”
Even she knew that her gratitude did not sound genuine.
Petunia’s eyes narrowed. “Not to your cousin, to the Duke! Perhaps to yoursister!” Petunia hissed to her daughter.
