Page 23 of Wicked Rivals
“Yes, thank you. I’ve managed longer walks.”
“Stay on this road and you can’t miss the house,” Rolfe called out. He got back on his horse and rode away as fast as he’d come. “Safe journey!”
Rosalind squared her shoulders and began the long, agonizing march down the dirt road, hoping she’d see the house soon. The rain picked up, and the road turned thick as mud. The once beautiful skirts of her carriage gown were soon ripped, sodden and caked with mud. It dragged, heavier and heavier, weighing her down until she felt as though she were wading knee-high upstream through a river.
Her feet burned as the leather chafed against her thin stockings. Trees dotted the roadside ahead, forcing an endless line pointing to her goal. A sneeze caught her off guard and she stumbled, almost fell, but managed to catch herself.
I must keep going.No matter how much she wished she was curled up in front of a fire with a good book and a bowl of hot soup.
Ashton’s face filled her mind. A driving force to push her onward, even if it killed her.
Chapter Six
Jonathan leaned over a billiard table and prepared to take a shot. “It’s a damned good thing Cedric wasn’t home when I brought Audrey back from Fives Court.”
Ashton idly rubbed the tip of his cue against his booted foot, not missing the way Jonathan’s face was intense as he talked.
“You are planning to marry that woman, aren’t you?” Ashton asked as he waited for his turn.
He’d been relieved to have his friends arrive this evening after dinner. He’d spent the entire meal trying not to give poor Miss Merton the impression she was to receive a marriage proposal. Between his friends’ wives and his mother’s schemes, it was getting damned hard to stay a bachelor these days.
“I intend to propose once I’ve had time to settle into the new townhouse and get everything prepared. No sense in rushing.” Jonathan smacked a red ball into a corner pocket.
“Nicely done,” Charles said. “But let’s be honest, Jon. That little sprite is too much for any man to handle and still keep a grip on his sanity. I doubt you’d be able to keep up with her. She even had me on the run once, as you’ll recall.”
Ashton watched Jonathan’s face redden. He had his older brother’s jealous temperament, it seemed, but he kept it far better hidden than Godric.
“I swear,” Charles continued, “I’ve never been chased by a woman before, and yet there she was, tackling me on a settee. What’s a man to do, I ask you?”
“I still can’t believe you let her kiss you like that,” said Ashton. “She’s a lady, not a lightskirt. I’m not at all surprised Cedric blackened your eye for it.”
Charles gave an indignant huff. “You’ve never been accosted by her. You have no idea how strong her delicate little hands are, or how she can tackle a grown man right to the floor. She’s a menace to every decent bachelor. I’m keeping my distance until you marry her.” Charles lined his cue and took a shot, missing wide enough that he cursed.
“Distance? Then why on earth did you let her attend your match at Fives Court? That was dangerous and you know it! What if she’d been recognized? Or worse, what if a man had taken her while you were in the ring? Linley wouldn’t have been able to protect her—that lad’s too scrawny for that.” Jonathan bristled.
“Tom’s just young. He’ll fill out. I was smaller than a lot of men until I turned twenty-three, wasn’t I, Ash?”
“You were,” Ashton agreed. Charles had indeed been slim as a young man; it was one of the reasons he’d needed help that night in the river. Waverly had needed no help in overpowering Charles. The dark thoughts and memories swirled close to the surface, and Ash buried them.
“I’m sure Tom’s a capable lad, but Jonathan has a point about Audrey. It was not wise to let her come to Fives Court.”
Charles sighed dramatically. “She’s assisting Lucien’s brother, Avery, in his…occupation, as you know. A clever lady is worth her weight in gold, but one who can also disguise herself is that much more valuable. Audrey was merely trying to see if she could fool a crowd. She was pulling it off.”
“No, she wasn’t. I recognized her,” Jonathan insisted.
Charles snickered. “Because you stare at her little backside far too muchnotto recognize it.”
“Have a care, man,” Jonathan warned.
Ashton saw the younger man’s temper building up and decided to intervene. “As soon as Jonathan marries Audrey, I’m sure we won’t have to worry about her running off and getting into trouble. Problem solved.”
“Ha!” Charles was clearly not convinced.
“Regardless, whose turn is it?”
“Hell if I know,” Charles muttered and stalked over to the window facing the front of the house.
“I believe you’re up, Ashton.” Jonathan leaned against his cue, still scowling at Charles.
