Page 12 of One Night to Remember
She said nothing.
He cleared his throat. “And you are…?”
“Declining to answer,” she replied sweetly.
Her name was none of his business, he reminded himself. He was here to speak to crotchety old Banyan, not some cheeky stable lass… who… knew every nut and bolt inside this carriage house?
“It’syou,” he realized suddenly.
Nonchalance vanished from her eyes at once, replacing her playful expression with one of wariness. “What’s me?”
“You’re the one who has been keeping Colehaven’s carriages in impeccable condition.” Banyan was a lovely man, but he was far from spry these days. Giles had long assumed the old man had an apprentice or two. He just hadn’t expected to meet her like this.
Stable Lass blinked. A tentative smile curved one edge of her dusky pink lips. “You’re right. It is me.”
“Can you teach my other clients to have half as much good sense?” Giles asked. “They should all hire stable lasses, if they’re half as competent as you.”
The smile blossomed into a grin, and the entire mews was transformed with its beauty.
“I would never dream of stealing work from the Curricle King,” she assured him with a sassy smile, then ducked out of sight behind the coach.
He ignored the impulse to follow in her wake.
Inserting himself had been one thing when he’d believed her to be up to mischief. Giles was not foolish enough to prevent a valued employee from performing her duties. Rather than ousting a trespasser, Giles would be the one who found himself out on his ear.
If he’d met her anywhere but a client’s carriage house, however… Giles shook his head. He was not in the market for a romance, here or anywhere. Besides, he’d visited this carriage house for a decade without crossing paths with Miss Lass. Another decade might pass before their paths converged again.
“Langford,” came a familiar male voice from the other side of the carriage. “Good afternoon.”
Colehaven!Giles turned to face his client and blinked to discover a kitten cleaving to the duke’s shoulder.
“A fine afternoon, indeed. Almost as fine as your curricle.” Giles gestured beside him. “I’m not certain I’ve been earning my keep. Every time I check on one of your carriages, it’s already in great condition.”
“Great isn’t good enough,” Colehaven replied with a remarkably straight face, given the kitten was now playfully batting his earlobe. “I need it to be the best. There’s a race it needs to win.”
“You’re an excellent driver,” Giles said honestly.
“Thank you.” The duke plucked the kitten from the side of his head and settled it against his chest. “But I shan’t be at the reins. I’m hoping to employyoufor the task.”
“Absolutely,” Giles answered without hesitation. “And you needn’t fear. I’ve won every race in which I oversaw my carriage.”
“This time,” the duke said as his kitten shredded his neckcloth, “you’ll work on a team.”
“A what?” Giles said blankly.
“A team,” the duke repeated. “With my mechanical artisan assisting with the technical aspects and you handling the actual race, there’ll be no choice but to win.”
“There’s no choice,” Giles said, “in one important aspect at least.Iam the carriage smith, and the man handling the reins. Therefore,Ishall handle the technical aspects. I’ll win your race, but I work alone.”
“Until now,” the duke agreed, and lifted the kitten from his ruined cravat. “Langford, I want you to meet your new partner.”
For a single, unreal moment, Giles feared the duke was referring to his cat.
But then Stable Lass emerged from behind the duke’s coach and everything tilted even more off-kilter.
Giles cleared his throat. This was a distraction he could not afford. “While I do not doubt the skill level of your lady mechanic—”
“Not ‘lady mechanic,’” the duke interrupted. “Lady Felicity. My sister.”
