Secrets of a Runaway Bride (18 page)

By the time Michael left hours later after a long and lively visit, Annie was beside herself with glee and Jordan had a deep scowl on his face.

“I told you it wouldn’t work,” Annie said in a singsong voice after Michael’s coach drove away from the house and the two of them had waved good-bye.

Jordan turned to her, rubbing his temples. “First, I must apologize for my brother’s lack of decorum. He tends to be much less formal in the country, but that is hardly an excuse for his constant talk of sport in your presence.”

“I found him delightful.”

Jordan smirked. “He gave me a splitting headache.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Annie said, still smiling.

Jordan sighed. “It was my mistake. All the lad cares about is gaming and horseflesh.”

Annie nodded. “If you say so. But I say it’s more than that.”

“I still have two more brothers, Miss Andrews, and both of them are older and wiser than Michael. And exceedingly eligible.”

Annie turned toward the side of the house, intent upon resuming her work with Mr. McGivens. “Very well. If you insist upon continuing this farce, far be it from me to stop you, but at least warn your next brother that you’re attempting to pair him with me.”

Jordan grunted. “There’s no time to warn him. Timothy will be here the day after tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 23

“I hate to interrupt you, my lord, but—”

Jordan tossed the quill he’d been using to go over the ledgers to the desk. He glanced up to see Jonathan, his head groomsman, standing in the open doorway to his study. “Yes? What is it?”

Jonathan bowed. “My lord, it’s Miss Andrews.” The groomsman audibly gulped. “She wants to go riding, sir, and she’s…”

Jordan quirked a brow. “Yes?”

Jonathan glanced down at his hands. “My lord. She’s asked for the curricle with a team tied tandem.”

Jordan leaned back in his chair and cupped his hands behind his head, a broad smile on his face. “I see. And what did you tell her?”

Jonathan pulled at his neckcloth. “I told her I’d have to check with you first. I know you said she wasn’t to be given any mount. But she’s very insistent. Not to mention I don’t want her to break her neck, my lord. I’ve never seen a lady drive a tandem team.”

Jordan flashed another grin. “Neither have I. Let’s go.”

He stood up, grabbed his gloves from the desktop, and made his way toward the door. Jonathan followed him out into the hall, dogging his heels.

“So, you plan to tell her she cannot do it, my lord?” Jonathan asked, nearly running to keep up.

Jordan didn’t slow his pace. “Absolutely not.” He pulled on the gloves. “I intend to watch.”

Jonathan froze in his tracks momentarily, his mouth gaping, but soon was back at Jordan’s heels. “My lord?”

Jordan stopped this time and Jonathan tripped and caught himself. “Yes, Jonathan?”

“My apologies, my lord, but I thought I heard you say you intend to…”—another gulp—“watch.”

Another nod. “Precisely.”

Jordan made his way out the side door and down the gravel path to the stables. The meeting with Michael yesterday hadn’t gone the way he’d expected. Not at all. Bah. Michael was a fool. The fact that he hadn’t scooped up Annie the minute he saw her just proved it. Where else would the lad find such a beautiful, intelligent young woman who wasn’t afraid to have dirt on her face and apparently could drive a tandem team too? He refused to examine the bit of relief he’d felt when Michael had left. It was not as if Jordan wanted her for himself. No. Ludicrous notion. He shook his head, increasing his strides as he crunched along the path to the stables. He strode into the building, Jonathan still on his heels, just in time to see a clearly perturbed Annie arguing with a lesser groom.

“I’m telling you, I’ve driven a tandem team dozens of times.” She threw up her hands. “Dozens!”

The worried look on the groom’s face was mixed with a healthy dose of skepticism. He merely shook his head. “Jonathan asked me ta wait for ’is return, miss. I’m sure ’e’ll be back any moment now.”

Annie crossed her arms over her chest. “You do not believe me, do you?”

The groom turned a special shade of red. “I’m sure Jonathan will be back soon,” he repeated.

Annie tapped her foot on the packed-earth ground. “Lord Ashbourne will hear about this,” she insisted, pointing her finger at the groom.

Jordan stood several paces away, his shoulder propped against a stall door, his booted feet crossed at the ankles, the hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Indeed, Lord Ashbourne has already heard about it,” he called.

Annie and the groom both swung around to face him. Annie was a bit pink herself, it seemed. She eyed him up and down and then raised her chin. “Please tell this nice young man that I am perfectly capable of driving a tandem team.”

Jordan rested a knuckle under his chin and watched her. “Hmm. The fact is, I have no idea if you are capable of any such thing.” The pretty pink color spread to her hairline. “But,” he quickly amended, “I’m extremely curious to find out.”

Annie nodded, smiled, and a bit of the color receded from her cheeks. “Very well.”

“I shall order a curricle with a tandem team put to, upon one condition,” Jordan said.

She rolled her eyes. “What’s that?”

“I must accompany you. I wish to see this up close.”

Annie smiled at him. Her lips moved into a thin, straight line. “Don’t trust me, eh?”

“On the contrary. Of course I trust you, or I wouldn’t risk my life by riding with you.” He winked at her.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Don’t you have anything better to do with your time, my lord?”

He took two steps toward her. “Better is open to interpretation, is it not?”

“Very well.” She eyed him warily. “Come if you must.”

“I must.” He nodded.

At Jordan’s command, the two grooms hurried off to hitch the team to the curricle. When they returned, Jordan handed Annie up into the seat and followed her. She waited for him to sit, holding the fine leather reins in both hands, speaking quietly to the horses. Jordan watched her closely. She was a skilled horsewoman. That much was clear from her use of the reins and her treatment of the animals.

She clucked to the pair, shook out the reins, and they trotted off at a brisk clip. “Where to?” she asked as they cleared the stable door.

Jordan grinned at her. “What? No plan?”

She eyed him with disdain. “You know this land better than I do. You tell me. What’s the best route?”

Jordan scanned the horizon and nodded toward the right. “Through the meadow, there.” He pointed. “There’s a well-worn path with an excellent view at the end.”

Annie nodded. Keeping a tight hold of the reins, she expertly maneuvered the two horses to the right.

Jordan’s eyebrows rose. “Impressive, Miss Andrews, very impressive.”

She smiled and preened. “I told you I could do it. But you don’t fool me, Lord Ashbourne. I don’t believe for one moment you came with me for any other reason than to keep me from escaping your property.” She winked at him.

Jordan tossed back his head and laughed. “If that had been my concern, I would have sent Jonathan with you.”

*   *   *

Annie swallowed and glanced away, making a show of seeing to the horses. The lightly sprung curricle made its way through the meadow and into a copse of trees. “Just beyond here,” Lord Ashbourne said, pointing, “is a lane that follows the pond.”

Annie nodded. Being in Lord Ashbourne’s company would be much less difficult if the man weren’t so gorgeous. She cleared her throat. And if she didn’t have the memory of their kiss at the Lindworths’ ball swimming around in her head. Oh, and the other kiss in the Roths’ library floating about as well.

Jordan pointed toward the horses. “Maggie and Martin are a fine pair, are they not?”

Annie nodded again. “They’re lovely, as is this curricle.”

He inclined his head. “Thank you. I just purchased it over the summer. Haven’t had much of a chance to use it before now.”

“It’s a lovely day for a drive,” Annie said, and then mentally cursed herself for saying such an idiotic thing. Specifically because it in fact was
not
a lovely day for a drive. Storm clouds had been brewing all morning.

“Where did you learn to drive a tandem team with such skill?” Jordan asked.

Annie had to bite her lip to keep from smiling at his compliment. She shrugged. “I didn’t have much to do when I was a child. The grooms at our stables would take me riding with them and my governess loved to ride as well.”

Jordan’s brow furrowed. “You had your studies, did you not?”

“Yes. But Lily was the one who received all our parents’ attention. I was always an afterthought.”

Jordan remained silent for a moment. “That must have been difficult,” he finally said.

She shrugged. “I was the younger daughter, not beautiful, not talented. Absolutely nothing remarkable about me.”

Jordan turned to face her. His voice was soft. “You cannot believe that.”

She smiled a ghost of a smile. “I know it’s true, Lord Ashbourne. I was told it often enough.”

Jordan’s face turned to stone. “What idiot was foolish enough to tell you that?”

She clucked to the horses and chuckled a humorless chuckle. “My father,” she admitted.

“Your father, may he rest in peace, was an idiot.”

A surge of happiness bubbled in Annie’s chest. She’d never admitted these things to anyone before. She didn’t know why she was admitting them now, but she certainly hadn’t expected sympathy. “Aren’t all second daughters less valuable than the first? Besides, it wasn’t Lily’s fault that she was so much more beautiful and accomplished than I. My parents’ hopes rested on her securing an excellent match.”

Jordan shook his head. “You’ve got a great many things wrong. First of all, Lily is a beautiful woman, there’s no doubt on that score, but it’s not true that she’s more beautiful than you. Secondly, I’ve lived thirty-one years and have yet to see a lady drive a tandem team with the skill you’ve exhibited today. Hell, I’ve yet to see a
man
drive a tandem team with your skill. Lastly, we’ve all seen the results of your father’s maneuverings with Lily’s match. He had her marry Lord Merrill, for God’s sake, which just proves my point that the man was an idiot.”

Annie’s face pinkened again. “It’s nice of you to defend me, Lord Ashbourne.” She kept her eyes trained on the horses.

“Annie,” he said quietly. “Call me Jordan. I daresay we’re on a first-name basis by now.”

She smiled at that and glanced away nervously. “Very well.”

“I never realized how difficult it must be for younger siblings,” Jordan said. “My brothers always seemed to be enjoying themselves while I was stuck with responsibility.”

Annie’s brow furrowed. “Stuck with responsibility? I wonder if Lily ever felt that way.” She shook her head. “I always assumed she enjoyed our parents’ attention. And their praise.”

His voice was low. “Just because your father told you that you weren’t beautiful or accomplished doesn’t make it true, Annie.”

Annie took a deep breath. It was very polite of Jordan to try to tell her so. Truly it was. If only she could believe him. “My father wasn’t the only one who said it,” she nearly whispered.

They’d come to the end of the little path that meandered around the water. Annie let the horses go slowly, walking them. She barely noticed the beauty of the secluded little pond with sparkling green water surrounded by a myriad of trees graced with the first signs of autumn’s changing leaves.

Jordan looked at her. “Who else said it? Surely not your mother? Or Lily?”

She shook her head. “No, no. Not Mother. Never her. Mother had no idea that Father had ever said such things to me. And of course Lily always adored me, and I, her.”

Jordan glanced at her profile, fetching in her bonnet. “Then who?”

She shook her head. “You’re not going to stop, are you?”

“No.”

“It was no one, really. Just a boy once. A long time ago. It hardly matters now.”

“Annie.” He moved to touch her hand. “Who would say such a thing to you?”

The wind kicked up then and a crack of thunder spooked the horses. Annie clucked to them softly and held the reins with a firm hand. She shook her head. Smiling brightly, she didn’t meet Jordan’s eyes. “We should get back to the stables. It’s going to rain.”

Dark gray clouds were ominously gathering in the distance and the wind had kicked up with a cold edge to it.

Jordan glanced up at the sky. He nodded. “You’re right. We should get back. Let’s see what you can do with this team.” He grinned at her.

Annie’s eyes flared. “Really?”

“Really,” he answered, smiling at her.

Annie refused to think about what his smile did to her insides. She shook out the reins and urged Maggie and Martin into a fine gallop back down the path they’d come.

“Hold on,” she ordered. Jordan braced a hand against the side of the curricle and winked at her.

They raced back to the stables, the wind kicking up behind them, the clouds chasing them. They’d barely pulled into the building when the sky opened up and poured.

“Just made it,” Annie said, winking back at him.

The grooms rushed to take the reins from Annie and Jordan jumped from the seat. He landed in the soft hay and bowed at the waist to her. “Thanks to the skill of the driver,” he said, offering her his hand.

Annie inclined her head and smiled brightly, allowing him to help her from the vehicle.

She hopped to the ground and Jordan stared down at her. “I knew Eggleston made a mistake that day.”

A lump formed in her throat. “Which day?” she asked as Jonathan and the other groom pulled the curricle away. She dusted off her skirts and watched Jordan closely.

“That day I came upon you two riding in the park with your fox. You’d wanted to drive his team of four.”

She tapped her cheek, remembering. “Yes. That’s right. He wouldn’t allow it.”

Jordan nodded. “A mistake, that. He missed some fine horsemanship.”

“Horse
woman
ship.”

He inclined his head toward her. “Indeed. And not the only mistake Eggleston made, to be sure.”