Surrender (54 page)

heavy objects around unaided. At the very

least, she should have asked a servant to

do the job. But she had no doubt been

too embarrassed to have a footman or

her maid participate in the small act of

defiance.

On the other hand, the show of spirit

was a good sign, he told himself. She was

obviously feeling much better than she had

that morning. Things were getting back to

normal.

Normal, that is, if life with Vicky could

ever be termed such.

Lucas shoved aside the covers and got

to his feet.

The strategist in him knew that there

had been no way to avoid the recent

confrontations. Some battles were unavoidable,

and when those arose, a man could

do nothing except hunker down and fight.

Victoria had still not fully accepted

the marriage. She was an independent,

headstrong creature who had been allowed

free rein for too long. Her own intelligence,

her gentle instincts, and her desire not to

jeopardize her aunt's position in Society

had acted as controls until he had come

along.

But now Lucas knew she saw him as the

one who stood in her way, the one who

threatened her independence. She was torn

between her feelings for him and her anger

at being trapped in the marriage.

Lucas remembered all the males who had

danced attendance on her in London, and

groaned. She was accustomed to keeping

men in their place, accustomed to being

the one in command.

But he sensed, even if she did not, that

one of the reasons she had been initially

fascinated with him was the very fact that

she could not be quite certain of her

ability to control him. She was a strong

woman who needed a man who was even

stronger.

Having found him, she could not resist

testing him.

He was sorry open warfare had broken

out. But Lucas knew that now that the

battle lines had been drawn, he could not

give in and allow Victoria her own way or

there would be hell to pay in the future.

Life had changed drastically for both of

them. He had to make her understand

that. They had future generations to think

about now, not just their own lives. An

estate such as stone vale was meant to be

held in trust for one's descendants. It was

 
or

an investment in the future, not just the

present.

Those descendants would carry Victoria's

blood as well as his own, Lucas told

himself. She had as large a stake in

this land as he did. Neither of them

could continue to go on in the rather

reckless fashion they had indulged before

the marriage.

Good God. He really was starting to

sound quite priggish.

For all either of them knew, the next

generation of Colebrooks might be on its

way. The image of Victoria growing round

and ripe with his babe sent a savage thrill

of satisfaction through him.

Lucas scowled again, thinking of how

she had pushed a very heavy object in

front of her door. He could not allow her

to do that sort of thing, not now when she

might be pregnant. She belonged to him

and he would take care of her whether she

liked it or not.

But first he had to find a way to breach

her bristling defenses. Lucas thought of

the cacti in Lady Nettleship's garden and

smiled. Then he went to the wardrobe and

took out a shirt and a pair of breeches.

Victoria saw him the moment he

appeared on the ledge outside her window,

a dark, dangerous, masculine shape against

the silvered night. This was no nightmare

image. This was Lucas. She knew now she

had been waiting for him.

It was inconceivable that he would let a

little thing like her dressing table lodged

against the connecting door stop him. She

sat up and hugged her knees as the dark

figure on the ledge opened her window and

stepped into her bedchamber. He was fully

dressed.

 
Ah, so it was the dressing table,"

Lucas remarked calmly, glancing toward

the connecting door.
 
You really should not

be moving heavy objects about like that, my

dear. Next time ask for assistance."

 
Will there be a next time?" she asked

softly, aware of the challenge that hung

between them.

 
Probably." He paced forward to stand at

the foot of her bed.
 
I fear we are destined

to quarrel occasionally, my sweet. Given

your reckless ways and my lamentably dull,

plodding ones, it is inevitable."

 
Dull and plodding is not how I would

describe you, Lucas. I think the terms

 
arrogant, domineering, and stubborn" suit

you far better.

 
And priggish?"

 
I regret to say it, but yes, priggish is

beginning to suit you nicely."

He wrapped a hand around the bed post

and smiled ruefully.
 
Tis a relief, of

course, to know you do not think so

badly of me, after all."

She tensed.
 
Lucas, if you believe for one

moment that you can sneak in here in the

dead of night and claim your husbandly

privileges, you are wrong. If you try to

get into this bed, I will scream the house

down."

 
I doubt that. You would not want to

humiliate either me or yourself in front

of the servants. In any event you sadly

misjudge me, madam, if you think I

would be so foolish as to deal with your

temper in such a fashion. But, then, I

have warned you before that you have a

habit of underestimating me."

She eyed him warily.
 
What do you plan

to do?"

He glanced away from her, looking

back over his shoulder to where the open

curtains rippled in the night air.
 
The night

beckons, madam, and you have always

been one to answer the summons. Have

you ever gone riding at midnight?"

She stared at him.
 
Are you serious?"

 
Never more so."

 
You would take me riding at this

hour?"

 
Yes."

 
This is a trick, is it not? You are trying

to disarm me, trying to make me forget my

anger at your high-handedness."

Yes."

 
You do not even deny it?"

He shrugged eloquently.
 
Why should I?

 
Tis the truth."

 
Then I should refuse your offer."

His wicked grin flashed in the shadows.

 
The question is not should you, but

can you?"

He knew her far too well, she realized.

She chewed thoughtfully on her lip. Going

with him was no capitulation. She would

merely be taking advantage of a glorious

opportunity for adventure. Riding in the

moonlight. It sounded wonderful. Besides,

although her headache had disappeared

several hours earlier, she had been unable

to get to sleep.

 
You will get the wrong notion if I

choose to accompany you," she said.

 
Will I?"

She nodded grimly.
 
You will think I

have forgiven you for your recent treatment

of me."

 
I am not so foolish as to think you

would forgive me so easily."

 
Good. Because I will not."

 
I understand," he said gravely.

 
You are not to view it as some sort of

surrender."

 
You make yourself quite clear," Lucas

assured her.

Victoria hesitated a second longer and

then leapt out of bed and dashed to the

closet to find the breeches she had worn

on their midnight adventures in London.

 
Turn around," she ordered as she tugged

off her nightclothes.

 
Why? I have seen you naked several

times now." He lounged against the

bed post, arms folded across his chest.

 
And I have been curious to see how

you go about getting into a pair of men's

breeches."

She glared at him and carried her

clothing across the room to where the

privacy screen stood.
 
You are no gentleman,

Lucas," she announced as she went

behind the screen and began struggling into

the breeches.

 
You would be bored by a gentleman.

Admit it, Vicky."

 
I admit nothing."

Ten minutes later, wearing an amber

scarf around her throat and a hooded

cloak over her breeches and shirt, Victoria

stood outside the stables with a bridle in

her hand and watched as Lucas quickly

saddled her mare and a sleepy-looking

George.

 
I only hope I do not live to regret this,"

Lucas said as he handed her up onto her

mount.

 
It is too late for second thoughts." She

picked up her reins, enjoying the rare

freedom of riding astride.
 
And I like

you best when you are going against your

better judgment, Lucas. Let us be off."

 
Slowly," he called after her as he swung

up into the saddle.
 
It is the middle of the

night, Vicky. Have a care where you guide

your mare. Stick to the lane."

 
But I would like to ride through the

woods," she protested.

 
I cannot be certain all the mantraps

have been removed yet," he told her.
 
So

we will stay on the road."

She was feeling too exhilarated to argue

further. Just being out on horseback in the

moonlight was ample adventure for now.

She turned her horse toward the main

drive and George fell good-naturedly into

step beside her mare.

There was silence for several minutes

as they walked the horses beneath the

canopy of trees that lined the approach

to stone vale. Lucas spoke eventually.