Fiona turned to find Lord Harrowby approaching on an enormous silver dapple Percheron some eighteen hands tall that brought images of ancient Viking warhorses to mind.However, it was pleasing in proportion to the equally massive earl.He doffed his tall hat with a breathtaking grin, pulling the beast to a halt.“Good afternoon, my lady.What a surprise and a pleasure to find you about.”
As it was the most fashionable hour to be seen on Rotten Row and the park was filled to the brim with riders and carriages, she was sure it was no surprise at all.But Harrowby was handsome enough to make the pleasure of their encounter mutual.“I’m sure you say that to all the ladies,” Fiona said as he kissed her outstretched hand.
“I’m sure I do,” he responded, his blue eyes twinkling as he grinned down at her.His eyes traveled up and down her length with warm appreciation.“You have a fine seat, Lady Fiona.”
“Yours is quite fine as well,” she returned, giving him the same once over.Obviously, Harrowby was hoping to fluster her.She suspected it was but another weapon in a well-stocked arsenal used to keep women blushing around him.She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction, and the earl must have sensed it.His practiced grin relaxed into a more natural smile.
Turning, he greeted Connor and introduced himself to Vin before turning back to her.“I was sorry to miss our dance the other night.”
Fiona produced a quick lie about tearing her hem and having to spend more than an hour in the ladies’ retiring room to get it fixed.“I’m sure you hardly missed me.”
Harrowby covered his heart with one hand.“On the contrary, I was devastated.Why it took six—no, eight—more young ladies in my arms to ease my pain.”
“That many?How scandalous.”
“My family has long been mired in scandal,” he said with a wink, falling in beside her as they continued down the crushed gravel lane bordering the south side of the Serpentine.“My mother married my tutor after my uncle, the previous earl, disappeared—never to be seen again.”
“Yes, we MacKintoshs cut our teeth on scandal as well.”
“Perhaps we should be scandalous together,” the earl murmured in a low voice, leaning close to her ear so as not to be overheard by her brothers.
Fiona burst out laughing.“My, my, Harrowby, you do know how to lead a woman on,” she teased, flashing a deep simple before she lowered her voice as well.“But I would wager that the last thing you are looking for is a noose in the form of a wedding ring.”
Chest rumbling in a pleasantly low chuckle, Harrowby favored her with a look of pleasure.“You are a very astute woman.I can see if I were to welcome matrimony any time soon, I would have to be the hunter when it came to you.”
“Instead of the hunted?”She nodded.“Imagine the novelty.”
“Indeed, it would almost make such an endeavor worthwhile.”
“Almost.”
Harrowby laughed again as Fiona turned upon hearing her name called again.This time, it was Lord Temple who joined them astride the Appaloosa thoroughbred he’d ridden the last time she met him in the park.
“And another.That makes at least two others,” Connor teased, referring to her comment about height.“So many choices.”
Fiona waved him off and greeted Temple warmly, introducing him to Harrowby.“I haven’t seen you in days.I was afraid you’d left London.”
“No, just meeting with Kimberley.”
“The Foreign Secretary?Nothing serious, I hope?”
“Nothing more serious than his tiresome garrulity,” Temple assured her with a slight smile.While the Earl of Kimberley was given to random verbal digressions, Fiona rather doubted such verbosity was alone enough to make Temple’s usually serious demeanor even more solemn than usual.
“My goodness, Lord Temple,” Fiona teased, hoping to lure him from his doldrums.“How awful!Was there no escape?”
Temple smiled.“I shall just have to tell him next time that I have an appointment to ride with the loveliest lady in London and cannot stay.”
“Let me know, and I shall have bicycles at the ready.”
Harrowby asked about that, setting off a lively conversation about bicycles and the future of transportation.However, as engaging as the men were, they couldn’t hold Fiona’s attention when she spotted Aylesbury in the distance.Astride a sleek black Arabian, he was halted next to an elegant equipage with two ladies within.As parasols shifted, she was able to make out Miss Langston.He spoke intently to her, practically leaning over into the carriage as Miss Langston shook her head dramatically.Finally, he sat upright and tipped his hat politely as the carriage jerked into motion and departed.
Even though he never so much as slouched in his saddle, Fiona could see the dejection in his posture and her unwilling heart went out to him.
“Will you gentlemen excuse me for a moment?”
* * *
“Are you all right,Harry?”
