She spotted him as she rode past, and her smile bloomed wide as she waved at him. Then as she made another turn around the ring, she swung her leg back over the saddle and rode one more circuit astride before coming to the middle of the circle. She tapped sharply on her horse’s flank with her feet and the horse reared onto its hind legs. Susanna leaned backward over its rump, the waterfall of her hair practically brushing the ground. She gracefully extended an arm above her head as her horse pawed the air.
Miles’s heart seized in his chest.
*
Applause erupted fromall the performers who watched. The horse righted and Susanna was once again upright, her hand still in the air. Excitement buzzed through her, it was thrilling to perform for an audience, even a small one of just her friends. She leaned over to pat Desire’s neck. “You were fabulous, darling.” The horse had as much flair for the dramatic as she did. They trotted over to the entrance to the ring and Susanna dismounted. She handed the reins to Colonel Hadley. “That was exhilarating. Thank you for allowing me to show off.”
Mrs. Maddox approached them. “You were beautiful out there, my dear. I’d put you in the show anytime.”
Susanna felt her cheeks heat. A high compliment from a lady whose discerning eye for talent was well known. “Thank you. I’m flattered but I couldn’t possibly.” She glanced over to where Hawksridge stood on the other side of the ring; his glower could be felt from this distance. “Excuse me.”
She strode around the circle. Why did he look so angry? He needn’t be so disapproving there was no one out here but the circus performers. No one was going to be scandalized by her riding. Wasn’t he impressed? She had worked for months to perfect those tricks. Annoyance bubbled in her chest as she approached him. Why was he such a killjoy? They were on holiday, damn it. By the time she reached him she could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears.
“Hawksridge why do you look like a thundercloud on this beautiful sunny day?”
But he didn’t respond. Instead, he grabbed her arms and pulled her into his embrace. He locked his arms around her, one hand sliding into her hair and pulling her head against his chest. She tried to pull back but his arms were like steel bands trapping her against him.
“Miles!”
“Shush. Just give me a moment.”
“Didn’t you like my tricks?” she mumbled against his jacket. She hadn’t realized she cared so much about his opinion until she had spotted him watching.
“That was the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed.”
“But you have seen Maddox’s performance several times.”
He pulled back slightly but didn’t let her step away, keeping his arms loosely around her waist. “That was never you. Seeing you hang upside down from the rearing horse was like falling off a cliff into an icy ocean. I think all the breath left my body.”
Susanna grinned up at him. “So, you did like it.”
“Definitely not.” His glower returned. “How do you even stay in your seat when you are upside down?”
“I grip the horse tightly with my thighs.”
Miles’s pupils widened until the brown was just a thin rim around the dark depths of his gaze. Susanna began to have trouble finding her own breath as the air between them sizzled. He was like a powder keg of emotions, one with the lid firmly set in place. But she recognized it now, the smoldering behind his gaze. Did she dare light the fuse?
He dropped his arms and stepped back. He cleared his throat. “Um, I have news that pertains to your search for Marlow.”
“You do? Come let’s go sit down in the garden. I need to be in the shade.” She took his arm and led them down the lane to the inn’s back garden. Miles didn’t explain further until they were settled into a bench under the branches of a willow tree.
“After I posted my letter to Daniel I went for a walk. I was quite enjoying my solitude when I came upon a young woman shouting up into a tree.”
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. That wasn’t even somewhat what she was expecting from this story.
“The woman’s younger brother was up in the branches of the tree and he refused to come down. He didn’t want to go to his music lesson.” A small smile tipped up one corner of Miles’s mouth. “I could sympathize with the lad. I never liked my music lessons either.”
“But your brother is so talented. I assumed you also had some love for music as well.”
“That’s just it; Daniel always easily picked up any piece of music put in front of him. It was not so with me.”
She nodded her head. “And you hated that he was better than you at something.” His natural competitiveness would have been irked. “Well, we can’t all be good at everything. Now tell me what all this has to do with James Marlow.”
“Once the boy conceded to come down from the tree”—he chuckled—“some bribery was necessary. We began to converse as we walked back to town and I discovered that James Marlow is this young woman’s uncle.”
Susanna bounced with excitement. “Does he live here in Salisbury then?”
“No, he was visiting their family. He left yesterday to return home to Weymouth Bay.”
