But he didn’t say that, instead he fessed up. “The howling incidents did happen, but only twice and over the course of a few years, and it was just college pranks. Not that I wasn’t angry the first time it happened. But I caught one of the lads that day, and he was so terrified he blurted out that it was a dare that would have gotten him into a brotherhood at school—if I had just ignored them. The second and last time there was a larger group of young bucks, courage in numbers, I suppose, but I had two school friends with me that day, Benton Seamons and Archer Hamilton. Benton chased four of them down the street. The two remaining just stood there laughing at how quickly their friends were trying to get away—until Archer punched one and slapped his glove across the face of the other, getting the response ‘Don’t be a bloody ass,’ before that chap ran away, too. Archer wouldn’t really challenge the young buck to a duel over such nonsense, but it did give me a good laugh at the time.”
She was incredulous that he’d just shared that with her. There was a different man inside the wolf, one that she hadn’t met yet, one that she might be able to laugh with someday—one that she might be able to love. But then it occurred to her again that he’d had plans for his life, specific plans that were now ruined because of her—no, because of herbrother.She could still only guess at what Robert had done to set these events in motion.
She was about to ask again, but bit the words back. That subject provoked nothing but rage in him. She’d pressed him enough for now. And he had a guest he’d probably rather spend time with.
“Don’t let your lady friend tire you today. Rest is your friend just now. I will return in the morning to check your wound.”
“You will return for dinner tonight as is your habit.”
She wasn’t going to argueorjoin him for dinner tonight if Priscilla Highley was still in the house. As if she didn’t know what he was up to, rubbing it in her face that he had and would continue to have mistresses, marriage or no.
“Unless you’ve finally decided to leave? In which case, you can give the salve to Cilla. She will take care of me tonight.”
Brooke didn’t answer, but she did slam the door shut on the way out.
Chapter Twenty-Three
LADY HIGHLEY WAS SPENDINGthe afternoon in Dominic’s room. Brooke was spending the afternoon in hers, pacing close to the wall that separated her room from his, trying to hear what they were saying. After taking care of Dominic all week, it annoyed her that he could so quickly turn his attentions to another woman. Now she understood why her brother had told her parents in that conversation she’d eavesdropped on that “the wolf won’t accept her.” It was because Dominic was used to being with beautiful, sophisticated women.
Shewas neither beautiful nor sophisticated, just a constant, blatant reminder of his sister’s death and always would be. It was still possible that he would fail to comply with the Regent’s demand and simply tell her to get out. He could probably do so and manage to hold on to a least one of those family enterprises he’d mentioned. The coal mines or the shipping business alone would still make him a rich man. Maybe he’d already sent off a missive to the Prince to suggest it? Or that harlot might put the idea in his head today...
Brooke glanced down at her fingernails and pictured what she’d like to do with them right now. Then she pressed her ear to the wall again. Still no sounds in his room. They might as well be whispering—or doing something that didn’t require words. That thought sent her out for a good gallop before the dinner hour.
When she got to the stable, she found that Wolf had finally got around to searching for the cat he’d smelled on her. He was standing in front of the door barking, his hair bristled straight up, while Raston sat just inside calmly grooming a paw—or sharpening his nails.
Arnold’s approach shooed the cat back up to the rafters. The dog charged in, trying to give chase, but that wasn’t going to happen. Brooke said a few commiserating words as she stopped beside the dog and tried to rub him behind his ears, but he wasn’t interested.
“He’ll give up shortly, so don’t be worrying about the cat,” Arnold said.
Brooke grinned slightly. “I’m more worried about Wolf. Raston can be nasty in a fight.”
“I’ll send for Gabe to take the dog back to the house.” Then Arnold surprised her with a request. “Royal fancies your Rebel, m’lady. But no one fancies giving that brute the exercise he needs while his lordship recovers. Royal barely tolerates me grooming and saddling him and lets no one on his back except Lord Dominic. Would you mind if Peter rides your mare along the fence between the pastures? We’re hoping Royal will give chase or at least keep pace.”
“I could try to ride him.” The elderly groom looked so appalled, she quickly amended, “Never mind. Go ahead and give it a try when I get back from my ride today.”
“Don’t be gone too long, m’lady. My wife saw two rings around the moon last night, which foretells the coming of a wicked storm. It was just such a stormy day some hundred years ago that the eldest Wolfe daughter met her death. Whether it was the curse or just an accident that her carriage slid off an embankment in a rainstorm, no one knows.”
She stared at Arnold. Was he that superstitious? Were all the villagers? That would explain why rumors of that silly curse had persisted for hundreds of years, and why the wolf-man rumor had started, too.
Brooke smiled politely, though she was skeptical that it would rain today since the sun was shining and the clouds weren’t at all dark. Alfreda also often predicted rain that never came.
But having just spoken of the two horses that obviously wanted to breed with each other, Brooke thought it was a good time to mention one of her goals. “I wouldn’t mind if you pastured Rebel and Royal together for a spell.”
Arnold’s face reddened. “I would, but Royal is a champion racer. His get is worth thousands of pounds. He’s actually not been bred since his lordship began breeding stock for the army. But you might discuss that with him after you marry.”
Everyone else assumed there was going to be a marriage. Only the bride and groom were still holding out hope that there wouldn’t be. Reminded that Dominic was at that moment working on his latest tactic to get her to leave, she didn’t set off at a trot when Rebel was saddled for her, she raced away at a full gallop.
She rode northwest this time, away from the roads. She passed several plowed fields where crops were already growing. Farms dotted the area north and south of the village. There was even a cultivated orchard with fruit trees lined up in rows. She passed only one sheep farm, though. Dominic had said he had tenants, so he owned the land but let the people who lived on it do what they wanted with it? She thought about visiting the village, which was so picturesque from a distance, but she wasn’t in a friendly mood today, so she rode on.
The Yorkshire countryside was so beautiful, and she enjoyed feeling the warm wind whip through her hair as she galloped across the land. She liked the landscape here better than in Leicestershire for some reason.
Maybe because it was wilder, the terrain alternating between farmland and barren moors. Or maybe she simply liked it because it was so far away from her family.
Even though she was dealing with a churlish, impossible viscount, she felt freer here. But what if Dominic had his way and she would have to leave soon? She decided to take this opportunity to ride farther than she’d intended, to see more of Yorkshire while she still could.
She was surprised to come upon a herd of cattle, one of the long-haired Scottish breeds mixed with some stout Angus stock. The people here were so self-sufficient, growing or breeding everything needed for the pantry.
She crossed a creek, but farther north it widened considerably, becoming a river. She paused to watch the rushing water and wondered if the fish she’d had for dinner the other night came from this river. She continued on, then veered toward a lone sheep she spotted in the distance. When she got closer, she realized it was a dog, a rather big dog. She reined in, but was curious enough to trot forward a little more. No dwelling was nearby from which the dog might have wandered away, nothing habitable this far north in any direction that she could see, just the ruins of another of those small castles to the north, this one with only a few walls left standing, so not worth investigating. She wondered if the dog was lost.
