“How can you recall all that?”
James shrugged. “I have a decent memory, and Prinny made me look into practically every stall.”
And then Miss Talbot did a slow turn to take in the size of the roundhouse.
“Each horse has its own room,” she said, sounding amazed.
“Stall,” he corrected.
“Those are not like any stalls I’ve ever seen. They have proper doors and windows.”
He laughed. “You’re right. I had never seen anything like it either. The horses at my family’s estate near Lambourn would think themselves in a pigpen by comparison.”
“If your horseswerethinking, my lord,” she teased.
“True,” he agreed, and desperately wanted to kiss her because of the jaunty tilt to her head. Instead, he pressed on with his tour. “There are lodgings for grooms and stable boys on the upper floor,” he gestured to the circle of windows on the second floor. “And elsewhere on the premises, there are coach houses, an engine house, forge and farrier, and, of course, harness rooms. Prinny stables are a completely self-contained palace for horses. And some say the whole thing looks an awful lot like the Paris Corn Exchange, but I’m not sure anyone would tell the Prince Regent such a thing. Not to his face.”
“Anddoesit look like a corn exchange?” she asked as they walked toward the Riding House.
“This is far lovelier. I suppose the dome is the only real similarity. Prinny’s is a foot higher, by the way.”
“Naturally. The builder knew with whom he was dealing.”
“You are exactly correct, Miss Talbot.” Then he leaned closer, caught the scent of her floral perfume, and said, “Somewhere hereabouts, there’s a secret tunnel that leads to the northern end of the Pavilion.”
“Where?” she asked, looking around as if there would be a sign.
He laughed. “I told you, it’s a secret. I knowofit, but not where the passage begins or ends.”
“I heard a rumor,” she said, “the tunnel was not anywhere near here but connected the main house to that of Mrs. Fitzherbert.”
“Poppycock!” James said.
They strolled through the arched opening into the Riding House.
“This is magnificent, too,” she said.
Instead of a dome, it had a gracefully arched roof buoyed by buttresses.
“What’s holding it up?” she asked.
“The prince’s determination,” he joked. “It’s impressive, isn’t it? One never sees such a large unsupported roof. Some said it would fall when the scaffolding was removed. Obviously it hasn’t.”
They stood to the side, out of the way, and watched riders putting horses through their paces, taking the jumps that were set up with ease and grace. And then one performed a perfect jump over the cross rails, galloped to the end, and turned, before trotting slowly toward them.
“Payton,” James hailed the familiar figure.
He dismounted. “Hargrove,” Payton said by way of greeting before turning to Miss Talbot. “We haven’t been formally introduced, but you must be Miss Talbot. Do you plan on riding today?”
James noticed her cheeks infuse with a pleasant pink and also didn’t miss his friend’s curiosity at seeing them together. Moreover, Payton could very well see for himself they weren’t planning on riding by their clothing, unless he was asking something quite different altogether.
“Miss Talbot had never seen the stables.”
“It’s an amazing place,” she spoke up. “And you are a wonderful rider, Lord Payton. Will you be at the party tonight?”
“If only to see you,” he said with full-blown flattery.
James rolled his eyes. “Come along, Miss Talbot. With your kind words, Payton’s head will grow too big for his hat.”
