Still seething, she ignored his hand. “Might this be your way of showing your affection?” she asked, her tone brittle.
“No. It has more to do with your stubbornness.” He edged the horse closer.
She sidestepped him. “My refusal to bow to your insane wishes?”
“You might have gone to stay with your brother as I suggested.”
She sighed. “Because I refused your officious order, you deemed it perfectly acceptable to remove me forcibly. You are beyond the pale!”
Montsimon gave an exasperated sigh. “We can’t stay here all night arguing. They’ll find our frozen corpses in the morning. I apologize in advance for the uncomfortable mode of travel. But we must get to Canterbury.” His apologetic tone was so deceitful; she put her hands on her hips and huffed at him.
“I can’t leave you here, now can I? Will it become necessary for me to throw you over the saddle? You’ll find that far less comfortable, I can assure you.” A thread of steely determination lowered his voice.
Althea sensed his threat was real, and before an undignified struggle ensued, she hurried forward and eyed the stirrup. Impossible to mount the horse gracefully in this slim skirt. How annoying it was to be small. Once she put her foot in the stirrup, the dress would ride up and reveal her stockings up to her garters and heaven knew what else. “You like to control women, I see,” she said bitterly. “And you don’t wish to be thwarted. Very well. I shall pander to your outrageous request, I see I’ve no option. But please adjust the stirrup!”
Before she could say another word, Montsimon reached down and, with a fluid motion, swung her up before him. Sudden contact with a large, hard body so intimately close to hers brought an audible gasp from her lips. His arms pinioned her, one big hand grasping the reins, the other settling somewhere close to her derriere. She twisted to eye that hand suspiciously, then caught sight of the ground. It would be painful to fall from the sixteen-hand black stallion as it danced around, impatient to be gone.
He lowered his head close to hers. “We’ve quite a ride ahead.” His warm breath tickled her nape before he settled the hood of her cape back over her head. “I hope that you won’t find it too uncomfortable.”
“How considerate of you,” she muttered grimly as they took off and a rush of numbing, icy air hit her face.
