She nodded. “Isn’t everyone?” Actually, she disliked the prince, and for many reasons, not least how ridiculously extravagant he was wasting money when the long war had brought such poverty to England.
“I am pleased to have this opportunity to thank you again for your brave intervention when masked gunmen attacked my coach.” He smiled into her eyes. “It could have been very dangerous for you. They might have followed you.”
“Onto my father’s land? I think not. I hid myself well, and by firing my gun, I gave you and your groom time to draw your weapons.” She cast him a level glance, admitting he would have handled the situation well without her help. “I acted on instinct. I hadn’t seen you when I fired my gun. You had no more trouble after you continued your journey?”
“No. They made no further attempt.” He smiled. “If they’d known a lady had scared them away, it would have been a different story, would it not? Do you often carry a pistol?”
Did he find her amusing? She detected no sign of it. In fact, she thought he looked concerned. A woman with a gun? Heavens above! Such a danger to herself and others! Anne was an example of what happened to women who were defenseless, she thought sadly. It made her determined to be preparedshould anything untoward present itself. “I believe it’s wise, as I ride alone,” she said more sharply than she’d intended.
He raised his eyebrows. “While on your father’s estate?”
“Yes. Even then. A good friend, Lady Anne Daintith, was abducted for ransom, two miles from her home.” Despite her efforts to sound calm, her voice shook.
“I heard about that,” he said gently. “I’m sorry. She was your friend. A dreadful business.”
At the compassionate note in his voice, Diana’s shoulders tensed. She dragged in a breath. The tragedy occurred nearly two months ago, and losing Anne in such a cruel way was still raw. Bitterness and anger tightened her throat, making her voice tremble. “Men held up Anne’s carriage. They abducted her,” she said, swallowing.
It made her angry to think her father would continue to force the marriage issue when her friend could be dead.
The soft expression in his eyes made her afraid she might cry. She bit her lip hard, unwilling for him to know how distressed she was.I need a distraction, she thought desperately.At least until I can find a way to go in search of Anne. Would a passionate affair serve? What if I died in the attempt to find her? Without ever having experienced passion?
“You have only one chance to hit someone with a dueling pistol,” he said. “I trust you are a good shot?”
“I am.” Startled by his question, she gained some modicum of composure, relieved the conversation had shifted onto surer ground. After Anne’s disappearance, she’d practiced endlessly firing at pumpkins atop a wall on her father’s estate.
“Somehow, I am not surprised. Although…” He paused. “It is one of the few things about you, Lady Diana, thus far that doesn’t surprise me.”
She raised questioning eyebrows, not sure she wanted to hear his reasons. But curiosity got the better of her. “I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”
“Only that you seem to be of a very determined nature. You don’t like to be told what to do, nor do you feel the need to emulate others.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Am I right?”
He was astute in his assessment of her character, but she’d never admit it. She raised a shoulder. “My grandmother says I am uncommonly outspoken.” Most men wanted women to be obedient and meek. Perhaps he did too. Well, she wasn’t, and she would never be.
“If you must carry a gun,” he said, interrupting her rancorous thoughts, “I would prefer you were better armed.” His deep voice made the observation sound so…sensual. His warm, brown eyes flickered down to where her sharp intake of breath had raised her breasts, much of which were revealed in the scoop-necked gown. “A dueling pistol is an inadequate weapon to defend yourself.”
“That probably is good advice, but impractical, alas.”
“I don’t see why.”
Unlike other men, he appeared to look at her as if he were really interested in her, and not blinded by the ambition to marry a duke’s daughter, or the handsome dowry her father had placed on her.
“It’s impossible for me to buy a pistol, although you might assist me,” she said as her heart raced.Heavens!She felt as if she were spinning out of her depth. But she mustn’t let a chance like this pass her by. Lord Ballantine could satisfy her curiosity about experiencing true passion. If he became her lover, would he agree to help her carry out her plan to find Anne? She had given the matter a lot of thought. How she would tell her father she was invited to stay with her friend, Penny, in Bath. Papa would agree, as she’d stayed with Penny’s family before. There were afew details to be worked out, but making her plan a reality had, she realized now, all hinged on seeing Lord Ballantine again.
Ballantine’s lip quirked. “Your father would be rightly angry should I get a gun for you, and you would still require lessons to manage it. I can’t say I’ve seen a woman at Manton’s buying a pistol or firing at wafers in the shooting gallery.”
“Papa wouldn’t care,” she said airily. “He allows me a great deal of latitude.”
“As I have seen,” he said, the grooves on each side of his well-formed lips deepening. “But this might be going a little too far.”
He wasn’t dismissing it out of hand. Could she persuade him to help her? He was right. The dueling pistol was heavy and awkward. It would not suit her purpose. “Please, can’t I prevail upon you to purchase one for me? A small pistol to fit in my reticule?”
“No, Lady Diana. I will not.”
She dropped her chin, deeply disappointed.
“Come, don’t you see what a difficult position that would place me in?” He bent slightly to gaze into her eyes. “What would your father make of that?”
How they’d first met hovered between them, silencing them for a few moments. She needed that pistol, but it wasn’t the right time to tell him the reason, although her frustration deepened with every day that passed. “Well, if you are afraid of my father…” she said with an annoyed shrug.
