This was goingto be fun, Julianna thought an hour later as she and Mary marched down to the stables. Mary didn’t own a riding habit, so she’d had to make do with one of Julianna’s, which was too long in both the arms and skirt. Regardless, Julianna thought her younger sister looked adorable in the dark sapphire habit that one of the maids had quickly tailored so she wouldn’t trip over it. The sleeves had simply been rolled up.
Mary had worn a pair of her own boots that weren’t precisely riding boots. Julianna thought it best to match fit rather than function.
Rhys was in the far corner of the stables, helping the smithy to shoe one of the horses when they entered. He was using a hammer to beat the burning black metal into shape. Once again, his shirt was off—and Julianna had to glance away, swallowing hard, when he turned slightly and she saw his muscled abdomen. Was that a scar? She’d only seen it for a moment and certainly didn’t want to be caught staring.
“Good morning, Mr. Worthy,” she called when he’d finished his chore.
He turned and wiped sweat from his forehead, giving her his most outrageously charming smile. He knewpreciselyhow inappropriate he was being, going about shirtless. He was making poor Mary blush.
“Ah, Lady Julianna, come for another tour? Bring anyone else with you? The Prince Regent, perhaps?” he asked with an unrepentant grin.
“Not yet,” Lady Julianna replied. “Though I do hear he’s arriving soon.”
The house party had been agog at the news that both the Earl of Kendall and the prince would be arriving soon. Of course, Julianna found it laughable, given the fact that Kendall had already been serving them all in the dining room night after night. But given her promise to Worthington, she’d dutifully kept her mouth shut.
“Then what brings you out today?” Rhys asked. He no longer even pretended she wasn’t here to bother him. That was interesting.
“Mary would like riding lessons,” Julianna announced. “We were hoping you could assist.”
“Riding lessons?” Rhys turned his attention to Mary. “Is that right?”
“Yes, Mr. Worthy,” Mary said with a brave nod. “I’ve decided I must stop being such a ninny. Though, I do hope you’ll pick the tamest mount in the stables for me,” she added, her voice cracking slightly.
“I know just the mare,” Rhys replied. “And it would be my pleasure to help you, Lady Mary.”
Mary smiled and wandered over to the other side of the blacksmith’s area to get a closer look at the work he was doing.
“Let me clean up and I’ll be right back.” Rhys tossed a towel over his shoulder. As he passed Julianna he paused. “Here to attempt to make me quit again, are you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” She stuck her nose in the air.
“Oh, so you don’t intend to give me hell at every turn today?” he asked.
She did her best not to look at his glistening chest. “I expect you to give my sister proper riding lessons, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“And I suppose you’ll be happy to provide me with constant corrections should my lessons not be to your liking?”
“If I must,” she said with a dramatic sigh, before giving him a smug smile.
Rhys arched a brow at her and strode away toward the staircase at the far end of the stables.
Julianna joined her sister and she and Mary spent several minutes watching the blacksmith shoe the horse. Another one of the groomsmen came over to assist after Rhys left and the blacksmith used his tongs to dunk the shoe Rhys had hammered into a bucket of water to cool it before the groomsman helped to attach it to the horse’s hoof with nails.
“It doesn’t hurt the poor thing, does it, Anna?” Mary asked wincing.
“Not at all, dear,” Julianna replied. “They don’t feel a thing.”
Mary expelled her breath. The poor young woman had probably been inside stables more during this house party than she’d ever been in her life. She didn’t know the first thing about horses.
“What is all of that?” Mary asked next, turning toward the huge tack wall that covered one entire side of the building.
“That’s the tack,” Julianna replied, before spending the next several minutes pointing out items such as saddle blankets, pads, girths and cinches, martingales, stirrups, bridles, and reins.
“What’s a martingale?” Mary asked just as Rhys came striding up behind them.
“It’s a strap that’s applied from the girth to the head piece,” Rhys answered. “It’s part of the harness that assists in the horse’s head carriage.”
Julianna turned at the sound of his voice. His hair was wet and slicked back and he was wearing new clothing. At least his white shirt was on and buttoned, but his skin-tight breeches left little to the imagination. He’d clearly just taken some sort of bath. No doubt he’d poured the wash bowl over his head and the water had sluiced down his muscled chest to— No. That line of thinking was not helpful. She needed to concentrate on why she was here. For Mary’s riding lessons.
