The poor young woman had obviously been frightened to death of horses, and while he couldn’t imagine being frightened of the animals he so loved, he could imagine how difficult it must be for her to live around the large creatures and be uncomfortable. It must have been torturous for her all these years.
Horses were some of the gentlest mammals in the world, and he’d known just the right horse in Clayton’s stables to use with a frightened rider. Whisper had been kind and still and relaxed, the perfect mount for Lady Mary.
When Julianna had first arrived at the stables yesterday with her sister in tow, Rhys had been convinced she was back to cause him more trouble. And indeed, she’d done her best to rile him by sniping at him at nearly every turn. But he could tell that she was truly worried about her sister’s fear of horses and her ability to ride.
Mary seemed like the type of young woman who wouldn’t step upon an ant. She was friendly and caring and had a true smile for everyone. The opposite of her sister, he thought with some chagrin. He briefly wondered if Kendall had met Mary Montgomery.
Rhys had done something good yesterday. He’d helped Lady Mary take the first steps toward conquering her fear of horses and riding. She was a brave young woman. He hoped he’d be able to help her again before the house party ended.
If Julianna was still attempting to get him to quit his position, she wasn’t doing a particularly adept job of it. All she’d managed to do was come out here every day and cause him a bit of work. Little did she know he was relishing work these days.
She didn’t expect him to enjoy work. Neither did his friends. After all, they’d bet him that he wouldn’t be able to make it two weeks performing the duties of a true servant. Perhaps they’d have been right had he been confined to the stuffiness of the house with its proper etiquette and formal attire, but here in the stables, where he could sweat and work with horses, Rhys was in his element.
Horses, after all, didn’t expect anything of you other than food and water and hay and kindness. Horses didn’t care if you were a duke. Horses didn’t care what theTimessaid about you and whether you were supposedly a drunken, moneyless lout.
The members of thetonhad no idea he’d purposely chosen his reputation. They’d no idea that he’d picked his public image right down to the fact that Hollister’s was the most infamous of the gaming clubs and he’d be certain to get the most attention for his drunken, gambling loutishness if he spent his leisure hours there, rather than one of the famously discreet gentlemen’s clubs like White’s or Boodle’s. They’d no idea that he lost great sums at Hollister’s in order to cultivate the image that he was in debt.
Then he’d go to an even more discreet club. The type of gambling hell few gentlemen of thetoneven knew about, and there, there, hewonlarge fortunes. Enough to have more than quadrupled the amount his father had left.
But even with that carefully fostered reputation, Julianna had still been interested in him. At the time he’d been lulled into thinking it was because they actually had things in common, like a love of horses and a robust sense of humor. At some point, he’d decided that his title was obviously more important to her than his reputation for drinking and gambling.
Rhys had been convinced that it showed how little Julianna cared who she married, as long as the title was prestigious. Murdock was second in line. And Murdock wasn’t known for anything much, certainly not being a drunken lout. He was as dull as dishwater as far as Rhys was concerned. He’d met the man a time or two, but didn’t remember much about either encounter.
The devil on his shoulder had made Rhys mention Murdock’s arrival to Julianna. He couldn’t help but wonder if she already knew. And Rhys had got his answer. She hadn’t known. She clearly hadn’t known that herfiancéwas arriving tomorrow, and she almost certainly hadn’t known that he’d asked to move up the wedding date. Neither fact had seemed to be welcome to her.Thatwas interesting.
Murdock would soon be sharing a wedding night with Julianna. The thought flashed unbidden into Rhys’s mind. He wanted nothing more than to vanquish it, but it sat there, taunting him, angering him. For a reason he couldn’t define and didn’t want to examine.
He stabbed another forkful of hay and tossed it. Damn it. That unwanted thought led to the next, which was a memory that haunted him upon more occasions that he cared to admit. The memory of Julianna in his study one night well over a year ago.
* * *
As was customary when courting,Rhys had invited Julianna and her parents to his house for dinner one evening that Season.He spared no expense, consulting with both his housekeeper and butler on the details including the china, the cutlery, the meal, even the candles. Only the best beeswax for Lady Julianna’s visit.
He ensured the dining room was filled with her favorite flowers, lilacs. He produced a bouquet for both her and her mother.
The dinner had progressed as well as could be expected, with Lord Montlake glowering at him and Lady Montlake lavishing him with nothing but praise—the couple were on opposite sides of the issue when it came to the question of whether Rhys would make a good spouse for their beloved eldest daughter.
At one point, Julianna excused herself to use the privy and she was gone longer than any of them expected. Her mother was beginning to worry and was about to go in search of her daughter, when Rhys volunteered. He knew the house the best, of course. It only stood to reason that he should go in search of a guest who may have lost her way.
After searching the route to and from the privy with no luck, he found her minutes later in his study, of all places. She was standing near the window looking up at the moon.
“There you are,” he said, stepping inside the nearly dark room. Only one candle on the desktop and the glow of the moon through the window illuminated the space.
Julianna guiltily turned with a start and dropped the handkerchief she was holding to the floor. Ever the gentleman, Rhys came over to pick it up for her, and discovered it was one of his own, monogrammed with his initials. It had obviously been sitting on his desk. He handed it back to her.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I wanted it because…” She pulled it up to her nose. “It smells like you,” she admitted, a sheepish smile on her lips.
“Keep it,” he breathed, reaching out and pushing a lock of her soft blond hair from her forehead.
“Is Mama getting worried about me?” she asked, wincing.
“Yes,” he answered, “we should get back.” He turned, expecting her to come with him back to the dining room.
“Can’t we keep them waiting just a bit longer?” she breathed.
He turned again to see a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Rhys arched a brow. “What did you have in mind, my lady?”
