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She opened her mouth to offer a polite but firm refusal, only to be interrupted by a bizarrely determined Angela.

“She would love to, Lord Stockton. And she thanks you for your kind offer.”

Holly could only stare in amazement at the audacious woman.

But before either she or Lord Stockton could react to this unashamed manipulation, the bell rang for dinner.

“Oh, lovely,” Angela exclaimed before reaching out and grasping Lord Stockton’s arm. “I’m positively ravenous.”

* * *

Evan watched as a stable hand led his stallion into the cool morning sunlight.

He’d been up since before dawn this morning, when the sky was still black and the world was still covered in frost and quiet.

It was usually his favourite time of day. A time of day when he enjoyed peace.

This morning, that had not been the case. Because he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Lady Holly and the morning he was about to spend with her.

Last night, he knew that he’d been well and truly backed into a corner by the irascible Angela.

And since he’d had no intention of being manoeuvred into a match, he’d been ready to extricate himself from the awkward encounter,withoutany sort of commitment to a ride today.

Then, he’d made the fatal mistake of looking down at Lady Holly. And he’d been caught. Caught by the candlelight dancing over her red-gold curls, caught by the chocolate depths of her eyes, caught by the becoming blush that stained her cheeks.

And without thought to the potential consequences, he’d found himself asking the lady to join him.

Ordinarily, he knew, one morning ride would signify nothing.

However, the stirring he’d felt when he’d looked into Lady Holly’s eyes proved the very real potential forsomethingsignificant.

Clearly, the meddling Lady Angela felt the same way.

Despite himself, he had wanted her to accept his offer.

The jolt of happiness he’d felt at her acceptance had worried him enough to keep him up half the night, but not enough to retract the invitation.

That's why he was here so early. He'd been too restless to stay abed, so he’d broken his fast and hurried to the stables early in hope that the horses would take his mind off his upcoming appointment with Lady Holly.

From the time he’d been a boy, Evan had wanted to be outdoors as much as possible. And he’d long had a love of horses, too.

As a lord, he took his responsibilities to his tenants very seriously. And he’d always been far more involved in his business holdings than was common amongst his peers.

That just made the time he could spare for other pursuits all the more precious.

And while he certainly hadnotprofessed a desire to tour the grounds to the oddity that was Angela, it was something he knew he’d enjoy.

“He’s a beauty, my lord. Strong, too.”

The stable boy stopped before Evan with Tempest already saddled and, as usual, raring to go.

Perhaps he should borrow one of Northwood’s more placid mounts, Evan mused as he thanked the lad and ran a steadying hand down Tempest’s flank.

Ordinarily, he would have enjoyed a ride with Tempest on such a cold, frosty morning.

But not when accompanied by a lady.

He had no idea if Lady Holly had a good seat. And even if she did, he highly doubted that she’d be a good enough rider to keep up with Tempest.