Page 6

He shrugged. Since then, of course, he’d grown up and seen that it was not that easy.

Having a family required finding a wife.

And having just found his freedom as Lord Ashton, he was not ready to settle down, much less with a woman who could easily be swapped with another.

He needed someone special who would make him feel special; after being neglected all his life, he would not settle for less.

“This is … horrible.”

Sian’s eyes had gone as shiny as stars. Was she about to cry?

Inexplicably, it tugged at his heart. The woman was nothing to him, and he was nothing to her; she should not have cared about events in his past. But she did more than care—she felt for him.

And what was even more remarkable, it didn’t feel like pity.

His interest in her increased another notch. Genuine compassion was rare and not a sentiment he was used to stirring in people.

“Don’t fret. I’m a grown man now. I don’t need anyone to look after me.”

“Grown or not, no man deserves to be alone.”

No, perhaps not, but it was not a question of what people deserved. Life was unfair; Christopher knew that.

“My lord!” Alfred the groom’s voice called out from behind him. “There you are. Angel is ready, but we kept her at the back so as not to get that great beast of yours in a state too early. Shall we?”

Christopher nodded and handed Alfred the stallion’s reins so he could start removing his saddle. Then he turned back to face Sian.

“If you’ll excuse me, my lady. I need to ensure your uncle’s people know what they’re doing.

I will not have my Warrior damaged in any way.

” The whole business could be dangerous for horses and humans alike.

The stallion could be too rough, and the mare could kick.

He would not have anything happen to his favorite mount, not when he had done such a splendid job of breaking him.

“Of course.”

Sian expected Christopher to bow and take his leave, but instead, he leaned in so close that she felt his hair brush against her cheek. A clean, spicy scent filled her senses, overwhelming her. It was the first time she’d been able to enjoy her future husband’s scent, and it was mouthwatering.

“Would you care to come with me and watch?” He paused, bringing his body even closer.

Mercifully, they were hidden from Alfred by Warrior’s bulk, because the distance between them was too small to be decent.

“I wouldn’t extend the invitation to all the women of my acquaintance, of course, but an unconventional, fearless, knowledgeable lady like you might find the spectacle of interest.”

Sian knew she would indeed find it of interest, but she was surprised Christopher was giving her the option of coming.

Not many men would agree it was fitting for a lady to see such a thing.

His unexpected offer was the third encouraging sign she had seen that day.

It was more than she could have hoped for, and she knew she should leave before she ruined the day’s efforts with a na?ve, ill-timed comment.

The mating could be a daunting affair, and the last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself.

“No, thank you. I will leave you to it.”

“As you wish.”

Before she could surrender to temptation, she hurried toward the solar, where she hoped to find her mother and aunt. In the women’s company, away from Christopher’s maddening scent and dazzling eyes, she might find the peace of mind necessary to ponder on what he had just told her.

He was not a shameless rogue but a lonely man looking for the family he had never had. Which meant that, against all odds, she was exactly the woman he needed.

It was the best news she could have heard.

“ Cariad . Just in time. Would you help us sort out these threads?” Esyllt sighed. “The dogs upturned the embroidery basket while playing earlier, and, as you can see, we were too late to stop them from making the most of this opportunity for mischief.”

“Indeed.”

A litter of pups had been born to Rhwd, the late wolfhound’s granddaughter, a few weeks back, and the bunch were the rowdiest yet.

The stone floor was scattered with a rainbow of scarlet, azure, saffron, and emerald strands.

It would have been beautiful if it didn’t mean hours of work to tidy them all up.

Fortunately, the warmer weather meant that the rushes had been removed from the stone floor.

The rest of the afternoon was spent repairing the damage wreaked by the pups.

Sian rolled and tidied colored threads like the other two women.

Inwardly, though, she was doing all she could to resist the urge to go see Warrior doing to Angel what she dreamed Christopher would do to her.

Heat invaded her cheeks and then crept down her neck and her chest before settling between her thighs.

When her worried aunt asked whether she was all right, she nodded and did her best to revert to more proper musings.

Like trying to identify the spice she’d smelled on Christopher earlier.

Clove? No. Too strong. Cinnamon? Too sweet.

Pepper? Too common. Then what? There was only one way to come up with the answer.

Get near him again. She swore that this time, she wouldn’t leave Sheridan Manor without having made significant progress in her seduction of her future husband. She was twenty. It was more than time.

When she finally left the room, the sun had started its descent toward the horizon.

How was Angel faring? Sian couldn’t help but wonder. Had everything gone according to plan? Intent on asking Alfred if the mare had been hurt, she walked over to the stables.

The groom was patting the mare’s rump affectionately and talking to young William, who’d recently become Uncle Matthew’s squire, and Robert, the other groom, a man Sian had always found unsettling.

“You should have seen her. She’s a natural!

” Alfred sounded delighted. “I’ve been asking Lord Ashton to bring Warrior to service one of our mares for years, and I think I chose the right one for him.

As soon as she caught sight of the mighty beast, she started to swish her tail and arch her back.

By the time we brought the stud to her, she was fair panting with anticipation. ”

“Aye, and it being her first time as well. If only virgins of the human variety were equally desperate to be fucked! It would make our lives infinitely better, don’t you think?

” Sian’s lips curled at Robert’s comment.

Was it any wonder she disliked the man when he could be so crude?

“Mind you, some women are just as hot for cock as the mare was. It’s not just his stallion that has this effect.

Lord Bloody Ashton only has to appear, and they will spread their legs, no questions asked. Lucky bastard.”

He sounded so put out that Sian was certain Christopher had bedded a maid the man was lusting after. Elsie perhaps? Or … had he bedded all the maids at Sheridan Manor? Her heart sank, as it did every time she was reminded of his wayward reputation.

“Don’t tell me you’re surprised women would rather open their legs for someone like him than they would for you?

” Alfred scoffed. “It’s not just the way he looks, you know.

It’s his manners—and his title. Women will always flock to men like him.

It is the way of the world. Men like us just cannot compete. ”

“Ah well, we should have a beautiful foal in the new year. That is all that matters,” William said, ever the peacemaker.

Cheeks aflame, Sian retreated to the shadows.

She could not go to the groom after what she’d heard.

And all the encouraging signs she’d received that afternoon were suddenly forgotten in view of the reminder that Christopher was a rogue taking his pleasure with all the women who let him, which was to say—if Robert was to be believed—all the ones who crossed paths with him.

The intimate moment they had shared earlier meant nothing.

A sympathetic ear and the ability to surprise him were not what he was looking for in a woman.

When she had met him at the age of nine, she had not taken that into consideration.

With the innocence of childhood, she had assumed he would fall in love with her at first sight and decide to make her his wife.

But as a grown man, he was making the most of the appeal he exerted over women.

Before he settled down, he would sow his wild oats and not bother about her.

It was the way of the world, as Alfred had said.

How was she going to attract him in those conditions?

How could she, a na?ve, inexperienced girl, convince him that a man could be happy with only one woman in his bed?

Marriage was probably the last thing on his mind at the moment.

He was only five and twenty. Her uncle had not gotten married until the age of thirty, when he had met the right woman.

Was Sian ready to wait for so long when she wasn’t even sure how—or if—she could entice him?

She suddenly wasn’t sure.

“Ah, my lady. Were you looking for me?”

Sian started. Lost to her musings, she hadn’t heard Alfred’s approach. “I …”

“Did you want a horse saddled?”

That was not why she had come, but she seized on the ready explanation for her presence by the stables. “Erm, yes. Perhaps Angel?”

“Oh, aye, I can get her ready for you. I know you’re a bit reckless in the saddle, but she will not be opposed to a hard ride, I don’t think,” the groom said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It seems to be what she likes best.”

Had she not overheard his conversation with the other two men, she might not have made anything of the observation. As she had overheard it, she could not help but flush. He was alluding to what had happened earlier with Warrior when the mare had let herself be ridden in a different kind of way.