Page 14 of My Lord Rogue
Teddy watched the interplay with amusement, but then, as if reminded of his obligations, turned to Amelia. “Lady Amelia, you are a vision, as always. I trust the ride did not tax you overly?”
“Oh, not at all,” Amelia replied, her posture straightening. “My father ensured I was tutored by the best. He would never forgive me if I shamed the family with poor seat or a lack of stamina.”
Teddy smiled—polite, but distant. His attention was already drifting back to Theo.
Amelia pressed on, determined to wrestle the conversation back. “Baron Teddington, I’ve heard so much about your travels. Did you find the women of Paris as forward as they say? Or is that merely a tale for the gossips?”
Teddy’s lips twitched. “They are very forward, Lady Amelia, but none so daring as the English. We breed our own peculiar brand of courage here.” His eyes cut unmistakably to Theo.
Amelia followed his gaze, her own eyes narrowing, but then she smiled, her eyes sharp as a pin. “I’m not sure I’d call it courage. Some might say it’s simply a lack of shame.”
Theo was saved from answering by the call to remount. Teddy handed her up, his grip steady at her waist, his face closeenough for her to smell the hint of tobacco and leather that clung to him. She felt too vividly the feel of his fingers on her body, the heat of his skin through the fine wool. When she settled in the saddle, her heart was beating so fast she thought it must be audible, a small animal thudding against her ribs.
She reached up almost unconsciously for the locket at her throat, then remembered with a pang that she’d taken it off.
Teddy nudged his mount alongside hers once more, his presence overwhelming. The others had begun to ride on. “May I ask you a question, Theo?”
She could not trust herself to speak, so she nodded.
“Why invent a suitor when you could have any man you pleased?”
She laughed a little too loudly. “Because I don’t wish for any man. I wish to be left alone.”
He considered this, tilting his head. “But you aren’t alone. Not anymore.”
She glared, fierce in her embarrassment. “That’s your doing.”
He smiled, slow and dangerous. “Is it?”
Ahead, the party was slowing, bunching up at a stile that marked the edge of the estate’s wildest meadows. Some riders dismounted to lead their horses over, others waited for the staff to open the gate. There was confusion, a tangle of hooves and chatter. Teddy seized the moment.
“Shall we race to the ridge?” he asked, voice raised for all to hear. “A proper contest, like the old days. Unless, of course, Lady Pattishall is afraid?”
The words cut through the crowd. Heads turned, the men chuckled, the women drew in sharp, delighted breaths.
Theo squared her shoulders. “I am not afraid, Teddington. But if you’re hoping to win, you’ll need a better mount.”
An older gentleman gave a bark of laughter, thumping his riding crop on his thigh in approval.
Teddy grinned, all teeth. “Care to prove it?”
“Gladly,” she said, and before she could second-guess herself, she urged her mare into a canter, rushing through the gate as it swung open.
Teddy was after her in an instant, the bay’s stride eating up the ground between them. The rest of the riders surged to follow, but for a moment it was just the two of them, flying over the dew-soaked meadow, the wind screaming past and the mist tearing loose in banners behind.
At the crest, they drew up, breathing hard. Teddy’s face was flushed, his eyes alight.
“Well done,” he said. “You apparently haven’t lost your touch.”
She laughed, out of breath but triumphant. “Nor you, it seems.”
Below, the rest of the party approached, Lady Amelia’s mare straining to close the gap. Lady Amelia was stiff and pale with fury, the older men, jovial and winded. Verity, several lengths behind, wore a satisfied smile.
For the first time since Charles’s death, Theo felt alive. Not safe, not comfortable—but vivid, every nerve sparking. She didn’t know what would happen next, or how she would manage it, but as they rode back toward the house, she understood she had never been less alone.
And she was not sure she minded it.
CHAPTER SEVEN