Page 105 of Second Duke's the Charm

As she watched, Fool For Love seemed to shake off his ennui and come out of his sleepy trance. It was as ifhe suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing. His nostrils flared, his ears flicked forward, and he bounded ahead with an easy stride that ate up the distance.

“Look at that!” Daisy whispered in awe.

Sweet Lips, Arbiter, and Twist were still partly blocking the course, but Fool For Love went wide and galloped around them.

“Fool For Love is in second place!” Ellie squealed.

“Only because there’s only two horses left,” Tess croaked. “He’ll never beat Ghost.”

Her heart was in her mouth. She searched the crowd for Justin, but couldn’t see him anywhere.

“There’s one lap to go, but it… looks like Ghost is tiring.” The announcer sounded as if he couldn’t believe his own words. “He’s been raced hard this season, and his win at Newmarket last week may have exhausted him.”

“The ground’s too wet to favor him,” a punter in a striped shirt next to Ellie said sagely. “It rained last night, and he doesn’t favor soggy ground.”

The crowd, always appreciative of an underdog, and sensing the possibility of an upset of epic proportions, suddenly seemed to switch their allegiance to Fool For Love. As he thundered past, clearly gaining on Ghost, an enormous cheer went up.

Tess could hardly catch a breath as the horse put on an extraordinary burst of speed that put him within a length of Ghost.

Ghost’s rider turned to see who was approaching, and his look of astonishment at seeing Fool For Love was visible to half the grandstand.

Guffaws of laughter rang out around the ground.

Ghost’s rider kicked his heels to the horse’s flanks, andgave him a quick flick on the hindquarters with his whip, but it was clear that the gray was indeed tiring.

The two horses rounded the final corner. Ghost’s gait was labored, but Fool For Love was flying.

“Fool For Love has drawn level with Ghost!” The commentator’s voice had risen an octave in excitement. “Ladies and gentlemen, are we about to see a miracle unfold before us on the turf?”

The two horses were thundering down the final straight toward the finishing post, which was directly in front of the grandstand.

“They’re neck and neck!” Daisy screamed, bouncing up and down. “Run, Fool, run!”

The entire crowd was screaming now, a deafening cacophony of noise that swelled like a wave to envelop them. Tess found herself holding her breath, unable to believe what she was witnessing.

As the two horses neared the finishing line Fool For Love just edged ahead, and the crowd exploded in ecstatic jubilation.

“And Fool For Love WINS by a nose!” the commentator screamed. “By God, what a race! Phenomenal!”

“The Duke of Wansford must be the luckiest bastard in Christendom!” the fellow next to Tess bellowed.

“I have to find Justin,” Tess breathed.

Chapter Forty-Four

Tess elbowed her way through the crowd and raced down the stairs, desperate to find her husband.

She pushed through the crush of people and headed in the general direction of the owner’s encampment. She was almost there when she rounded a carriage and came face-to-face with Justin, who seemed to have been heading the opposite way, toward her.

She stopped short, breathless at the sight of him.

“Justin!”

“Tess!”

His hair was mussed, and his cravat was askew. She reminded herself to be cool, calm. Rational.

“Congratulations,” she said stiffly. “On winning. Everything you touch turns to gold.”