Page 19 of Tempting a Lonely Lord (The Rakes of Mayhem #6)

As Bella and Lacey made their way downstairs to the dining room to break their fast, Bella’s thoughts drifted to the ball.

It was not an event she wished to repeat, and she had been relieved when the evening finally came to an end.

Her feet still ached from the hours spent standing and dancing, but it was the baron who had left her most unsettled.

He had made a habit of appearing wherever she was.

When she went to the refreshment table to fetch two glasses of lemonade for her grandmothers, he had suddenly materialized at her side, insisting that one of his footmen carry an entire pitcher instead.

Later in the evening, as she stood by an open window, savoring the cool night air, he reappeared—too close for comfort—boasting about his estate and the many properties he owned.

By any standard, he was a handsome man, with broad shoulders, a patrician nose, white teeth, and thick black hair streaked with gray at the temples.

He was older than her—by twelve, perhaps even fifteen years—but that was not what unsettled her.

Despite his outward appeal, there was something about him that made her uneasy.

His eyes—so dark that pupil and iris seemed indistinguishable—held an intensity that made her feel watched, possessed. They looked soulless.

Even now, as she recalled the evening, a shudder ran through her.

The man had an unnerving habit of materializing behind her—again and again—until it had begun to feel as though he were stalking her.

He had insisted on two dances, his demeanor growing irritable when things did not go his way.

His snide remarks and barely restrained temper had grated on her nerves.

And when William had joined her for the supper dance, the baron had acted as if he had been personally affronted.

Thankfully, William had not backed down. He remained at her side, meeting the baron’s dark glare with an unwavering presence, until at last, the man stalked off to claim his seat at the head of the table. She and William had taken seats as far away as possible.

At her feet, Lacey gave a soft huff, as if sensing her unease. Bella reached down to stroke the little dog’s velvety ears, grateful for the comforting presence beside her.

“Darling, you’re up later than usual this morning. Are you not feeling yourself? It’s not like you to sleep so late,” Grandmama said.

“I know, but last night was rather… wearying.” Bella glanced around the table. “Where’s Uncle Stephen?”

At her feet, Lacey nuzzled against her legs—a familiar tactic to earn extra rations of bacon or toast. If her grandmothers had noticed, and they almost certainly had, they chose to look the other way.

Grandmama grinned. “Your uncle had an appointment.”

“I think it has something to do with the widow, Lady Rivers, he danced with at the ball,” Grandmère interjected. “Three dances, they shared, including two waltzes!”

“I’ve heard she’s a very nice woman,” Bella said. “They seemed to be happy sharing time.”

“Shh!” Grandmama chuckled good-naturedly.

“We mustn’t jinx it. But I confess, it would be nice to see my boy take an interest in something beyond his usual…

appointments. The only person he seems to ‘keep company with’ here is that odious baron.

I declare, I’m not certain what that man is up to, but I don’t like that Stephen considers him a friend.

Things looked tense between them at the ball last night.

And I was concerned about his fixation with you, Bella.

Every time I saw the baron, he was shadowing you or standing next to you.

Very intrusive. And I understand he plans to call on our poor girl. ”

“You recall, we talked about how to handle that…” Grandmère said. “Remember?”

“I do… but Bella has a right to know,” Grandmama returned, then sipped her tea.

“He plans to call on me?” Bella’s stomach twisted at the thought. “I have no desire to accompany him anywhere. The man makes me most uneasy. His eyes… they’re almost sinister,” she said with a shudder.

“You handled him quite well last evening. I was watching—we were ready to jump in just in case. But your viscount handled him at dinner,” Grandmère said, smiling as she speared a piece of her sweet bun with her fork.

“He’s not my vis— Never mind,” Bella said.

She decided to eat while she let them discuss it.

Over time, she learned there was more knowledge gained by listening.

It gratified her to hear that her grandmothers felt similarly about the baron.

Even more reassuring, they were actively devising some sort of plan to thwart the man’s attention—something she very much wanted to hear more about.

Bella feared he was the type to take what he wanted.

But if it was her he wanted, then he would be sorely disappointed, because she refused to be taken!

“But you want him to be your viscount ,” Grandmama said. “I was not fortunate to have daughters, but I was a young girl once, dear. I can see the interest in your face… and his.”

Bella was shocked to hear her relationship with William discussed so candidly. If he was interested in the future, wouldn’t he mention that to her? So far, there had only been kisses. Oh my God! Those glorious kisses .

“Goodness! I nearly forgot—William will be here any moment,” Bella exclaimed, seizing the opportunity to escape and avoid further conversation with her grandmothers. “We’re going riding, and I thought it best to have a footman follow at a distance.”

“Which horse will you be riding, my dear?” Grandmama asked.

“I thought I’d take Winterborne. I haven’t ridden him in some time, and I’d like to make amends for my neglect,” Bella replied.

“You’ve been in mourning. While a horse may not comprehend such things, any reasonable person would,” Grandmère said gently.

“But my absence has affected Winterborne. I truly believe he feels and understands it,” Bella insisted. “He was important to my father, Grandmère. I know it may sound strange, but I believe Father saw him as more than just a horse—he was a friend.”

“Just be careful, my darling,” Grandmama said warmly. “I believe your father would approve—and remember, you are an excellent horsewoman. You’ve been riding since you were barely out of leading strings.”

The door swung open, and Garrett stepped in.

Bella had noticed it before—an odd, simmering tension between him and Lacey that hadn’t always been there.

Once, she had adored him, wagging her tail and trotting eagerly to his side for a scratch.

But now? Lacey barely deigned to acknowledge his existence.

As he entered, she lifted her head just enough to deliver a slow, deliberate glance—one of supreme canine disdain—before sighing with all the weight of the world and flopping back down, as if even looking at him were an exhausting inconvenience.

Bella narrowed her eyes. What on earth had happened between them? Had Garrett refused her a particularly good treat? Criticized her nap schedule? Whatever it was, Lacey clearly hadn’t forgiven him, and judging by the butler’s resigned expression, he knew it.

“My ladies,” he said, approaching the table. “Lady Bella, a missive arrived for you.” He extended an arm with a salver. “The footman is waiting for a reply.”

“Thank you,” Bella said, accepting the note and quickly opening it.

A few seconds later, she said, “It’s from William.

He said he would be here at noon for our ride.

” That was in two hours. She looked at Garrett.

“Please tell the footman I’ll be ready. Thank you, Garrett.

Oh. There is one more thing. Can you have a footman meet me at the stables?

I’ll be riding Winterborne, and the viscount is accompanying me. ”

“Very good, my lady,” the butler said, inclining his head and turning to leave, giving one more mysterious look at Lacey.

~*~

“I’m glad today worked out for our ride,” William said, lifting himself into the saddle of his gelding after he’d helped Bella onto Winterborne. This was probably going to be one of the toughest conversations he’d ever had—and having it with someone he cared about made it that much harder.

“Are we ready, sweet boy?” Bella said, leaning over the horse and petting him on his neck.

Winterborne whinnied, threw back his head, and nodded.

William laughed. “I suppose that’s a yes.”

“I think it is. Good boy,” Bella said. Lacey barked as she ran alongside, and Bella stopped and slid down from the horse.

Stooping down, she cradled Lacey’s head and kissed it.

“Lacey, not this time, girl. Keep an eye on everything at home. And please don’t argue with Garrett—or maybe stay out of each other’s way. ”

The dog yipped as if in agreement. William bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

Bella shook her head. “Go home, sweetheart. I’ll see you later, and we can go for a walk.” Once again, William helped her mount the horse before mounting his. As Winterborne began to trot, she glanced back at Lacey.

William saw the proud little dog heading back toward the barn with her head held high and couldn’t help but be amused. “Let’s take a slow start. I have a few things I need to talk with you about.” He noticed the apprehension on Bella’s face.

“I’m here and your captive audience,” she said, with a faint smile.

Her hands trembled slightly, and William attributed it to anxiety from the long period she had gone without riding Winterborne. “It’ll get better once we get started,” he said softly. Although he knew discussing the death of her father would make things worse.

They rode in silence for several minutes, along the drive that took them to the main road that ran by both properties, before he finally said something.

“I found your father’s tack and saddle. It was left in the rear of the barn and had fallen behind a bale of hay.

It was probably missed—and eventually forgotten about.

It’s just my opinion, but that’s probably why it was still there. ”

Tears formed in her eyes. “Thank you for finding my father’s saddle. I thought it was lost forever. When Winterborne was brought back, I looked for it, but it was gone. I suppose with all that had happened, I forgot about it.”

“There’s more,” William said, hating what he was about to tell her.

But she needed to know it wasn’t the horse’s fault.

“There were sharp pieces of glass driven into the bottom of the saddle. The shards were so minute that no one would have noticed them. It’s not a certainty, but there’s a chance they were placed there on purpose.

As the glass jutted through the blanket, it would have caused the horse pain. Real pain .”

“Oh God! Poor Winterborne. And my poor father. As they rode, it would have driven the glass into Winterborne’s back.” She blew out a breath. “Do you mind if we stop for a few minutes? I just need some time to think about this.”

The footman who had been trailing them secured his horse and approached them. “Is there a problem, my lady? My lord?”

Wiping her eyes, she looked at the footman. “I’m sorry. This is the first time I’ve ridden Winterborne. I just needed a moment, Albert.”

He nodded. “Very well, my lady. I’ll get back to my horse.”

“Thank you. I suppose I was more nervous than I had thought,” she said, leaning into her horse’s neck and nuzzling him. “I think we are better. Aren’t we, Winterborne?”

The horse whinnied, as if reassuring her.

Once the footman had retreated, William said, “I know you want to look, but we don’t need to do that.

I checked Winterborne myself, and there were several small, healed puncture wounds beneath where his saddle sat.

His hair covers the healed scars, and that’s probably why you hadn’t seen them when grooming him.

There were only a few, and they were puncture wounds.

I can only speculate on how they may have missed them—but since your father had a head injury, they must have decided that his fall had killed him. They didn’t look any further.”

After a long moment of silence, he looked at her.

“What do you say we keep riding?” William asked.

“I’m sorry I chose to tell you when I did.

But you should know your father’s horse did everything he could to keep from yielding to the pain.

I’m certain of it. The nicks on his back were probably painful, but I think something else caused him to react.

I’m not sure what, yet, but I’m going to keep looking. ”

Bella leaned over Winterborne and kissed his head, then patted his neck. “So, what do we do to find this person who did this terrible thing?” She swiped at her eyes. “It’s been over a year. Is it too late?”

“I am looking into it. I’ll need a little more time,” he said. “I have contacts that will help me.”

“I can’t thank you enough, William. I truly appreciate your taking the time to investigate,” Bella said, exhaling a deep breath. Then, with a sudden spark of energy, she added, “Do you feel like picking up the pace? I think Winterborne could use the exercise—and so could I.”

Without waiting for a reply, she gave Winterborne his head and took off, the wind whipping through her hair.

William’s heart pounded—not from the ride, but from the impish look Bella cast over her shoulder as they raced down the main road.

He was once again reminded of how strong she was.

Despite her sorrow over the loss of her father and the pain that Winterborne had suffered, she retained her spirit and warmth.

Bella was not only beautiful, but she was the kind of woman who would make a wonderful wife for a lucky man. But could he be that man?

~*~