Chapter 19
James wasn't seriously expecting her to agree but one could live in hope.
'When I've heard the first two banns called then I might reconsider, but until then go away you disreputable Earl of Avon.' Sofia was irresistible when she reprimanded him so playfully.
'I thought you wanted to hear why I've been absent for two hours. Are we to stand out here and discuss this?'
She giggled and he loved the sound. 'I'm not going in any room with a door that you can close. You're a gentleman but I can no longer trust you to behave like one.'
'So, you consider me both disreputable, disgraceful and untrustworthy. Mmm, are you quite sure that you wish to marry me?'
She tossed her head, fluttered her long dark eye lashes and flashed her beautiful cornflower-blue eyes at him.
'I'm going to marry you, my lord, because you're an earl and probably one of the warmest men in England.
The fact that you're also reasonably attractive, still have your own teeth and are not a complete half-wit does add a little to your worth. '
He pretended to pull his hair out and this made her laugh harder. 'I'm not going to survive three weeks without bedding you. Every time you speak I desire you more.'
This was a highly unsuitable conversation to be having where they could be overheard by both footmen standing outside the drawing room.
'Very well, I suppose we must continue this conversation in my blue room. The door will remain wide open at all times, do I make myself clear?'
It was his turn to laugh – she was repeating his words back to him and had his tone exactly.
She pointed to a hardback chair on the far side of the room and immediately he walked across and sat on it. She then took a seat as far away from him as she could without being in the hall or out of the window.
'This is farcical, am I now to shout at you? We might as well have remained in the hall.'
'Do get on with it, James, I don't have all day to be bandying words with you.
I'm a busy woman and I've my wedding to prepare for.
I hope you realise that every bride requires hundreds of new items of clothing before the wedding can take place.
I hope Smithers has informed the seamstress and that she will be back with her team tomorrow. '
'Hundreds? Good God, Sofia, how can you possibly wear all those before the fashions change again?'
'I was funning, of course I don't require anything else. Now, do you have to go to Upminster Hall?'
He nodded. 'I fear so, Michael believes that everything will be in disarray and only someone of my standing can put things straight.
I'd prefer to ride but a journey of five hours is too much even for Rufus or Lucifer.
I'll be gone two nights at the most. Smithers won't be back in time for us to leave today. I'll leave at dawn tomorrow.'
'Then we can dine together, Eloise will now eat in the nursery as she should, but the rest of us will sit down together at six o'clock.'
He nodded. 'We've got three hours before then. How quickly can you change into your hideous habit? Lucifer is pining for your company.'
She was out of the door before he'd finished speaking and called back as she left the room. 'Time me, I vow that I'll return in a quarter of an hour. I've now got my riding boots which will make things more comfortable.'
One minute before the allotted time she appeared in the gallery. God knows what his neighbours would say if they saw her in her awful scarlet and gold habit. He didn't give a damn what she wore as long as they were within his grounds.
His body reacted at the thought of her without any clothes on at all. That moment couldn't come soon enough. He'd bedded women, beautiful, passionate women, but none had aroused his senses like Sofia.
'I've sent word to the stables so our horses will be waiting,' he said as she ran up to him.
'Let's hope that Lucifer hasn't bitten or trampled whoever drew the short straw and had to tack him up.'
He wanted to snatch her up, carry her to his salon and make love to her. Even the hideous habit couldn't make her look any less desirable. Riding was going to be extremely uncomfortable.
The horses were waiting, as were his dogs, and somehow she sensed his predicament and jumped onto the mounting block and into the saddle without waiting for his assistance. Lucifer was skittish this morning but calmed immediately when she stroked his neck.
Rufus nudged him, eager to follow the stallion who was already on the move. 'Right, my friend, I'm coming.'
Sofia waited for him. 'We'll go to the right. I so enjoyed it last time.'
He checked Rufus who would willingly have raced his stablemate, approaching those huge obstacles at speed would be foolhardy and possibly fatal. His fear had the same effect as a cold swim and all thought of bedroom sport vanished.
There'd been no need to panic, she rode as well as he did, and after he watched Lucifer sail over the first hedge with feet to spare, he relaxed and began to enjoy the wild ride.
They galloped the last half mile and then in unison slowed to a collected canter, then dropped to a walk so the horses could cool down.
'I hope you're not going to suggest that we take the horses for a swim, James, as I know you'd really like to ruin my habit. I promise that I'll give it away as soon my new one arrives.'
He chuckled. 'I think it unlikely, my darling, that anyone would want it even as a gift. You might have to pay someone to take it away.'
'I cannot imagine what possessed the young lady who ordered this to choose such a bright colour and then to embellish it with so much gold frogging and so many brass buttons.'
'More to the point, why did her mother allow her to choose it in the first place.'
Suddenly a pheasant flew up from the undergrowth startling both horses. Lucifer reared almost unseating Sofia, the rains slipped through her fingers and the stallion took hold of the bit and bolted.
Rufus shied violently. James lost one stirrup. It took him scarcely a moment to ram his foot back in the iron but already Lucifer was hundreds of yards away.
He kicked his horse into action, stood in his stirrups, and they were away.
The wind whipped tears from his eyes, if he didn't stop Lucifer his beloved could die.
The gap between them was lessening, Rufus was slowly overtaking Lucifer.
No – Sofia was back in control – why had he ever doubted that she'd be able to stop the stallion?
He settled back into the saddle, slowly eased back on the reins and Rufus responded instantly. A few minutes later he was cantering up beside her, mud spattered and shaken, when she kicked her boot free of the single stirrup and dropped to the ground.
'James, it wasn't the pheasant that caused him to bolt. He was hit by something, I'm sure of it.'
She'd pulled the reins over Lucifer's head and the stallion, chest heaving, foam flecked and exhausted, was in no condition to move.
He dropped to the ground knowing Rufus was in a similar state so wouldn't wander off. 'What makes you think that, sweetheart?'
'He didn't flinch when the pheasants came up under his feet but then I felt something behind my boot. He reared which is when I lost control.'
Together they examined the area behind the girth and his gloved fingers came away stained red.
'It's not too serious, won't require sutures, but you're right.
Something sharp penetrated his coat.' James rubbed the area dry with a handkerchief and Lucifer stamped and his head flew around, ears back, as if he intended to bite.
'No, none of that, good boy,' she said and rested her cheek against the horse's sweaty neck. Immediately the huge black stallion relaxed and allowed her to fuss him.
'I don't think you should ride, we'll walk them back, it's no more than a mile or so,' James said.
'I'll come up with you on Rufus; we can lead Lucifer.' She froze and turned to look back the way they'd come. 'Listen, I can hear the dogs, they've found whoever it was who threw that stone.'
'Devil take it, you walk Lucifer, I'll go.
' He grabbed the reins, was in the saddle and urging Rufus into a gallop before he'd got his boots in the irons.
He could hear someone trying to fight the dogs off.
They were yelping and snarling and he feared whoever it was might have a knife and seriously injure one of them.
*
Sofia watched him go, not sure for whom she was most fearful, James or whoever was the perpetrator of this attack. 'Come along, Lucifer my lovely boy, I think we can do more than walk. I shall run beside you and you can trot.'
The horse could have knocked her over, pulled her off her feet if he so wished, but he appeared to be enjoying this novel experience of having his favourite person jogging at his head instead of riding on his back.
The closer they got to the altercation the more concerned she was. From the sounds she could hear there were more than two men in the bushes and there was only one of James. Even with his dogs he was at risk of being injured.
She'd already gathered the trailing skirt of her habit and draped it over her arm to keep it from under her feet.
She released her hold on the reins and ran flat out.
Before she set off, she picked up a heavy stone from the edge of the path.
She was an athletic young lady and covered the distance at speed.
She could no longer hear the dogs attacking. This was a very bad sign. The bushes were heaving, James was swearing and she could hear two other voices.
He stumbled backwards, his arm around the throat of one of the assailants. Then the second one emerged a knife in his hand. Sofia didn't hesitate. She threw her missile and it hit the second man on the side of the head. He collapsed without a sound.
James rendered his opponent unconscious and tossed him beside the other one. 'My dogs, they've both been stabbed. These men will swing for this.'