Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Alice's ire had not abated when Anthony joined her for breakfast the following morning. He entered the room with his usual confident stride, looking annoyingly well-rested and far too cheerful for someone who had likely been out until all hours the night before.
"Good morning, Little Squirrel," he said cheerfully, helping himself to a generous plate of ham and eggs.
"You seem very pleased with yourself," Alice snapped.
"And, why should I not be? It is a beautiful spring day and I hope to enjoy it to its fullest."
"Perhaps because if you continue behaving as you did yesterday, I shall soon have no suitors left for you to harass and interrogate!”
Anthony raised an eyebrow, utterly unrepentant. "Would you honestly want to marry any of the men who visited yesterday?"
“I hardly had the chance to discover that,” Alice pointed out, her voice sharp with frustration. “Your barrage of questions scared them off before I could exchange more than a few pleasantries with any of them.”
"No genuine suitor would be so easily discouraged," Anthony countered. "And I thought you were serious about wanting to find a husband? Not one of those men were suitable. I did you a favour by finding that out for you before you wasted any more time."
Alice wanted to argue, but honesty forced her to admit he had a point.
None of yesterday’s callers had stirred even mild interest. In truth, she had found herself comparing each one to the tall, broad-shouldered man now seated across from her.
They had all seemed rather slight and pallid beside Anthony’s athletic frame, honed by years of riding and boxing.
The direction of her thoughts shocked her.
Since when had she begun noticing how muscular his arms looked in his coat, or how his shoulders strained against the fabric when he reached for the coffee pot?
She gave her head a tiny, decisive shake to clear it.
"Do you have a headache?" Anthony asked, watching her closely.
"A slight one," Alice said. In fact her head did feel thick and slow.
"You are not used to being indoors so much.”
"That is true.”
"You would usually have cleaned out half the stables and rescued at least one wounded animal by this hour."
"Must you always tease me?" said Alice crossly.
Anthony looked genuinely surprised. "I am not teasing you," he said. "You do like spending time outside, preferably with animals rather than people."
"Their company is infinitely preferable to that of most people."
"Present company excepted, of course," he added with a wicked wink that sent an unwelcome flutter through her stomach. What was going on with her this morning?
"Are you blushing, Miss Fairfax?" Anthony grinned.
"Not at all," replied Alice, focusing intently on buttering her toast.
"Shall I take you for a horse ride later to clear your head? I have a sweet grey mare that would suit you perfectly. We could go to Rotten Row.”
Alice hesitated. She suspected her sore head was more likely the result of dealing with Anthony than being stuck indoors for longer than she was used to. A ride did sound wonderful though and she could hardly go by herself. Her aunt was not a rider so accompanying her was not an option.
At home she tried to ride every day, rain or shine, and she missed it.
But she would be choosing to spend more time with Anthony, which she had sworn she would not do…
Still, it seemed that he was determined to hang around her like an annoying insect buzzing in her ear anyway, so she may as well do something she enjoyed while suffering his company.
“Fine,” she said.
“You do not need to sound quite so thrilled about it…” Anthony remarked dryly.
He received a glare in response.
“Can you be ready to leave in an hour?” Anthony asked.
“I will see you then,” said Alice, sweeping out of the breakfast room.
Alice descended in her riding habit to find Anthony waiting in her aunt’s entrance hall. The cut of his buckskin breeches and dark coat emphasised his powerful thighs and broad shoulders rather too effectively for her peace of mind.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yes," replied Alice, feeling her cheeks redden.
"Good, there's a horse saddled up and prepared for you."
Alice followed him outside and down the steps to where two horses were waiting with a groom. Anthony’s large chestnut stallion looked every bit as imposing as its master, while a pretty dapple-grey mare stood patiently beside him.
"Her name's Grey," Anthony said, as the groom helped Alice to mount.
"Very original."
"It was the name she came with when I bought her," he shrugged. "Do you have a better one?"
Alice thought for a moment before replying, "Rosalind."
Anthony rolled his eyes. "Fine, from now on she's Rosalind."
They rode the horses at a walk to Hyde Park. Alice looked around her eagerly as they went through the gates, feeling herself begin to relax upon entering the green space. She'd always wanted to ride along the famous Rotten Row.
The wide sandy track was bustling with members of the Ton enjoying the fine weather.
Elegant ladies in smart riding habits rode side-saddle, their plumes nodding gracefully.
Gentlemen in polished boots and tailored coats cantered past, exchanging greetings and covert appraisals.
Open carriages rolled along more slowly, their occupants scanning the crowds for acquaintances and potential matches.
The air was filled with the sounds of hooves on sand, laughter, and the occasional trill of birdsong from the surrounding trees.The park was undeniably lovely, with its manicured lawns, graceful trees, and ornamental water features, but Alice still preferred the wilder, less perfect beauty of the Kent countryside.
Here everything felt calculated and on display — much like the marriage mart itself.
Charlotte and Margaret would be very envious, but they would much rather have been experiencing the park from the comfort of a barouche.
“This is your first time in London without your siblings, is it not?” Anthony asked, as if reading her thoughts.
“Yes.”
“Do you miss them?”
“In some ways,” she admitted carefully. She was not about to give him ammunition for future teasing. She could well imagine him recounting her homesickness to Charlotte and Margaret with great amusement.
Anthony stopped to greet a couple in a carriage and she took the opportunity to watch him in London society.
Alice had only ever known Anthony in the country. She had seen him at country dances a handful of times, but he had always been with Henry and often their other friends. They had never paid any attention to Henry's odd little sister, except when Anthony decided to torment her.
He seemed comfortable here in London society and very… grown up. So very different from the annoying boy who had once delighted in putting frogs in her bed or pulling her pigtails. Watching him, tall and commanding in the saddle, Alice felt an unsettling warmth bloom in her chest.
He introduced Alice to people he stopped to talk to, but did not continue to attempt to make conversation with her directly, which suited her just fine.
She was happy to look around, soaking in the atmosphere and watching all the people and horses they passed.
She was, naturally, far more interested in the horses.
Hopefully people they met would be aware of the family connection between her and Anthony and would not think they were courting and were out together without an escort… aside from the potential scandal that could cause, she wanted all the bachelors of the Ton to know she was very much available!
The weather was glorious, one of the first properly warm days of the year.
They rode for an hour. Rosalind proved an absolute delight: gentle, responsive, and perfectly sized for Alice’s petite frame.
If she had not known better, she would have said the mare had been chosen exactly for her, being smaller than ideal for most women.
"Are you ready to turn back now?" Anthony asked. "I have a meeting to attend at my club."
"Of course," said Alice reluctantly. She would have loved to have kept going for longer, but maybe another day…
Surprisingly, she was not actually hating riding with Anthony.
There was not the ease they had developed when they had ridden together the summer Henry had broken his leg, and she was very aware of him being near her, but he did not actually irritate her and left her to her thoughts, which was about the best she could expect.
They returned to Aunt Jane's house where Anthony dismounted first. "Would you check his front right shoe, please?" he asked the groomsman as he handed him the reins to his horse. "He may have been limping a little on the way back."
With the groomsman occupied, Anthony moved to assist Alice. She panicked at the thought of his hands on her waist and tried to descend too quickly on her own. Her right foot caught in the stirrup. With a startled cry, she pitched forward, landing straight into Anthony’s waiting arms.
His strong, muscular arms gripped her tightly, making Alice's heart beat so fast she feared it might burst out of her chest. The scent of leather, sandalwood, and warm male filled her senses.
He released her gently and she took a step away from him, needing to distance herself despite her body seemingly yearning to be back next to his.
"Good God, woman. Give a chap some warning before you fling yourself at him like that!" Anthony exclaimed. “You are lucky I did not pull my back.”
Mortified beyond words, Alice stammered, “I… I’m sorry.” Her face flaming, she fled up the steps into the house.
Alice hid in her room under the excuse of a headache, desperately trying to regain her composure.