Page 2 of How to Catch an Heiress

Her father wasn't aware of her every move. "This is Roxburgh land. It is rare for anyone to happen along, certainly not anyone threatening. We are quite safe here.”

He nodded as if he understood, which piqued her ire.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

His brows rose in polite surprise. “We had a morning engagement to ride together."

“An engagement that you were late for by forty minutes. I finally decided to set out on my own."

"I believe I arrived at five minutes to eleven. That would make me five minutes early."

Chastity stared. "Early? You were forty minutes late. You were to have been here at ten. You were very precise on that point."

He angled his head. "My apologies. Forgive my tardiness.”

The man was patronizing her. "You don't believe you were wrong."

"I have apologized."

She shook her head in disbelief. "An insincere apology. You are placating me."

“I am easy to get along with. Would you rather I insist that you were wrong?"

"You-you—" Chastity let out an unfeminine growl and shoved to her feet. The book on her lap fell to the ground. "You know exactly what you are doing." She whirled and headed for her horse.

She ignored the pad of boots behind her and mounted her mare. Sir Stirling reached his horse as she urged her mare into a trot. Two heartbeats later, the pounding of a horse’s hooves approached. She hunkered down and dug her heels into her horse’s flanks. The animal broke into a gallop. Wind whipped her hair across her face. The fog had thickened.

"Chastity!" he shouted. "Stop!"

Already, he was ordering her around. She gave her horse its head. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine flying.

He pulled up alongside her. "Don't be a fool," he shouted. "The fog is too thick to ride like this."

Now he was telling her how to ride on the property where she'd grown up. The mare started up another hill. Chastity's stomach swooped.Sir Stirling edged closer, and she realized he intended to seize her reins. A large tree loomed in the mist. She yanked the horse's reins left and brought the animal in a huge circle then stopped. Sir Stirling joined her.

Chastity glimpsed the hard set of his mouth before he said, "Do you feel better?"

She didn't, and she remained silent.

He gave a nod. "Shall we return to Gledstone Hall?"

Chastity clicked her tongue to signal the mare forward, but Sir Stirling grabbed the reins and said, "At a sedate pace, if you will."

He was right, of course, which only peeved her even more. "As you wish."

He released the reins and she touched the mare with her heels. Sir Stirling waited until she passed and then flanked her.

"Gledstone is this way, my dear." He veered left.

Chastity scanned the area. Fog swirled everywhere, but she'd grown up exploring these hills. She knew how to get home.

"Listen to the water, Chastity," he called. "It is on your left."

She strained her ears, but heard only the beating of her heart.

Sir Stirling stopped and turned his horse toward her. "I spent half my life on water, lass. We want to keep the water to our left in order to reach Gledstone."

When was the last time she'd been lost on Roxburgh land? The holding was not so large that she would easily get lost. But she didn't typically ride in such thick fog. Her father would be furious that she’d gone out in this weather. She could plead ignorance—only mist had drifted off the water when she left Gledstone—but her father wasn't in a charitable mood. She doubted he would care to hear her explanation.

Chastity urged her horse toward Sir Stirling. She reached his side and they rode in silence. She knew she’d lost this battle when a patch of fog cleared enough for her to discern the loch to the left, where Sir Stirling said it was. She was no fool—not completely anyway—and kept her horse to a walk beside his until Gledstone took murky shape ahead. They veered right and, minutes later, rode into the stables. Sir Stirling leapt from his saddle and reached her as she was stepping to the ground. Michael, the groom her father had recently hired, emerged from one of the stalls and hurried toward them.

"I will see you at dinner, Chastity,” Sir Stirling said.

“I will tell Cook," she replied stiffly.

He shook his head. “You and your father are coming to Kinlochie Castle tonight."

"What? I have never heard of Kinlochie Castle. Is there a ball there?”

“Kinlochie Castle is my home here in Inverness. The place isn’t so grand as to host large balls. Never fear, you may host large parties at my estate in Lossiemouth.”

“My father said nothing to me of us dining away from Gledstone."

He flashed a smile. "I spoke with him this morning, before I came looking for you."

Her heart sank. So, her father knew she left before Sir Stirling arrived. What difference did it make? Sir Stirling had been late. She was not obligated to await his convenience.

Tonight, she would be as late for his dinner as he'd been for their ride.