Page 29 of The Lyon’s Paw

A change of the horse’s gait to a gentle canter, much more soothing than the jolting trot, was a blessed relief. Diana relaxed against Geoffrey, immediately lulled by the rhythmic motion of the horse. If her ankle didn’t hurt, this ride would be most pleasant. The heat her husband generated all down her back now began to calm her until her eyes closed, his warmth soaking into her. She wanted the ride to continue forever…

The horse slowed abruptly, coming out of the peaceful canter into the jarring trot again. Diana’s eyes flew open, her bones rattling as Lucifer ground to a fast walk, then stopped. She blinked, looking around. They had stopped beside a little grove of trees, most of which had kept a few leaves here and there. But the house was not in sight. “What’s wrong?” She twisted around to look at Geoffrey. “Why have we stopped?”

His face had a pinched look to it, as though his Hessians were too tight. “I think we should let Lucifer rest for a few minutes. He’s not used to carrying two people for such a long stretch.” Slowly, he dismounted. “We’ll get down to stretch our legs as well.”

Diana chuckled. “I’m not certain I want to stretch my left one. But I can sit on the ground. I wouldn’t want Lucifer to be discomfited.” She swung her right leg over the horse’s head so she was sitting on the saddle. Geoffrey grasped her waist and she slid off. He caught her, and she continued to the ground pressed firmly against his chest and waist. So firmly, in fact, she could feel every well-defined muscle—including one far below his waist that prodded against his fawn-colored breeches.

She tensed, suddenly unsure what to do. Although Diana had been raised genteelly, she had helped tend her uncle, had listened to his sometimes ribald stories, and so had a general idea of what that stiffness in her husband’s breeches meant. She glanced around her, determined not to look at him. What a startling development. Perhaps she hadn’t been wrong about Geoffrey’s interest after all.

Geoffrey clenched his teeth steeling himself for the new agony that would replace the old.

Soon after they’d begun to ride, the sensation of being pressed so tightly against his wife’s backside, that wicked rocking motion pushing him against her time after time, had filled Geoffrey’s mind with thoughts of the two of them, naked in bed, engaged in motions very similar indeed to a cantering horse. His member had hardened more with each fleeting contact until he was certain she must feel him prodding her bottom. Breathing in short, sharp gasps, Geoffrey had tried to control his body, but it was no use: the fire in his groin would not be contained. They were still over a mile from the house and he was in dire straits. He’d decided it was best to stop and rest the horse—and get himself relief of some sort.

Now he looked up at his wife, at her smile bringing out the dimple again, and gulped. She was speaking to him, although he could only concentrate on the beautiful face, not the words coming out of her mouth.

She swung her leg over the horse, giving him a glimpse of her stockinged leg and he bit back a groan. A delightful show, of course, but a man could stand only so much before exploding. Automatically, he grasped her waist.

A current like a thousand shocks flowed through him, making him want to sink himself into her this moment. As that would be disastrous, he settled for the next best thing and pulled her to his body, glorying in the feel of her as she swept down the length of his body, lingering at the end as she found her footing. Exquisite agony indeed.

Her face turned up to his and he expected fury to darken her lovely features. To his surprise she studied his visage, her expression thoughtful. “Can you help me to sit, my lord?”

His gaze swept the ground beneath the trees. It wasn’t muddy, and her gown had already made the acquaintance of the grass back at the hedgerow, but he couldn’t in good conscience allow her to sit directly on the ground. Without further ado, he stripped off his coat and spread it on the grass.

“What are you doing?” The lady looked at him as though he was a lunatic. “My gown is already stained. A little more grass will not matter much.”

“Perhaps Joanna’s maid Tyler can save it still. She has skills in that area so I’m told.” He bent and scooped her up in his arms, biting back a groan of pleasure at the feeling of her in his arms with only his shirt between her and his bare skin.

Oh, but that was not a thought he needed right now.

He lowered her onto the jacket under the trees. “Your uncle gave it to you. I suppose you have fond memories of him tied to the garment. I would not wish you to lose it.”

Christ, he needed to stop this infernal babbling. To gain time to control his thoughts and appearance, he turned back to Lucifer, taking his time as he tied the reins to a nearby bush. Until this moment, he hadn’t given serious thought to prolonging their marriage past next summer. Oh, he’d played with the idea of kissing his wife, but mostly to distract her from wishing to leave England sooner than later. He certainly hadn’t bargained on this unexpected attraction to her. Although why he hadn’t, he had no idea. He’d been fascinated by her last summer. Of course, the incident at the pond had literally poured cold water on his ardor. After that, he’d never thought he’d be drawn to her again. Well, he’d been wrong before.

This was a damnable complication to their plan. Unless he could ascertain if Diana had any similar feeling for him still lurking inside.

Returning to his wife, Geoffrey sat down beside her, though a good distance away, and smiled at her. “I hadn’t had the chance, but I wanted to again say thank you very much, for coming to the rescue of me and my estates. You have no idea how you have saved my family. How deeply we are in your debt.”

She blinked at that, but said nothing, the surprise on her face speaking volumes.

“What I have not told you ’til now is that the estates were not the main reason I approached Mrs. Dove-Lyon the second time, begging her to persuade you to marry me.” He’d sworn to himself he wouldn’t reveal this to her, but as his wife, she deserved to know just how dire the circumstances had been. “I doubt you will know the name, but I received a letter from a Mr. Marcus Dandridge shortly after our first interview.”

His wife made a disgusted face. “I do know of Mr. Dandridge, my lord, by reputation at least. My Uncle Henry Beaumont is in Switzerland this minute because of him. Not,” she added hastily, “because of any debt he owes, but because of one of the young gentlemen on his Grand Tour. Lord Grayson’s youngest son apparently fell into gambling at one of Mr. Dandridge’s dens. Things got out of hand, and the young man ended up owing quite a bit of money. His father paid it, then asked my uncle, who was the boy’s tutor, to take him off on his tour to keep him out of trouble. My aunt pointed Mr. Dandridge out to me last summer and warned me away from him particularly.” She raised her delicate eyebrows. “Why did he write to you?”

“He informed me he had purchased the mortgages on several of my estates, including this one.” Geoffrey ground his teeth, as he did whenever he thought about it. “And that if I did not allow him to marry my sister, Joanna, he intended to call in the loans and throw us all out into the road.”

“No!” Diana’s hand flew up to her mouth. “How diabolical.” Slowly her hand dropped back to her lap, her face serious. “That is why you insisted on the twenty-thousand pounds. To save your sister.”

“It was that or kill the man.” Geoffrey shrugged. He’d actually devised a plan to do just that in the event he hadn’t been able to charm Miss Edgerton sufficiently. Thank God he had. “And while I did not wish to swing for him, I’d have done it to keep Joanna from his clutches. I have no idea why he has fixed his attentions on her, but he has. And although I took away his initial threat, I have no reason to think he’ll give up the idea.” He hung his head. “That is the real reason I wished to postpone our journey to America. If I am not by her side every moment during the Season, I fear he will find a way to compromise her in another vain attempt to compel her to marry him.”

“Oh, dear lord.” Diana’s eyes had widened, and the next moment, her small hand grasped his. “I must tell you what happened outside Mrs. George’s when we were in London. I would have told you sooner, but I didn’t think anything of it.”

Grim-faced, Geoffrey listened to her tale, every word searing itself into his mind. He could not be too vigilant with Joanna from this moment on. They would have to devise a plan immediately. “Thank you, Diana. I appreciate you telling me this more than you can ever know.”

She squeezed his hand, then let it go. “We will find a way to keep your sister safe, Geoffrey, I swear it.” Her lips quirked into a lopsided smile that was utterly charming. “As we seem to be on the same side in this, I think you may call me Diana again.”

Relieved they were back on easy terms once more and happy to change the subject, Geoffrey grinned at her. “And I am happy to have gone back to being Geoffrey.” His grin widened. “Or do you truly prefer Toad?

“You are never going to forgive me for that, are you?” She frowned at him, but her mouth twitched with mirth. “Or let me forget it.”