The American Bride (16 page)

Riding hunched over to look as awkward as possible, Cara cursed again at the picture she made. From the pained contemplation under scowling black brows Julian was apparently convinced of her performance as an inadequate horsewoman. Despite the fact that this was what Cara had intended she was furious at his easy acceptance of this fact. It was true that she did not want him to recognize her as the girl on the dainty gray mare, but on the other hand she would have preferred that he not see her ungainly manner on this lumbering excuse for a horse. When Julian turned in his saddle to check her progress, she kneed the mare off the trail, flapping the reins ineffectually.

"In some difficulty," Julian asked in amusement as he grasped her lead rein. Bringing the mare's head around and directing it along the path, Julian fell in beside her.

Astride the beautiful black Tyrr, he dwarfed Cara on the plodding mare. Julian appeared to great advantage on the back of a horse. His bronzed skin glowed with health and his dark curls shimmered in the sunlight. Cara's eyes scanned his muscled torso, approving the strength apparent beneath his buckskins. A blush suffused her neck and face as she forced her eyes away from his body. In her confusion she fumbled the reins and winced at the pity on Julian's face.

"I had no idea you were so inept at riding, Miss Farraday," Julian teased. "From what Glum told me of your plan for Richard I did not realize that you could barely keep your seat."

"I was not hired as a riding instructor, Lord Wilton," Cara ground out, unable to hide the irritation in her voice.

"It is impolite of me to twit you with your inability to ride," Julian apologized but the sparkle of laughter behind his eyes did little to improve Cara's temper. "I thought by joining you this afternoon I might be of some help. However if I had known sooner I could have saved you discomfort by taking Richard out myself."

"I applaud your motives but you see, Lord Wilton, the whole idea was to get Richard to stop worrying about himself. And that, you will have to admit, has been possible by my very ineptness."

Together, their eyes followed the boy who was unconscious that he was the subject of their discussion. Swatting at the bushes beside the trail, the boy foraged ahead, at ease in the saddle, all fear forgotten. Julian's warm brown eyes swung to hers and he touched his gloved hand to his hat in a victory salute. Spurring his horse he joined his nephew and began to point out various objects in the woods.

For Cara the ride was endless. Finally it was Julian who suggested that Miss Farraday might like to return to the Hall. Thus reminded of his duty to his governess, Richard was most solicitous of Cara on the return trip. His fear of horses might never have existed. How resilient children were, she thought in amazement. From the moment Richard had mounted the hunter, that frightened period of his life was erased completely.

Back in the stableyard, Glum paced, waiting for a glimpse of the returning threesome. He bounded forward to help Cara dismount. In her effort to once again appear graceless she almost tumbled to the ground atop the panting headgroom. Richard tried to smother his snort of amusement. Cara glared at the boy and then cast a withering glance at Julian who was grinning like the village idiot. Stiff-legged with affronted pride she stalked off in the direction of the Hall, while behind her she could hear Richard gleefully accepting Julian's offer to ride the next day.

Safe in her room, Cara collapsed on the bed. A great upsurge of relief washed over her as she remembered the success of her plan. Despite her chagrin at Julian's presence, she had to admit that his being there had made the outing much more special for Richard. It paved the way for other rides and a continued communication between the boy and his guardian. Cara knew that Richard needed his uncle's approbation to build up his self-esteem. He was surrounded by women in the household and needed to see a masculine point of view to grow into the kind of man Cara would wish him to be. She was contented that the relationship between the man and the boy was burgeoning.

Glaring at the ugly riding habit lying on the floor as she soaked in the tub, Cara promised she would burn it at her first opportunity. Closing her eyes she could picture laughing brown eyes in a bronzed face. Just once, she thought wistfully, I wish that Julian could see me as I truly am instead of as an awkward or cantankerous girl. She had always felt herself to be poised and socially adept. But in Julian's presence she reverted to a graceless gawk of a schoolgirl. Writhing in embarrassment she recalled each of her encounters with her husband. Finally in resignation she sat up briskly and sponged herself clean.

Chapter Nine

To Cara's chagrin, in the days that followed Julian took an increasing interest in the children. It was not unusual for Cara to glance up from her schoolbooks to find the disconcerting brown eyes spearing her from the doorway. More and more often Julian found excuses to pass the schoolroom or to check with Richard about the time for their ride. Belin and Richard fought to outdo each other in inventing reasons that he should stay to hear their lessons. The children were overjoyed when their guardian acceded to their badgering but Cara was less than 
enthused
.

Cara noticed that Richard in particular was thriving under the attention from his uncle. The sullen, taciturn young man became as talkative as Belin. His eyes glowed with pride and he vied with his sister in showing off before their guardian. When Julian arrived the lessons were disrupted while he launched into a description of his adventures abroad. Richard, eyes filled with hero worship, bombarded the older man with questions, his inquisitive mind titillated by the narratives of new worlds.

At these times Cara attempted to remain in the background. She sat in the window alcove embroidering, hoping not to attract Julian's attention. Her eyes watched the expressions flitting across his face as he described strange sights and wild and, she suspected, largely fictitious dangers. His efforts to please the children endeared him to her as no other action could have.

For his part Julian enjoyed his hours in the schoolroom. The clamor of the children and the delightful homeyness of the room were a solace; he had been without family for a majority of his life. It brought back to him the happy days of his own childhood when he and his brother threw themselves into the caprices of early boyhood. He was delighted to find that Richard was so much like his father. The boy had a great curiosity about the workings of the world and a penchant for mischief. Julian was getting acquainted with his nephew and finding a pleasure in his company. Even Belin was beginning to take on the qualities of a young lady.

However, much to Julian's annoyance, he discovered it was Miss Farraday who was the magnet that drew him to the schoolroom. He was honest enough to admit that if he wanted to see the children he could send for them at will. The one time that he had done that the little governess had absented herself. So in confusion Julian sought her out in the schoolroom.

The redoubtable Miss Farraday was a puzzle. It had not been a month since she had taken his household by storm. He could recall her apparently shy and docile nature. He should have been forewarned when she almost lost her temper at that first interview. The servants could not say or do enough for her; the children adored her. He watched in amazement her handling of his niece and nephew. She treated them as reasonable human beings, listening to their statements with an open-minded interest that to Julian's mind was ungovernesslike. Despite her own youth she seemed to have a finely tuned intuition of when to be firm and when a subtle diplomacy was needed. Her quiet presence was restful and yet Julian could recall instances where the passionate anger that bristled beneath her acquiescent manner had broken loose. She was at once a nonentity and an enigma.

"And why do I care?" Julian muttered under his breath. He was sitting on the floor building a castle of blocks with the children. His eyes darted to the window seat where Miss Farraday was sewing. "You are a married man," his mind accused. "What do you want from the girl?"

Julian shook his head in confusion. He didn't know what he wanted. The little American was in his thoughts constantly. When he didn't see her during the day his feet brought him willy-nilly to the door of the schoolroom. For now, all he wanted was to be in her presence. But he realized that beneath the surface there was a roiling wave of desire that threatened to overcome his better nature. Just staring at the girl, he could feel the tightness gathering in his loins.

Julian's ever-watchful eyes caught the glimmer of a smile on Cara's face and he wondered what had brought such a contented expression to her face. In a burst of anger he considered the fact that she might have found a suitor among his household staff or his tenants. He hoped that none of the men would importune the girl, whose youth would be very tempting to someone of jaded appetite. The scandal of the last governess had been narrowly averted and Julian would never permit a recurrence. Of course that young lady's story had been that Edward Tallworth had seduced her, however her avaricious demands made it difficult to believe that she was less than a willing partner to the seduction.

Perhaps I ought to warn Miss Farraday about Tallworth, Julian considered. Sort of give her a little fatherly advice.

He snorted in disgust thinking about the man. It had been a peaceful ten days since Tallworth had gone north on business. He was due back shortly and Julian hoped his interest in Miss Farraday had diminished. For all her maturity with the children the little American appeared unaware of the dangers inherent in her position.

"Would you, Uncle Julian?"

Richard's voice broke into Julian's reverie. He blinked his eyes several times until he could focus on the boy sitting beside him on the floor.

"I'm sorry, lad. I'm afraid I wasn't attending," Julian muttered, aware that his nephew had been speaking to him before he became so mired in his own thoughts.

"I asked if you'd like to see Loki?" the boy repeated.

"And what, pray tell, is a 'loki'?" Julian asked with a smile.

"It's not an it. It's a him." Then tired of the word game he burst out, "It's the colt that Miss Farraday and I have been taking care of."

"I see. Well in that case I would be delighted to see him."

Leaving Belin in the kitchen where she could be cosseted with cookies and sticky buns Cara followed Julian and Richard to the stables. The boy could barely contain his excitement, skipping ahead and then dashing back to exhort them to greater speed. Gathering up Glum as they entered the stables, their footsteps echoed on the wooden floors as they approached Loki's stall.

"He's still pretty small, Uncle Julian," Richard stated defensively as he prepared to open the door of the box. "But I just know he's going to be a smashing good horse."

"Well let's have a look at him." Julian stood back so that the nervous boy could lead the slim-legged animal out into the main part of the stables.

Cara and Glum hung back, giving the lad room to shine. They held their breath; eyes riveted on Julian's expressionless face. The black browed man stood motionless, eyeing the colt through narrowed eyes. Richard's hands shook on the lead rope but he remained silent while his uncle inspected his prize. Julian paced around the young stallion. With gentle hands he stroked the horse, testing the muscles and verifying the satiny coat and well-brushed main.

"I think you may be right, Richard," Julian agreed.

"Thank you, sir." Richard wriggled in ecstasy at his guardian's approval.

"He does appear to be an exceptionally fine specimen. He should only be sold to the finest rider. Someone who can appreciate his qualities."

"Sold?" the boy gulped in fear. He moved protectively to Loki stroking his forelock as the horse nuzzled his chest.

"Yes. But of course we would be careful whom he went to. No bruising rider or cow-handed neophyte."

"Oh, Uncle Julian, you really wouldn't sell him, would you?"

Julian almost smiled at the heartbreak in the voice of his nephew but held his mouth steady as he tilted his head to the side, staring at the colt.

"You might be right, halfling. It wouldn't be fitting to sell such a fine animal." The boy slumped in relief then stiffened as Julian continued. "He ought to be given to someone who would have sense enough to take care of such a magnificent horse. Do you think you would be able to take care of him, lad?"

The last words were spoken so softly that at first the boy was not sure that he had heard correctly. Then, in comprehension, his face whitened and his eyes lifted to Julian's for confirmation of the gift. At his uncle's answering nod, Richard gasped and in a flash of motion hurled himself on the older man.

Cara's vision was blurred with tears as she fumbled her way out into the stableyard. Beside her, Glum blew his nose noisily into a voluminous handkerchief, then spat into the dust. They grinned at each other, content to have witnessed the growing trust between the boy and his uncle. Cara's steps were light on the way back to the Hall but she halted abruptly when she saw Edward Tallworth walking toward her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Farraday," Tallworth called, making a mocking leg.

"Sir Edward," Cara acknowledged coolly as she continued on the path. Her heart fluttered anxiously as she caught the calculating gleam in Tallworth's eye.

"Is it too much to hope that you have missed me?" he asked as they drew abreast.

"I am afraid, Sir Edward, that I was not aware that you were away." Cara lied without a qualm. She had been relieved at his absence since the night he had accosted her in the garden.

"And how are your charges?" he asked unctuously.

"Doing well, thank you. In fact you must excuse me for I am late for Belin's lessons."

For a moment Cara thought Tallworth would attempt to bar her way. But as he reached out an arm to detain her, his eyes flicked over her shoulder and he dropped the hand to his side. Hearing Richard and Julian's voices as they approached along the path, Cara skirted around Tallworth and hurried to the safety of the Hall.