The Dark Lady (14 page)

The massive horse lurched toward them. Matthew leapt out of the way and Amy threw herself into the carriage with a scream.

Peter glanced at his bride. Fear constricted his throat to see her stand calmly as if nothing were amiss. He looked back to Ponsworth, who fought with the lead rope to force the enraged stallion into the stable, but he was only dragged around like an insolent child.

Ponsworth yelled hoarsely at his stable lads to get more ropes. They raced to do his bidding. Once the horse was securely tied, with three ropes looped around his heavily muscled neck, the four men began the tug of war to get him to the stall.

The horse suddenly charged and threw his full weight against the ropes. He tossed his head wildly as he pulled free. Sweat lathered and wild eyed the horse galloped full tilt toward Vanessa who, to Peter’s ire, was perfectly calm.

Peter’s heart slammed into his throat. He knew she was going to be killed and fear fell over him like a shroud. He threw himself in between her and the charging beast.

Vanessa quickly side stepped him, throwing off his restraining arm and putting herself between him and the panicked horse. He grabbed her arm, but didn’t have time to move her aside before the horse skidded to a stop, slamming its muscled chest into her.

He heard Matthew scream out Vanessa’s name as the impact threw her backward. She collided with Peter, the breath whooshing out of her in a sudden gasp. He staggered backward and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling.

She took several shallow shaky breaths before her breathing finally calmed. Relief washed over him as he realized that she was not seriously injured.

The terrified horse continued to push his head into Vanessa’s chest forcing her body tightly against the length of him. He pulled her tighter into his embrace and was unprepared for the feeling of her bottom pressing against his groin. Every woman he had been with had been small and petite. When he had held them closely their hips had caressed against his mid to lower thighs.

He had never held a woman who fit him so fully, so completely. As he began to harden beneath her soft curves, he decided it was a feeling he quite enjoyed.

He watched intently as Vanessa soothed the trembling horse. She spoke quietly under her breath and caressed him. Her long fingers trailed slowly up and down his wide jaw. Peter was entranced by her soft movements. He could almost feel her fingers running across his own jaw line and tracing down his neck to his chest.

Lust exploded into a hot white fire within him. He felt drunk on the soft waves of aroma that caressed his senses. He turned his head, inhaling the deep scent of lavender. Her smooth hair felt like silk as it brushed against his hands, and his fingers involuntarily tightened against her firm stomach as the silky strands tickled across them. A shiver raced down his spine and through his limbs, making them tremble.

His gaze followed the line of her silky black hair to her long straight neck. Its tanned skin showed clearly beneath the sharp line of powder that hid her face. He took a long deep breath and the mix of lavender and face powder overwhelmed his senses. His eyes drifted shut. His mind was encompassed solely by the sweet smell of her body and the way it moved gently against him.

He pressed his lips onto her long bare neck, opening them to lightly bite her warm flesh. Vanessa stiffened even as she pressed herself more fully into him.

Her body trembled and he wondered if it was from fear or excitement. Images of how she would fit beneath him raced through his mind. Would she fit as perfectly beneath him as she did standing here before him? Would he have to bend to take her lips with his?

Those thoughts led rapidly to others as he wondered if she would be as aggressive and strong willed in bed as she was out of bed. He was intrigued by this idea. He had never been with a woman who was anything but compliant, and he wondered what it would be like to have a forceful woman in bed.

He took a deep breath as the muscles of her back shifted against his chest. A sharp flash of heat exploded in his groin and shot hot sparks through limbs that shuddered as if a cold wave had suddenly washed across the land.

A thick groan penetrated his senses and the realization that it was his own threw him back to reality. He shook his head to clear the heady fog that invaded his senses. But the powerful tendrils of lust weaved deeply and refused to let loose their greedy hold on him. He didn’t understand what was so different about this woman. He opened his eyes and stared at her.

Her profile was beautiful, her hair gleaming in the sunlight. Her eyes drifted closed and a small smile played at her lips. An insistent heat settled low in his stomach, a pleasant tingling that seemed to warm his whole body. He wondered once again why this woman, who he had known for mere moments, captivated him in ways that the women who had spent years in his life did not.

He had not groaned with a woman since he was a randy boy feeling up one of his father’s youngest maids. He didn’t make sounds when kissing a woman’s neck, hardly made them even when at the peak of his pleasure.

He never lost control and he wasn’t about to start now, not with this giant of a woman. Fighting a painful, throbbing lust that argued vehemently with his oath of self-control, he pulled quickly away from her.

Vanessa gasped, stumbled backwards, and threw her arms around the ears of the now calm horse to balance herself. The horse threw his head up and snorted. She instantly began to caress him. He calmed quickly. Peter wished that his own worries could be calmed so easily.

He pulled his wits together long enough to remember that they were not alone and glanced quickly around the courtyard. The servants were doing their best not to watch the goings on with their master and their new mistress. They busied themselves with luggage, but he caught the secretive glances they threw his way.

Matthew stood silently by the carriage, his brow wrinkled in what Peter knew well to be his concerned look. Matthew shook his head and Peter smiled, but the smile felt awkward so he let it drop. Matthew smiled in return. It looked as forced as Peter’s had felt. Matthew returned his attention to his daughter. His fingers were laced so tightly together before him that the knuckles were white.

It was expected that no one would interfere with the way Peter handled his wife. She was his property to do with as he wished, but he wondered how hard it was for Matthew to just stand aside and say nothing regarding his daughter.

With a sigh, he followed Matthew’s gaze and studied Vanessa closely. He had only seen two women who were almost as tall as him. Both had been about as big around as a sapling willow.

This woman was not. She was decidedly bigger than a mere sapling and decidedly more muscular than any other woman he had known. She looked as if she could take on half of his army without breaking a sweat.

Peter’s gaze slid down her body and stopped on the round bottom that was pushing against the soft material of her dress. Lust threatened to bubble forth and he jerked his gaze away quickly, focusing instead on the way she handled the horse. She handled him well, but he had been unpredictable from the moment Peter had noticed him. He seemed to have a wide range of emotions. Peter didn’t trust him in the least.

Vanessa looked over her shoulder at him and smirked. She looked very smug about being able to handle the horse. His stomach wrenched in concern. She moved to the horse’s shoulder, patting his heavily muscled chest as she went.

She had an air of invulnerability that worried him and it was more than just the horse. She was not afraid of going to see his men train and she had no qualms about telling him what to do. She had not even batted a pretty eyelash in the face of his anger. That stunned him. He had never had anyone stand toe to toe with him and not back down.

She did not seem to hold an ounce of fear and that alone terrified him. He could see her being hurt by her over-confidence. He would have to make sure she was safe. He watched Vanessa turn calmly back to the horse like nothing was amiss.

He had to exert control in order to protect her. He was the husband. He was the master. He was the stallion of his herd.

Peter appraised the scene before him. The large stallion stood calmly before his wife, his head hung low, allowing her to stroke him as she wished. He was meek and controllable beneath her ministrations, and Peter realized that the stallion was not always the master.

He barked out a laugh, causing the horse to jerk his head up.

Vanessa spun her head around at him. “What is so funny?”

Her voice cracked. Peter realized it had several times before. “I was thinking of a stallion and a herd,” he said with a soft smile, his suspicion growing as he thought of her voice. Something wasn’t right but he couldn’t decide what.

He ran his gaze over her, his brow furrowed in concentration. Her eyes widened and she glanced away, either unable or unwilling to meet his eyes.

He took a quick breath, holding it as he forced himself to concentrate on her, going over each of her actions since she had arrived.

He released his captured breath in a sharp exhale as the answer flashed before him.

It was her voice. It was all wrong. He thought of a lie told by a small child. Sometimes you couldn’t tell how you knew they were lying, but you knew they were. A look? A gesture?

She shifted uncomfortably as he appraised her closely.

A small crack in their voice, he thought, a sly smile sliding across their lips.

What she was hiding? And why? He didn’t know but he was going to find out. He glanced over at the young day maid, who still cringed in the seat of the carriage, and wondered why she was trying so hard to keep her mistress controlled.

He looked back at Vanessa. He needed to be sure of the voice, not just a suspicion. He needed to hear it again and the best way to do that would be to keep her off balance.

He grinned inwardly but forced himself to keep a calm face, to betray nothing of his plans to antagonize her. “I think it incredulous that a creature as large as he ran to a small wisp of a woman for protection.”

Her shoulders pressed back, her chin rose in arrogance, and a gleam sparkled in her dark eyes as anger blossomed across her every feature. Peter smiled, pleased that his plan had worked so well.

Vanessa stepped unsteadily toward him, her fist clenched and her mouth parting.

“
Milady.” Amy slowly climbed from the carriage interrupting Vanessa before she could speak. “Milady, you need to calm.”

Peter scowled at the young woman. He was sure Vanessa would have spoken outrageously and was disappointed that she had been censored once again.

Van visibly relaxed and turned her back on him. “My lord, I am not exactly a wisp of a woman. You have seen me, have you not?” Without looking back at him she began removing the ropes from the horse.

“
Aye, my dear, I have seen you and have indeed just felt you against me.” He glared at Amy as he finished speaking, in hopes to censor her, but her eyes were only on her mistress.

Vanessa gasped, clenching her fists. Amy grabbed her arm and Matthew pushed himself away from the carriage with a defined growl. Peter had forgotten the Earl of Thereamong, but apparently he had heard enough. By the time he reached them, he had on a wide smile that twitched tightly at the edges, proclaiming it to be an effort for him to hold it.

“
Peter, my boy, take me to the stables and let me see those prize mares you recently picked up.”

Peter turned his attention fully to him with a sigh of resignation.

He would have to get her alone before he would be able to discover any of her secrets so he did his best to push it from his mind. “Yes, I have gotten three new breeders for my stables, with...” He turned back to Vanessa who stood motionless beside him. He could almost see the fumes shimmering around her as she struggled with her anger. “What is his name?”

She opened her mouth and snapped it shut again. She closed her eyes momentarily and took a deep breath. Peter raised his brow at her. “Well?”

“
Beast,” she said, but he had a feeling that was not what she had planned to say. He didn’t know why she would lie about the horse’s name, but he would find that out as well. All in good time, he thought with an internal grin.

“
Appropriate at least.” He focused once again on her father. The resemblance between the two was stunning. “With the addition of
Beast
,” he emphasized deeply as he glanced at her. “I will soon have the best breeding stock in all of Yorkshire.” Peter took several deep breaths and the tightness eased from his chest as he forced himself to relax.

Matthew grasped Beast’s reins and gave them a soft tug. Vanessa’s fist was clenched around them so tightly that her knuckles were white. Peter was sure the leather must be biting into her skin.

Matthew arched one dark eyebrow and waited. Her small maid tugged gently on her sleeve. Vanessa scowled, but allowed her father to pull the reins from her grasp.

Peter was surprised she had given in without a fight, but was grateful for the assistance when Matthew ran his hand through Vanessa’s arm and positioned her in between himself and Matthew.

“
Come, my dear, you can look at the pretty mares he purchased. You would like that wouldn’t you?” He handed the reins to Peter and not waiting for an answer turned and began walking to the stables.