The Training of a Marquess (20 page)

Bensey nodded. “I want to do it for Lady Claire. I like her and I don’t want her to be sad.”

Chase squeezed his shoulder. “You’re a good boy, son.”

The child who didn’t like to be touched stepped forward and pressed himself against his father’s chest. Chase hugged him and inhaled his boy scent. If anyone had told him a year ago he would see a day when he considered himself blessed, he would have called them a liar.

“Did I remember to tell you that your grandmamma will arrive this afternoon?”

Bensey stepped away. “Yes, Father. May Harry and I sit outside on the steps and watch for her carriage?”

Chase chuckled. “I’m not sure you’ll be able to get Harry to sit still while you watch the road, but you are welcome to try. I was thinking we might go down to the lake and have another swimming lesson after your brother finishes with Lady Claire. Would you like that?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Good. I’m going down and watch Harry learn how to train a horse. Do you want to come with me?”

“I promised to meet Anders in the conservatory after breakfast. We’re going to graft some fruit trees.”

He enjoyed a breakfast with Bensey and then left him to go see Harry and the woman who had disturbed his sleep.

Chase leaned on the rail and observed Claire with Harry. She had a calm patience with him, and to Harry’s credit, he paid rapt attention to her. As usual for her training sessions, she wore her leather breeches. He was becoming quite fond of them.

And he quite liked the way she wore her hair in a long braid down her back when she worked—could imagine holding onto it while she rode him. Growing hard at the mere idea, he turned his mind to the arrival of his mother in an attempt to rein in his lust.

It was going to be interesting to see his mother’s reaction to Claire. Lady Anne could size up a person in the blink of an eye, and he had never known her to be wrong. Chase thought his mother would be intrigued by Claire and would like her. He sincerely hoped she would not take an instant dislike to the woman he hoped to marry.

It was doubtful he or Claire would be able to hide their attraction from her. His mother had the eyes of a hawk and the instincts of a fox. If anything, he was certain Lady Anne would welcome Claire with open arms as soon as she realized her son had an interest in the lady.

Her grandest wish was to see him happily married and filling his nursery with grandbabies for her to spoil. He was going to do his best to accommodate her, but could only hope she didn’t meddle too much in his courtship.

Claire had her back to him and he let his gaze linger on her bottom. He hoped she wouldn’t stop wearing the breeches after his mother arrived. Lady Anne would probably want a pair if she saw them, and he chuckled at the image of his mother marching around clad in a pair.

Claire glanced over her shoulder and arched a questioning brow. He shrugged and she returned her attention to Harry and the horse. It occurred to him that he needed to sure she understood she was not to change her routine just because his mother was here. He wanted her to continue spending time with Harry until they left for London, and that meant she needed to continue wearing her breeches.

Claire’s skin prickled. Even though she had her back to the fence, she had known the moment Chase arrived. Where he was concerned, it seemed her senses were sharply honed. He chuckled and she glanced over, catching him staring at her bottom.

Why was he chuckling? Did he think her bottom funny? Her concentration was broken and it was his fault. She wasn’t going to be able to focus on Harry and the horse until she knew the meaning of that chuckle.

“It’s time to make Thor circle the ring, Harry. You know what to do so I’m going to step away and let you take it from here.”

Harry nodded, his concentration obviously still intact, but then it wasn’t his bottom his father had chuckled over. Harry had a natural instinct with the horses and if she was fortunate to have enough time with him, he would surpass her abilities.

Her dream was to have a whole class of little boys to train, and then she would send them out into the world to teach others. Perhaps then the day would come when men stopped abusing their mounts. She backed up to the rail until she stood next to Chase.

“Good morn, Claire,” he said, his voice low and intimate.

She might be willing to crawl over hot coals to hear that voice rumbling in her ear every morning for the rest of her life. “Good morn to you, Chase. What has you so amused?”

“Pardon?”

“You were eyeing my bottom and chuckling.”

His grin was pure wickedness. “A fine bottom it is. You do understand this is not a proper conversation for us to have? Talking about your bottom, that is, even though your bottom begs to be admired and poetic words written of its tantalizing allure. You must promise me, however, you will not discuss your bottom with anyone other than me.”

Mercy.
She wanted to drag him off somewhere private and have him do those wonderful things to her again. She truly was a wanton.

“You are a wicked man, my lord.”

He put his mouth next to her ear. “Having held those silken globes in the palms of my hands, I find I am feeling a bit possessive of the thing. Your bottom, that is.”

“You really shouldn’t say such things, my lord.” Even if she did like it, and when had the day grown so hot?

“Tell me you wouldn’t like to slip away right now,
my lady,
for a repeat of last night.”

Of course, she would, but did he want her enough to put the ghost of his wife to rest forever? No, he wasn’t ready, and at this point with a damaged horse, it was time to retreat so his desire for what he couldn’t have grew.

Claire stepped to the side creating a space between them. “No, I don’t believe I would.”

“Liar.” The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement.

Was she so obvious?

“I was chuckling because I was trying to imagine my mother wearing leather breeches,” he continued as if he had not made her dizzy with all his words coming between her question and his answer.

Mention of his mother cleared the fuzziness from her head. “Why ever would you think such a thing?”

“I have no idea. That’s not true, actually, I do. I was thinking that when Mama sees yours, she will want a pair for herself.”

Claire gasped in horror. “No. Absolutely not. She will not see me dressed as I am now. You will not even hint of it to her.”

“Will I not? Be sensible, Claire. You train horses and you cannot do so wearing a gown.”

“Then I won’t work while she’s here.”

“Yes, you will. This is what you do, what you love. And what of the horses? It would not be good for them to go on holiday, now would it? Then there’s Harry. These mornings working with you are important to him. I know Lady Anne, and I daresay she is going to find you fascinating. As I said, if anything, she will want a pair.”

Claire couldn’t imagine wearing breeches in front of Lady Anne. But, bells in hell, he was right. It was one thing for her to step away from the training, but the horses were another matter altogether. There was Harry to think of, also. She couldn’t bring herself to disappoint him.

She glanced at the boy standing in the middle of the ring. He had Thor circling him at an easy lope. One of Thor’s ears angled toward Harry, paying attention to the boy’s commands. Harry showed no indecision or hesitation in working the horse.

Claire had worked with Thor for several weeks, and he’d proven to be a calm, intelligent yearling and showed great promise. He had confidence in himself, but was open to learning new things. She had rightly thought he would be the perfect horse for Harry to practice his skills on.

“Now, Harry,” she called, “let him stop and do what I showed you. I think your father will be impressed.” She tapped Chase on the hand. “Watch this.”

Harry let Thor come to a stop and then squared off facing the horse. Harry and Thor engaged in a staring contest for a few minutes before Thor’s head lowered.

In a soft voice, she gave Chase a commentary. “Being a youngster, Thor is full of himself and needs to test his boundaries. By squaring up and facing Thor, Harry is showing him that he is the leader. Thor tried to challenge Harry by staring him down. When Harry didn’t back down, Thor decided to save his challenge of the leader for another day. See how his head is lowering?”

When Chase nodded, she continued. “He’s showing his desire to join with Harry. Horses are herd animals and their survival in the wild depends on belonging to a herd. When his chin is lowered almost to the ground and his tongue is hanging out of his mouth, his acquiescence to Harry’s leadership is complete.”

As if on cue, Thor’s chin brushed the ground and his tongue hung out of the side of his mouth. “Now Harry will let his eyes roam down Thor’s body to his flanks and then he’ll turn his back to Thor. That’s when the magic happens.”

It never ceased to thrill her, this moment when the horse joined with her. Now, Harry would experience it for the first time. It would delight him as it did her. Her heart filled with pride, as if he were her son in truth.

The awareness almost staggered her. She loved this man, yes, but she also loved the twins. She wanted to tell him of this grand new insight, but it was still too soon. His chin had yet to touch the ground and his tongue wasn’t dragging the ground. To keep from giggling, she bit down on her bottom lip.

“I have told you, Claire, not to do that. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you didn’t heed my warning?”

What was he talking about? She glanced at him to see he stared at her mouth, and she remembered how he had given her a passionate kiss the last time he caught her doing it.

“I remember,” she whispered.

He tapped a finger against her lips. “Good, because you now owe me a kiss.”

When?
“Do I?” She licked her lips, and the blue of his eyes darkened. This flirting business wasn’t so difficult, after all.

“Oh yes, Claire, you do.”

With only a heated look he had her blood pulsing, wanting more of what he’d shown her last night. Merciful heavens, he was dangerous to her sanity.

“Watch Harry,” she said to divert his attention so she could recover her wits.

Chase swallowed a grin. “Yes, ma’am.” Thor took a few a tentative steps toward Harry. He stopped a moment before moving again. When he walked to Harry’s back and nuzzled his neck, Chase was certain Harry’s grin touched both his ears.

Amazed, he shook his head. “I have seen you do it and now Harry, yet, I’m still having trouble believing my eyes.”

“It is remarkable, isn’t it? Harry’s exceeded my expectations.”

“Well, I’m going to steal him away. I want to take him and Bensey to the lake for a swimming lesson before luncheon. I would invite you along, but we swim in our drawers, and I fear the sight would be too much for your delicate eyes…or would it, I wonder.”

He winked at her and walked away. Her eyes had widened in alarm and Chase smiled to himself. One day he would get her to admit to spying on them. Sadly, with his mother due to arrive in a few hours, Claire wouldn’t sneak down to watch them today.

After an hour of swimming, followed by luncheon, the boys went out to wait for their grandmother’s carriage. Chase went searching for Claire. She owed him a kiss and he wanted to collect on it before his mother arrived. He found her in the hallway outside the drawing room, talking to Mrs. Smithfield.

He stopped a few feet away and shook his head. This wouldn’t do at all. She wore one of her black gowns and a white lace cap. After the housekeeper left, he approached her.

“Why are you dressed in black, Claire?” Chase plucked the cap from her head. “I recall telling your maid to burn this.” She made a grab for the cap and he held it out of her reach, backing into the drawing room.

“Give it to me, Chase.”

“No.”

When she passed the doorway, he spun and closed the door. Her eyes danced with excitement, and that was all he needed to know.

“What are you doing? I can’t be alone with you while the door’s closed. And give me my cap.”

He dangled the thing in the air. “Come and get it.”

She narrowed her eyes and he answered with a raised brow. When she took two steps forward, stopped and held out her hand, he shook his head.

“Give it to me.”

“If you want it, you’ll have to take it from me.” He waved the offensive cap at her. One more step and she would be within his reach. He waited. Having no idea of the danger she was in, she took two more steps. He dropped the cap, grabbed her around the waist, spun her and pressed her against the door.

“Oomph.”

“Oomph to you.” He kissed her.

He hadn’t slept well because of her, hadn’t been able to think of anything but her all day, and he punished her for it with his kiss. She tried to resist him, but when he pressed his body against hers, she sighed into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. Christ in heaven, he loved kissing her, loved the taste of her. His control was in danger of slipping. If he didn’t stop, he would take her up against the door.

Chase rested his forehead against hers. “There, I’ve collected the kiss you owed me.”

“Will you give me my cap now?”

“No. I’m going to instruct your maid to burn all your white caps. You are never to wear one again. And go change out of that horrid gown.” If he was being high-handed, he didn’t care. He detested seeing her in the black mourning gowns and god-awful caps.

“I am still in official mourning, Chase. I don’t want to scandalize your mother.”

“Remind me sometime to tell you about my mother’s response when my father was killed. But for now, you’re going to have to trust me. Wear one of your lavender gowns if you must, but I never want to see you in black again.” He stole one more kiss. “Go change.” He kissed her nose. “Please,” he added belatedly and stepped away.

“Do all rogues kiss as good as you?” she asked and left without waiting for an answer.

Chase scowled. He honestly couldn’t answer, having never kissed another rogue before, but felt an irrational jealously at the thought of her kissing any man besides him, rogue or otherwise.