Page 16 of A Remarkable Rogue

Even now, she supposed she put herself at risk by being out in the park, but she couldn’t bear the thought of being locked up inside her town house for a moment longer on such a beautiful day. She was going mad with nothing to do but worry and pace, pace and worry… So she’d grabbed her bonnet and headed out for fresh air, sunshine, and perhaps a conversation or two among friends to distract her. She wanted peace and quiet, a chance to—

“Baroness.” The deep voice seeped into her with a tingling heat. “What an unexpected pleasure.”

She opened her eyes and blinked up into the sunlight at the dark shadow leaning over her from the back of a black horse walking slowly beside her rolling barouche, the sky a brilliant blue behind him. Her mind flashed to those ceiling paintings in Carlton House of the god Apollo driving his team across the sky.

A Greek god?

Good Lord.She truly had lost her mind!

“Captain Reed,” she rasped out, unable to find her voice.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologized. “But I’ve been walking beside you for a good twenty yards, and you hadn’t noticed.” His sensuous lips curled in amusement. “Shall I try again? Good afternoon, my lady.”

He tapped the brim of his hat as he inclined his head in as much of a bow as possible from horseback. Then he straightened once more into a commanding pose in the saddle, the same one he’d undoubtedly used when he’d led charges against the French. Every inch of him testified that he was a dragoon of the first order. The bright red uniform simply served as an afterthought.

Yet instead of being flattered at his gentlemanly manners, the show of courtesy grated at Sydney, perhaps because she found herself liking it and certainly not wanting to. Or because her heart leapt at the sight of him, as if she were some smitten cake of a girl instead of a grown woman.

“Not enough to approach me at Barton’s, is it, Captain?” If she were rude enough, perhaps he would leave her alone, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about her voice turning husky each time she spoke to him or her breath growing shallow with arousal. Or the blackmailers thinking she’d deceived them. “Now you’re following me on rides through the park. Does His Majesty know that his Horse Guards spend their time stalking ladies?”

“The regent encourages it.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Captain Reed, if you—”

He held up his hands as if in self-defense. “My presence in the park is nothing as sinister as that, I assure you. Lord Liverpool is out driving today, and I was assigned to his guard.”

She didn’t believe for one moment that coming across her in the park was as simple as that. “And ordered to make certain I remain far away from him, I’m sure.”

He gestured in the direction of the winding lake. “Actually, I glimpsed you across the lawn and thought I’d ride over to say hello.”

Ride over to say hello…as if they were old friends instead of enemies? Ha! No, he was here in a misguided attempt to protect Lord Liverpool from her, as if she truly did have a pistol up her skirt and would use it to assassinate the man at the first opportunity.

Unexpected disappointment squeezed her heart. He might have been dashing in his red uniform and every inch a selfless hero, but he still believed she was involved with revolutionaries. Worse, by allowing everyone in the park to see them together, he was putting her life in danger.

“Well then. You’ve said hello, so you have no reason to linger.” Her voice dripped with biting sarcasm. It was a tone she’d practiced well during her marriage to keep Rowland away. “Don’t let me detain you from your duties.”

Instead of being offended as she’d hoped, the blasted man smiled at her with amusement. “Oh, I’ve plenty of time for conversation with you, Baroness.”

“Conversation?” She scoffed at the idea with a haughty sniff and muttered, “Committing a flanking maneuver against the enemy, more like.”

She wanted no part of this battle. So she banged her parasol against the side of the barouche to signal to her driver to increase the team’s speed and leave the aggravating man behind.

Instead of taking her not so subtle hint and leaving, Captain Reed set his horse into a trot and kept pace.

She rolled her eyes beneath her bonnet. Hopefully, anyone who saw them would think he was simply another admirer…one she wished to avoid because her barouche kept going, as it often did when men boldly approached her during her rides as if she were some kind of courtesan. At least that was what she hoped the people in the park assumed, because speaking to him in broad daylight made her extremely nervous.

Although speaking to him privately in the darkness had made her even more nervous.Thatwasn’t because of Scepter.

“You know military strategy,” he commented appreciatively. “I’m impressed.”

So was she as she watched him control his horse with gentle taps of his heels while his hands barely touched the reins. He was an expert horseman. Seeing him mounted on the large black gelding in his red uniform, even on a slow afternoon ride through the park, she could easily imagine him brandishing a saber and riding into battle at full charge.

She could also easily imagine what he must have looked likeoutof his uniform.

She turned away before he could see her cheeks flush. “I know a little.”

A lie. Unfortunately, she knew a great deal, but not because she found warfare the least bit interesting. The old baron loved to expound upon military maneuvers during those incredibly dull dinners he’d forced her to attend with his old army compatriots. Her presence was more a decoration for the table than because Rowland wanted her company. She’d been there only to prove that he owned her and could force her into his bidding.

But he’d never been able to force himself into her bed.