Page 114 of Outrageous

James gave her a lofty look. “It ain’t for a groom to tell his mistress such things, my lady.”

“It ain’t for a groom to abandon his mistress on the Great North Road, either,” she reminded him. “But that didn’t stop you.”

A red stain crept up his neck and colored his face. “You’re never going to forget that, are you?”

“No.” Eva didn’t tell him why she wouldn’t forget it—that it had been the best five days of her life. That was all he needed, to think he’d actually helped her have a fine adventure. “But you know I forgive you,” she added, even though she’d already told him that.

He glanced at her. “Was he cruel to you?” Eva heard the raw concern in his voice.

Although she’d been back for weeks, she’d never spoken of Visel—even to James. Instead, they’d gone back to their pre-kidnapping relationship as if the whole affair had never happened.

“No, he wasn’t cruel.”

They led Liberty back to his stall.

“You know when we were at that inn—the, er, Greedy Vicar?”

As if Eva would ever forget. “Yes?”

“I met that lad who was with Lord Visel—the one with the blunderbuss—Andrew. He was a nice bloke,” James added awkwardly as he removed the stallion’s halter and scratched behind his ears.

Eva grinned as she imagined Andrew’s reaction to James’s misidentification of his precious firearm. “Andrew is nice. What did he have to say?”

James cut her an odd sideways look and shrugged. “Oh, not much. Just that Visel wasn’t such a bad sort.”

“No, it turned out he wasn’t,” she admitted.

James nodded and patted Liberty on the hindquarters, his mind obviously elsewhere. The stallion nickered softly and moved eagerly toward Scott, who was waiting with the curry brush and oats.

They didn’t speak as they walked back to their office/stall; Eva wondered what it was that James was trying—and failing—to say

“The more I think on it, the more I think we should save Moonspinner for last,” she said, the thought popping into her head suddenly. “I’d like to get her in with Liberty at least one more time, preferably two.” She dropped into a rickety cast-off chair and recorded Meadow’s information in the book.

When James didn’t answer she looked up to find him leaning against the wall.

“Have you seen his lordship’s house—what’s it called?” James asked the question without looking at her, and she could hear the worry in his voice.

“Byer Park. And, no, I’ve never seen it, but his lordship says the stables are almost as big as these, just in need of repair.” She shrugged. “I daresay we’ll have our work cut out for us, but that won’t be so bad, will it?”

Still he didn’t look at her.

“What is it?” she asked tiredly.

“I don’t think you should marry him.”

Eva wasn’t surprised by James’s words. They’d been getting into each other’s business since the first time she’d sneaked into the stables and met him shoveling out a stall. For years they’d gone on nighttime journeys that would have turned their parents’ hair white if they’d known.

Eva had gotten drunk her first time with James, although he’d done so far earlier without her; she’d seen her first horse race and mill with him; and they’d sneaked off to the traveling fair that came through each year, visiting a tent that had given Eva demonstrations of the sorts of things Mia had told her about.

James knew secrets about her that even Gabriel didn’t know. And Eva knew things about him that could put his life in jeopardy.

So, no, James’s words weren’t surprising. What was surprising was that it had taken him so long to say anything.

“Are you saying this just because you heard us argue? You know I argue with everyone, James.”

He nodded rather too quickly.

“We’re just finding our way with each other. I’m sure we’ll disagree less after we are married.”