Page 71 of Aurelia

Larissa and Sir Gideon laughed as if his lordship was joking. Aurelia was not so sure.

Sir Gideon glanced out the window. “The wind is beginning to pick up.” He turned to Larissa. “I will be happy to row you back, if you like.”

“I do, indeed,” Larissa said, and then turned to Aurelia. “Next week at the same time?”

Aurelia opened her mouth to say she would come to Balcrewe next time, but the earl spoke first.

“Next week I will send a servant to bring you over, Miss Clifford, and you will have tea at the castle.” He smiled at Aurelia. “I’m sure Miss Burton would be happy to give you a tour.”

Larissa looked at Aurelia and raised her eyebrows.

Aurelia could see her friend found the idea exciting. “Do come, Larissa. I can show you my workroom while you are there.”

“I would love to,” Larissa said, and then opened her reticule, reminding Aurelia they had not paid for their tea.

“Allow me.” Sir Gideon reached into his coat.

The earl set a hand over Aurelia’s when she opened her reticule, his naked fingers scorchingly hot on the bare skin of her hand.

“It is my treat,” he said, smiling from Aurelia to Miss Clifford, ignoring Sir Gideon’s protests and tossing at least twice as much money as was needed on the table. “It is the least I can do after crashing your tête-à-tête.”

After Aurelia said goodbye to Larissa and Sir Gideon, she found herself standing alone with Lord Crewe, whose rather intimidating stallion—Frost—was irritably pawing the ground, as if waiting outside of teashops was beneath his dignity.

She forced herself to look at the earl. “Well, I see you are mounted so—”

“Frost can take both of us,” he said, pulling on his gloves.

Aurelia gawked. “What? No, I can’t—”

“Of course you can,” he said, swinging into the saddle with a fluid grace that was impressive for such a tall man. He held out a hand. “Give me your left hand.”

“But I don’t—”

“Miss Burton,” he said, his tone of quiet command not something she could have resisted if she’d wanted to. And Aurelia knew, not too deep down, that riding pressed up against Lord Crewe’s body was something she would have given her eye-teeth to experience.

And so she held out her left arm.

His hand closed around hers.

“Put your foot on my boot.”

Aurelia complied and he lifted her as if she weighed no more than a corn dolly. His arm snaked around her middle and he pulled her snugly against him, the side of her hip resting against his groin.

“There, you see? Plenty of room,” he said, the words rumbling from his body to hers.

Aurelia bit her lip in time to catch the mortifying groan that wanted to slip out. She clutched the pommel even though there was no danger of falling off, more as a precaution against the shudder of desire that went through her as his big hand splayed over her belly.

“Comfortable?” he murmured as the stallion began to move.

The urge to laugh hysterically was almost overwhelming. “Yes, thank you,” she croaked.

Frost’s gait was so smooth it was like riding on the deck of a ship.

“How convenient that Sir Gideon managed to be in town just at the right time to join you for tea,” the earl said, his sarcasm so thick she could have cut it with a knife.

“How convenient that you were there, as well, my lord,” Aurelia retorted, so distracted by his delicious scent and the press of his ridiculously masculine torso that she could hardly force out the words.

He laughed. “When I did not find you in your turret lair, I asked Charles if he knew your whereabouts and he told me you often met with Miss Clifford on a Tuesday. I admit that I went in the hope of foisting my company on you—at least to escort you back to my castle. Was that so bad of me?”