Lady Bess

Fleetwood waited only long enough for the ladies to leave the room before he turned directly to the earl and said, “She is a love, little Bess. She has the sweetest disposition. Wouldn’t like to see her hurt.”

The earl could not fault him for this, but he was not the sort of man to be dictated to, especially by a younger man. His brow went up, and he said on a dry note, “I would think it very odd in ye if ye wished to see Lady Bess hurt.”

“Yes, right.” Fleetwood glared at him, obviously not ready to openly accuse or take it further.

The earl felt for the lad’s position. He could see that Fleetwood wanted to warn him off but knew it was not his place. It was the job of Lady Bess’s father to steer her clear of a rogue like himself. In fact, why hadn’t he?

~ Nine ~

THE COUNTRYSIDE WAS in full bloom. Budding leaves were popping, and the daffodils were riotous with bright yellow. The scent of early spring wafted delicious, intoxicated the senses, and seduced.

Bess loved nature but was scarcely able to take it all in as she wielded the matched grays of his lordship’s high-perch phaeton.

She glanced at him fleetingly and responded to his compliment that she was, indeed, a skilled driver.

“You are flattering me again, and it isn’t at all necessary, my lord. You already have a place in my heart.” She knew she was behaving outrageously, and she felt alive with mischief.

He laughed and said, “Minx. Ye doona mean that.”

“Which? That you needn’t flatter me, or that you have a place in my heart?” she said, continuing to banter with him.

“Both, ye little wretch of a lass.” As he regarded her, a full laugh shook him.

“Uh-uh-uh,” she cautioned with an accompanying giggle. “You are lapsing from your flattery.”

He reached out and would have touched her face had she not withdrawn her body from him and warned, “My lord, I am driving. Do not distract me.”

“And would m’touching ye distract ye from yer task?” he said on a husky note.

She grimaced at him. “I am coming to a bend in the road.”

“So ye are. Just keep yer hands on the reins, my lass. Doona take it wide.”

“Yes, yes, you are quite right,” she answered thankfully, for this was not her carriage, not her horses. She had to constantly be vigilant. And then a giggle escaped her as he stroked her arm. “I shall do, if you would but keep your hands to yourself.”

“Adorable,” he whispered. “That is the heart of it, making it very difficult to keep my hands to m’self.” However, he narrowed his eyes and said, “There, I see the

Gypsy camp in the distance. Just remain calm, lass, and approach the traffic slowly.”

Bess saw the commotion of different carriages, wagons, and people milling about and said nervously, “My lord, take the reins, do, please. Your grays are such high steppers, and I am afraid I might do them some harm in tight quarters.”

“Nonsense. Take them into the field. Go on then, lass—ye be quite capable of it,” he urged.

She stopped the grays, though she did not brake the phaeton. “Thank you, my lord,” she said simply and with a formal edge to her tone, “but I prefer that you do the thing.”

She saw doubt in his blue eyes, those eyes that always seemed to speak to her, but then suddenly, with one brow arched, he assented. “Very well, m’fine lass, but be forewarned. I mean for ye to drive m’team into town tomorrow and learn how to handle them in traffic.”

She put up her chin, somewhat offended, as she handed him the reins and said, “Oh, as to that, I know how to drive a team in traffic, make no mistake. I do not, however, wish the responsibility of taking yours into such a situation. ’Tis very different with a team that is not your own.”

A few moments later the earl drew up his phaeton, saying, “I think we’ll park our carriages here, away from the crowd.”

Donna wielded her carriage with the beautiful matched bays alongside them as they turned into the field, and Robby nearly stood with his excitement as he shouted, “Did you see there? Did you?”

“See what, where?” Lady Bess asked with keen interest.

“The performing bear!” he answered in high glee. “I saw it, and there is where we must go first.”

The groom that sat at the back of their carriage jumped down and began seeing to getting the horses tethered at a nearby tree at a bit of a walking distance from the main field people were using for parking their vehicles.