Enticing the Earl

“Damn, I had completely forgotten about your ribs. Are you all right?”

“Yes, it was just a twinge, nothing more.”

He helped her return to her normal state of dress without a word. He turned her around, retied her stays and buttoned her dress. “I suppose one of us should say something.”

“Such as?”

“I have no idea.”

Chapter 10

Simon watched as Mia walked toward the field where they were to throw knives. After several awkward moments in the study, Simon had made a quick excuse and promised to meet her out here at two. He still had no idea what possessed him to act so ungentlemanly with her. Except that he’d wanted her for the past twelve years and had never been able to act on his urges until today.

But based on her reaction afterward, he knew he should have waited until they had decided whether they were to marry or not. She still had not mentioned anything about the possibility of being with child and felt he couldn’t bring that topic of conversation up until after she did.

“Good afternoon, Simon,” she said with a smile as she approached.

She seemed to have recovered her normal disposition. “Good afternoon,” he said with a slight bow.

“Shall we start?” she asked, picking a knife on the table. Without another word, she tossed the knife toward the target.

Or maybe she wasn’t as recovered as he’d thought. Her rush to get through the knife throwing was palpable. “That was a good start,” he commented.

“A good start? The knife bounced off the wood.”

“I

t takes practice and training.” Simon pinched the knife between his thumb and his index finger. He sighted the target and threw the knife toward the piece of wood he’d set up as a target. The knife imbedded itself into the wood.

“So I am guessing my ability to hit Davies in the shoulder was nothing but luck.”

He laughed. “Probably a good portion of it. But you have good instincts. Your footing was perfect. It’s now just a matter of grip and learning where to stand so you can get at least one rotation.”

She blew out a soft sigh. “Very well.” She picked up the next knife and gripped it tightly in her hand. “Now what?”

Simon picked up another knife and showed her how he held it. Mia replicated his hold and looked over at him. “Aim for the wood, bend your legs slightly. Take your left arm and point it toward your target at chest level. Now make a round, smooth movement with your right hand over your head and release.”

She followed his directions and they both watched as the knife sailed through the air and once again bounced off the wood. “I thought this was supposed to be easier than a pistol?”

“You don’t have to load it,” he said with a laugh. “Take a half step backward.”

She moved back and he handed her another knife.

“Do it again,” he said.

She aimed and released the knife. This time, the knife hit the target and imbedded into the wood. “I did it!” She swung around and hugged him. “Thank you.”

Her body pressed against his in what should have been a completely platonic manner but his damned body reacted like an adolescent. He pushed her away gently. “Excellent. Now we practice because you need to learn how to calculate your standing distance and how to adjust when you can’t.”

“Can I enjoy my moment of triumph just a bit longer?”

“Of course.”

She walked to the target and pulled out her knife with a large grin. “It went in this far,” she said, showing him where the blade had penetrated the wood.

“Are you ready to try again?”

“Yes!”