“Perfect.”
The idea that he wanted to ease her discomfort had a strange warming effect on her. Why would the man who supposedly hated her want to make life easier for her? It made no sense. Then again, ever since he kissed her last night, she felt completely turned around when he was near.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
He smiled down at her until a deep dimple lined his left cheek. “In order to get that ride, I insist you call me Colin.”
Right about now, she would call him a god if that’s what it took to ride instead of walk. “Very well, Colin. I shall take you up on your offer.”
They walked to the stables and found Mr. Sellers berating some of the lads for not brushing out a horse correctly. He glanced up at Colin and her with his mouth gaping.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” he said, quickly recovering from his shock.
“Good morning, Mr. Sellers,” Colin said. “I would like a gentle mare saddled for Miss White.” He glanced down at her. “I also would like her to have access to the same mare any time she needs it.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Mr. Sellers replied. “James, go get Daisy saddled for Miss White.”
The lad nodded and then ran off to the stables.
“Your Grace,” Selina started and then moved away from Mr. Sellers’s hearing distance. “I do believe you are being far too generous.”
He only smiled. “Consider it the apology you so desire and I refuse to give.”
“As you wish, Your Grace.” She pulled a piece of cloth from her skirt pocket and then tied back her hair.
“Very good. I will accompany you to Hart’s lands. I need to speak with him anyway.”
She walked back toward the stable and waited for James to bring out Daisy. Within a few minutes, James led the black mare out of the stable. He helped her up and she waited for Colin to mount his horse.
They started off at a slow pace as Selina enjoyed the ride. She leaned forward and patted the mare before looking over at Colin. “How did she get named Daisy?”
Colin laughed. The idea that a majestic black mare had been given such an innocuous name always made him chuckle. “My younger half sister named her.”
“I had completely forgotten to ask how she is,” Selina remarked. “I haven’t seen her since she was . . .” she shrugged, “maybe eight or nine.”
“I didn’t know you knew her.”
She laughed softly. “I think she wanted to be a wise woman. She would follow my mother and me around as we visited with the tenants.”
“I doubt you would even recognize her now. She will be here soon.”
“Of course, for the wedding.”
They rode along in silence for a while. He slid a glance toward her and knew he’d made the right decision. Her small breasts bounced in rhythm to the horse’s gallop. How could he be attracted to the one woman who made him completely insane?
He needed to get his thoughts off her before he did something rash like kiss her again or admit the truth.
“The weather has been pleasant lately,” he said, shaking his head at his inane comment.
She glanced over at him and nodded. “Yes.”
She apparently wasn’t about to make this easy on him. There had to be some topic of conversation they could have without getting into an argument. Before he could come up with another topic, he saw Hart’s estate. Thank God.
“I need to go this way toward the Featherstones’ cottage,” Selina said, inclining her head toward the right. She pulled up on the reins, coming to a halt. “Thank you for the use of your horse.”
As she started to jump down, he said, “No, you may keep the horse at Hart’s stables. I will speak to him about it.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”