Brie ignored him, her eyes searching the underbrush for the man she had spotted. He had been some thirty yards away, on foot, and from that distance he had appeared to be roughly dressed, wearing dark clothing and a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his eyes. At Brie's cry, he had turned away and hid himself in the underbrush. There was no sign of him now.
"Did you see him, Julian?" Brie said over her shoulder. "I would swear he was carrying a gun!"
"What gun? What are you talking about?" Julian demanded. "Damn it, Brie, have you suddenly lost all your senses?" He broke off scolding when a cool voice spoke behind him.
"Might I suggest," Dominic said, "that you two carry on your conversation elsewhere? At the moment, you stand in danger of being ridden down by those behind me."
Brie whirled her horse to face him. "But there was someone in those woods!"
Dominic's eyes narrowd. "I can see no one, Miss Carringdon. Perhaps you imagined a ghost or goblin. It might even be that the wood is haunted."
His sarcasm stung Brie, making her bristle with anger. She started to retort, wanting to say something just as nasty to him, but when she saw more riders coming up behind him, she realized that she couldn't stay there to argue. She contented herself with directing a scathing glance at Dominic before turning her mount and cantering down the path.
The two men followed at a more leisurely pace, and when the path opened into a field, they spread out to ride side by side. Dominic followed Brie's retreating figure with his gaze, noting her stiff shoulders and her proud, straight back. A gleam of amusement crept into his eyes. Seeing it, Julian demanded to know the cause of his humor.
Dominic grinned. "The lady has sharp eyes. She was able to catch Jacques in the act of searching your woods."
"You mean to tell me Brie did see a man? That he was your coachman?"
Dominic nodded, then chuckled. "I honestly believe she would have gone after him if I hadn't stopped her. Perhaps I was too hasty, though. I would have loved to see Jacques' face when he was exposed by a mere woman."
"Brie is not a 'mere woman'," Julian declared.
Dominic smiled at his own private thoughts. "I'm beginning to discover that for myself," he said softly. He slanted a glance at Julian. "I imagine she'll have some questions for you. See what you can do to pacify her and turn her attention away from Jacques, will you? I don't believe she is favoring me with her confidences at the moment."
Julian raised his eyes heavenward. "Well, what did you expect with your accusations of ghost-chasing? She wasn't happy with that one whit. In fact, she'd probably be pleased to see the last of you, particularly since Denise was showing her cat's claws earlier and flaunting her so very obvious association with you."
Seeing Dominic arch an eyebrow, Julian sighed. "It would be far better to tell Brie what is going on, but since you started this charade, I'll do what I can to see it through. Later, though—after Brie cools off. It would be more than my life is worth to speak to her now. Come to think of it, when are you going to start exercising that famous charm of yours?"
Dominic's lips twisted wryly. "I have tried, my friend, but you can see for yourself it isn't working."
Julian grinned. "I didn't think it would."
Chapter Eight
Lady Denise's presence in the neighborhood affected Brie more than she cared to admit. There was a good deal of speculation and gossip about the beautiful blond widow, and her name was quite frequently linked to Lord Stanton's in spite of the fact that they were rarely seen together.
When Brie received invitations to a ball being held in Lady Denise's honor, she considered declining. Dominic was sure to be there and she wanted to avoid both him and his paramour. But Caroline needed a chaperon in order to attend, and since Katherine didn't mean to go, the task fell to Brie.
Feeling a strong need to bolster her courage, she dressed with care. Her ballgown, a satin slip of sea green under a filmy overskirt shot with gold threads, was in the height of fashion and complemented her coloring. The low-cut bodice emphasized the fullness of her breasts, while the soft material clung to her slender figure, accentuating the curves of her waist and hips. Around her throat she wore a delicate diamond and emerald necklace, from her ears dangled matching earrings, and in her burnished, elegantly coiffed curls were tiny sprays of the glittering gems.
In contrast, her cousin was dressed demurely in white with a simple string of pearls around her throat. Caroline, however, did not mind that Brie's beauty outshone hers, for she had high hopes that Brie could capture the elusive Lord Stanton. She was quite certain Brie's alluring elegance would dazzle the most hardened rake.
When the Carringdon coach drew up before the Scofields' brightly lit mansion, Brie told herself for the hundredth time that she was foolish to allow the prospect of seeing Dominic again to daunt her. It should be simple for a woman of her years and experience to maintain an attitude of cool disdain toward him. She was very much afraid, however, that she would not be up to it.
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After entering the brightly lit hall and surrendering their cloaks, the two cousins were shown into a large drawing room. More than a dozen of the guests who had been invited to dinner before the ball were already gathered there, seated or standing in small groups. Brie breathed a sigh of relief when she glanced around the room and noted that Dominic and Julian had not yet arrived, and she was able to greet her host and hostess with a warm smile.
Lady Scofield, a tall, overweight woman dressed becomingly in dark rose silk, spoke with Brie and Caroline a moment, before her attention was caught by some new arrivals. "There is Denville," she suddenly remarked. "And that handsome Lord Stanton. They say he is a dreadful rake but I think he is perfectly charming. Excuse me, my dears, while I go stop Henry from talking horses to him all evening. Stanton is buying one of our mares, you know, and I simply won't allow business to interfere with my party." Giving the two cousins a gracious smile, she left them in order to greet her new guests.
At the mention of Dominic, Brie had forcibly managed to keep her gaze from being drawn toward the door. Determined to avoid him, she urged Caroline toward some other of the guests and began making introductions. She left her cousin chatting happily with Lady Scofield's daughter Elizabeth and moved away to join Squire Umstead and his wife.
She had just began to relax when she heard the sound of Dominic's resonant laughter from somewhere behind her.
Involuntarily, she turned to glance at him, stiffening when she saw him standing beside Lady Grayson.
The ravishing blond was draped, Greek-style, in a diaphanous white muslin gown that left one arm bare and little to the imagination. Her pale beauty presented the perfect foil to Dominic, for with his raven hair and dark, aristocratic features, he exuded raw male attraction. Like many of the other gentlemen present, he wore a formal black coat and knee- breeches, a silk flowered waistcoat, and a neckcloth tied in a plain style, but the effect on Dominic was striking. The white linen at his neck made his bronzed skin seem darker, almost savage, and the well-tailored coat and snug breeches added a sleek elegance to his lean figure. He wore no jewelry other than a gold ring and watch, and the starkness of his attire made other men look flaccid and foppish in comparison.