Free Her Errant Earl by Scarlett Scott

part.
    “Pray take pity on me, my dear. I’ve had a rough morning.”
He gave her a grin that sent heat straight to her core.
    The man knew how to make her bend to his whims. He was
dangerous.
    “Very well,” she agreed after a bit of introspection. “I’ll
accompany you.”

Chapter Four
     
    Her husband had given her the most docile mare in the
stables. The horse was so calm, in fact, that Victoria would have sworn she was
sleeping on her hooves except that she kept plodding along at an exceedingly
slow pace. Pembroke, meanwhile, rode a horse as sleek as it was fast. They’d
only been riding for a few minutes and already she was tiring of only having a
view of his mount’s hindquarters.
    “Pembroke,” she called.
    He stopped and turned back to her. “What is it, my dear?”
    “I thought you said you wanted me to accompany you.”
    He frowned as she caught up to him and reined in her
sluggish horse. “You are accompanying me.”
    “Not precisely.” Her horse began nosing through a clump of
grass, deciding it was time for a second breakfast. “I’ve been staring at your
back the entire time.”
    “I’ve been told I have a delightfully broad back. I thought
you may have wanted to admire it.”
    His tone was deadly serious. Victoria searched his bland
expression, trying to discern if he was having her on. She couldn’t tell. Each
day with Pembroke was proving an altogether enlightening experience. Finally,
he laughed, the hard planes of his handsome face softening. There was much more
to him, she thought, than the stranger who had abandoned her in favor of living
a wastrel’s life in London. He continued to surprise her and work his way
deeper into her heart. Drat the man.
    “I’m teasing you, Victoria.” He grinned at her. “Don’t you
Americans ever laugh?”
    An answering smile tugged at her lips. “Of course we do.”
    He sobered. “I suppose I haven’t given you much cause for
levity.” He paused, his gaze intense upon hers. “Let’s dismount and take a
walk.”
    Without waiting for her response, he dropped from his mount
with effortless grace and reached up to assist her. His hands circled her waist
as he helped her to the ground. When her feet were safely in the grass once
more, however, he didn’t release her from his hold. Instead, his hands lingered
upon her, his tall form pressing into her diminutive one.
    “You are impossibly lovely,” he murmured, his head lowering
toward hers.
    She turned her face at the last moment, presenting him with
her cheek instead of her lips. He kissed her just the same, but his grip
tightened on her.
    “Am I being punished for this morning?”
    Victoria tore her eyes from his, lest she allow him to charm
her into indulging in the passion flaring even now between them. She wanted to
show him she could be as unaffected as he by their encounters. Of course, that
wasn’t at all true, but she had a suspicion that she shouldn’t allow him to see
her entire hand in the game they played.
    “What have you done that requires punishment?” she asked in
lieu of answering his query.
    He released his grip on her waist with one hand and gently
touched her chin, forcing her to look at him once more. His gaze was blue,
snapping with seductive fire and something indefinable. Penance? She couldn’t
be certain.
    “I left you in haste this morning,” he said lowly. “I’m
aware I was an ass. I cannot make an excuse for myself, save to say that I
meant you no insult. My mind was simply weighed down with weightier matters.”
    She raised a brow. “Weightier matters?”
    He cleared his throat, looking ill at ease. “Estate
business,” he clarified with obvious ambiguity.
    “Indeed?” It was her turn to raise a brow. “I was under the
impression you haven’t ever handled estate matters here at Carrington House.”
    “Devil take it, you’re a prying woman,” he groused. “Very
well, if you must have it, I was overwhelmed by the realization that I cannot
seem