Free Valentine by Jane Feather Page A

we’re going to be under the same roof for a time.”
    “I wouldn’t count on that,” Theo said, as much for something to say as anything else. With a neat wriggle she slid out of his hold and onto the sand.
    “Oh, and why shouldn’t I?” One eyebrow lifted in quizzical inquiry as he looked down at her.
    Why shouldn’t he? Not a reason in the world! Her mother seemed to have fallen for his charm without so much as a whimper.
    Why couldn’t she learn to keep her mouth shut? Or keep her unruly body under control? She was tingling from top to toe, every inch of her skin sensitized. As if aware of this, the detestable Gilbraith was gazing at her chest with fixed attention, and she could feel her nipples lifting under his eyes.
    “A word of advice: Wear a chemise in future,” he said coolly. “Or don’t take your jacket off … unless you’re prepared to follow through on the invitation you’re issuing.”
    “You behaved like a cur the first time we met,” she said, trembling now with renewed outrage. “Maybe there was the smidgeon of an excuse then … you didn’t know who I was. But I tell you Stoneridge, you are an unmitigated cad and a coxcomb!”
    She sprang onto Dulcie’s back and rode off along the beach to the broad path at the far end that led up to the cliff. Sylvester grimaced ruefully. One step forward, two stepsback. There was something about the wretched girl that brought out the worst in him. She was so damned combative, she made him want to shake her into submission half the time, but despite the occasional brattishness, there was something about her spirit that sparked an answer in his own, and he’d lay any odds that she’d prove to be a wonderfully tempestuous partner in lust—with the right education.
    He watched her disappearing up the path, and his loins stirred at the memory of her breasts against his hands and the eagerness of her mouth beneath his. Come hell or high water, he intended to have the schooling of his recalcitrant cousin.
    He rode back along the beach to where their coats still lay over the rock. It occurred to him that her feelings were as confused as his own. Her responses were always passionate—even when she was damning him up hill and down dale. Indifference would be much harder to overcome, so perhaps the key to victory lay in keeping up the pressure and confusion.
    He dismounted and collected their coats. Theo’s had something in the pocket—a packet of succulent apple tartlets. Well, she’d abandoned them, he reflected, consuming them with leisurely pleasure before remounting.
    As he rode up the manor’s driveway, Elinor appeared from the rose garden, a pair of pruning shears in her hand, a basket of yellow and white roses over her arm.
    “Lord Stoneridge.” She greeted him pleasantly. “How good of you to call.”
    He doffed his hat and dismounted to walk beside her. “I have Lady Theo’s coat and hat to return, ma’am.”
    Elinor’s eyebrows disappeared into her scalp. “I think you’d better explain, sir.”
    He gave her a disarming smile. “I’m afraid we had a slight … a slight altercation on the beach. My cousin rode off in some haste.”
    “And what was she doing without her coat and hat in the first place?” Lady Belmont’s eyes were sharp, although her tone seemed only mildly curious.
    “My cousin challenged me to a bout of unarmed combat, ma’am,” he said. This time his smile was rueful.
    Elinor sighed. “A challenge you refrained from accepting, I trust.”
    “In a manner of speaking, ma’am,” he said. “My cousin was induced to withdraw the challenge. She’s not in charity with me, as a result.”
    “Oh, it’s Edward’s fault,” Elinor said, shaking her head. “He taught Theo all that nonsense when they were little more than children, and whenever he’s here, they practice throwing each other all over the long gallery.”
    “Edward?”
    “Emily’s betrothed, Edward Fairfax. His family are neighbors, and the