Winning the Gentleman (Hearts on the Heath #2) - Kristi Ann Hunter Page 0,18
hands.
Did she think he meant her harm? Was she afraid? Yes, he indulged in fencing and boxing as forms of exercise, but he hadn’t engaged in anything that could harm another human since he’d been fourteen. He didn’t want her here, but that didn’t mean he would hurt her.
She couldn’t know that, though.
No, she knew life wasn’t always as kind to the defenseless as it should be. She knew a paltry rose that would die within a day could mean the world to a dirty-faced little boy in ragged secondhand clothes.
He took a deep breath and buried his hand in Equinox’s mane, this time for his own comfort instead of the horse’s. When he spoke, his voice was calm, though to his ears it sounded even more ominous. “I apologize for the misunderstanding. You are an excellent rider. I’m sure the circus will take you back.”
She frowned. “Mr. Notley doesn’t give second chances. Even if he did, I’m not sure where the company went. They were to travel north this morning.”
If Aaron hadn’t known how completely unpredictable and abnormal his own behavior had been, he’d have thought this entire business a swindler’s setup. At best, it was a case of extreme naïveté that depended upon the honor of a man who had acted far from sane.
At worst, it was a crime of opportunity.
Since the woman before him appeared to have most of her wits, he was leaning toward the latter. “Perhaps you and the foreign lady should have thought through the risks before tricking me.”
Brows that were slightly darker than the red of her hair pulled together in a frown. “Foreign lady?”
“The woman who took you the contract.”
She blinked. “Margaret is from Kent.”
He’d been more addlepated than he’d realized to have accepted the lack of proper communication because of a thick, false accent. That didn’t absolve her from her part of the trickery. “And you didn’t think my offer strange enough to require validating it yourself?”
“Notley doesn’t like the faerie queen seen outside of the show,” she said, crossing her arms. “Besides, Margaret said you’d explicitly stated whom you wanted to hire and she’d verified it with you. I suppose we were both desperate enough to believe her.”
Aaron plowed a hand through his hair. He didn’t like thinking of her as desperate, though the fact that all her earthly possessions were likely inside the single bag hanging from her elbow underlined the truth of her status. The chances of her having any means by which to support herself until she found a new job were slim.
That, at least, he could fix. He’d promised her work for a month. He could pay her the salary she would have earned. It would support her until she found a position. “I’ll pay you.”
Her frown deepened. “Of course you will. There’s a salary stipulation in the contract, along with food and lodging for the length of my employment.”
“I mean I’ll pay you for the entire month now.” It grated at him to give any sort of concession when he knew he’d been tricked, even if it hadn’t been by her. The idea of her wandering off all alone with nowhere to go and no money for her future grated worse. “Then you can do whatever you’d planned on doing a month from now.”
Her eyes darted away from his for the first time since she’d approached him. She took in the horse, the Heath, and the surrounding spectators, who were stretching their necks to catch a word of this conversation. She shifted the bag until it was once more secure on her shoulder, bit her lip, then tilted her chin up once more. “No.”
“No?” His eyebrows shot up. Of all the responses he’d expected, a flat no hadn’t even been on the list.
“No. I want more than money.”
So, this was a swindle. The knowledge that he was indeed being taken for a ride by this woman somehow eased his anger. He wouldn’t be the first man to stumble because of an attractive female. Granted, it hadn’t been her appearance that had caused his initial idiocy—that wig and dress had been awful—but it had played a part in his handling of this morning.
“What do you want?” he asked, already prepared to decline it and send her on her way. He’d like to say with nothing, but he knew he’d give her at least a week’s wages. Swindler or not, he had to be able to look himself in the mirror tomorrow.