Lady Vivian Defies a Duke - By Samantha Grace Page 0,14
dropped his hands to his sides and stepped aside. “Go prepare for your ride.”
Vivi dashed past him and out of the barn, running when she cleared the doors. Ash would never allow her to back out, and if Foxhaven refused to sign the contract, her life would be ruined. Worse, her cousin’s life would be ruined, and Vivi couldn’t live with that guilt.
She needed a long, heart-pounding ride to clear her thoughts. Maybe she would just keep going until she reached the seaside. Perhaps then she could determine if Foxhaven’s eyes were indeed the same shade of blue.
***
After changing into her riding habit, Vivi looked in on Patrice. No violent coughing greeted her this time, and her cousin’s breathing was steady and calm. Reassured that Patrice was recovering, Vivi headed outside and stopped short. Foxhaven was standing in the circle drive with the groom, who’d saddled two horses, hers and the duke’s.
She ran a hand over the split skirt Winnie had fashioned for her at the beginning of summer. She should have requested a sidesaddle instead of providing the duke with even more reason to oppose their match, but she hadn’t expected him to join her. Hadn’t she said she wanted to be alone?
Before she could escape unnoticed, Foxhaven looked up and smiled, revealing a small gap between his straight white teeth. “Lady Vivian, your man here assures me you can handle this massive beast.”
She took a deep breath, adjusted her bonnet, and approached her bay gelding. Romie’s coat shimmered like polished mahogany under the morning sun. “I’ve had him for years. He was a gift from my brother on my fifteenth birthday.” That year had been her best birthday since their parents had died.
Foxhaven stepped forward before the groom to offer assistance mounting her horse. “Ashden must have a lot of faith in you.”
Vivi frowned as she accepted the reins from the servant and placed her boot in the duke’s cupped hands. “He has faith in my ability to handle a horse, Your Grace.” His belief in her was another matter, but she had no one to blame but herself.
Foxhaven lifted her in the air, his muscled chest flexing under his waistcoat. Grasping Romie’s mane, she swung her leg over his back and settled into the saddle. She looked away quickly to hide the blush she sensed flooding her cheeks.
He patted her horse’s neck; his side brushed against her leg. “I sense a hidden meaning behind your words,” he said softly. “Does your brother think you require help with bringing a gentleman up to scratch?”
Her fingers tightened on the reins. “I cannot read thoughts, nor do I possess special insight into the workings of Ashden’s mind. Thank you for the leg up.”
“My pleasure, Lady Vivian.”
When he turned to approach his horse, she seized the moment.
She brought Romie’s head around and left Foxhaven in the drive.
***
“Devil take it!” Luke scrambled to mount Thor and give chase. The lady had an aggravating habit of running away from him, but this time she would not escape. Lady Vivian would grant him an audience even if he must wrestle her to the ground and sit on her.
He snorted. What manner of duke had to beg anyone for an audience or resort to such measures? Not his father.
Ahead, the lady veered off the lane and urged her horse into a gallop across a field. The gelding’s hooves threw up clods of grass and dirt in his wake. Luke’s body tensed, his vision narrowing on her. She handled her horse better than most men, and looked a hell of a lot better with her bottom lifted inches above the saddle.
His determination to catch her grew, his muscles quivering from the rush. At the edge of the field, he let Thor have his head. The stallion broke into a gallop, his strides long and graceful, eating up the lead she had on him. Just as he and Thor were drawing closer, she slowed her horse to a canter, preparing to stop in deference to a fence ahead.
Luke eased back on his horse’s reins. Now was his chance to corner the lady and make her see reason. But she didn’t stop. She dropped her heels, rose up in the stirrups, and sailed her horse over the fence. The magnificent animal stuck the landing and raced up the hill without pause.
A delicious shiver chased down Luke’s back. He had never had a woman run from him before, and Lady Vivian proved to be a worthy opponent. He pushed