Bride of the Solway Page 7

  'Miss Elliott and her party have this minute arrived, sir,' Fraser an­nounced as he entered the room. 'She came in her carriage, with her maid, but there was a magnificent bay stallion tied on behind. Would that be the one you spoke of?'

  'It certainly sounds like Lucifer.' Ross found himself warming to the thought of riding out with Miss Elliott. Their previous ride together had been unusual, to say the least, but even in those circumstances, he had seen that she was an excellent horsewoman. He imagined that, properly attired, she would look remarkably fetching on top of that amazing animal.

  'The colonel asks that you come down for luncheon now, sir. He ex­pects Miss Elliott and her brother to join you both very shortly.'

  Ross started for the door.

  'A moment, sir. You cannot greet a lady dressed like that. Your cravat is a disgrace.'

  Ross burst out laughing. Fraser was incorrigible, as ever.

  'Let me find you a fresh one, sir.' Fraser was already rummaging in the drawer of the clothes press.

  It took Ross almost ten minutes to make himself presentable enough to pass muster with Fraser. Yet, when he looked in the glass, he saw that his man had had reason. He looked very much better now. As a gentle­man should.

  'Now you'll do, sir,' said Fraser, opening the door for him.

  'Thank you, sir. That was most pleasant,' Ross said, looking round at the remains of the cold meat and fruit, of which they had all partaken. Miss Elliott, he had noticed, had a very hearty appetite.

  'Is all this splendid produce from your own estate, sir?'

  'Why, yes, Miss Elliott. My wife had succession houses constructed in the walled garden, not long after we were married. Perhaps you would like to see them this afternoon? The peaches and grapes are not quite ready, of course, but we are very proud of them. Even here in Scotland, it is possible to grow such things. With care.'

  'With care, I am sure. And also with all the knowledge and passion that your wife brings to it. I am so sorry that Mrs Anstruther is not well enough to join us here today.'

  'As am I,' said the colonel, sadly. 'But she was determined that you should not be denied your treat, Miss Elliott, and so, untutored as I am, I am here to act as your host and to do my poor best to explain every­thing we have done. And everything my wife is planning to do.'

  'I am truly grateful to you, sir, and sorry to learn that Mrs Anstruther is now alone in Dumfries.'

  'Oh, she is not alone, my dear. She has very many friends, both in Dumfries and in Castle Douglas. Whenever I am away, they flock to her side, to indulge in the most reprehensible gossiping. When I spent all those months in Horse Guards, my house was the centre of the worst gos­sip in Scotland, I do believe.' He smiled broadly.

  Cassie thought there was still a hint of sadness in that smile. She knew, from that same gossip, relayed by Morag, that Mrs Anstruther's condi­tion had worsened very suddenly during the colonel's duty in London. He must feel it very much. Just as he must know that his wife's days were numbered.

  'So, what would you wish to do, ma'am? I can offer you a tour of the garden and the succession houses this afternoon. Or, if you prefer, we could ride out to view the estate. I see that you have brought a magnificent horse with you. I should not have said he was a lady's mount, however.'

  Cassie tried not to smile. 'Lucifer can be a bit mischievous when he is fresh, but I promise you, sir, that he has no vice in him.'

  'Lucifer?' gasped the colonel.

  'Yes, well.. .it seemed an appropriate name when he first came to me. He was rather more difficult then than he is now.' 'I see.' The colonel exchanged glances with Ross, but did not pursue the subject. 'So, what is it to be, ma'am?'

  'It is such a beautiful day. I think, if I may, I should prefer to ride this afternoon for, who knows, tomorrow the weather may have changed. I can always view the gardens in the rain.' 'You are probably wise, ma'am.'

  'And perhaps you could tell me of the garden plans as we go, Colonel? Then I should be prepared for tomorrow's treat.'

  'Certainly, ma'am, I will do my best to oblige.'

  'I am sure your knowledge of the estate' and the garden is very con­siderable, Colonel. It would be most interesting to learn from you.' Oh, dear, Cassie thought, the moment those words were out. Surely that was doing it too brown? Still, the colonel did not seem to have taken offence. He was beaming at her, but in rather a fatherly way. James would not be pleased to see that.

  'You will accompany us, Captain Graham?'

  'Certainly, sir, I should be delighted. Since we saw only a small part of the estate when we rode in yesterday, I am all agog to see the improve­ments you have been making elsewhere. I understand you have been try­ing some radical new ideas?'

  'Not so radical. But Coke in Norfolk has some good notions for the improvement of stock. Whether they will translate from Norfolk to Galloway remains to be seen, but anything that might alleviate the poverty of the people here must be tried.'

  'Is it so very bad?'Ross asked.

  'I am afraid so. Oh, better now than, say, fifty years ago, but still bad. Would you not agree, Elliott?'

  James Elliott had sat totally dumb throughout the meal. Now he said only, 'They have no one but themselves to blame. If they worked harder, they would eat better.'

  His sister blushed bright red with embarrassment. 'Do you have both sheep and cattle, Colonel?' she enquired hastily.

  'Yes, ma'am, I do. I find the local black cattle best adapted to the cli­mate here. They are small, but they thrive. And they do make very good eating.' He gestured in the direction of the half-eaten sirloin on the side­board. 'The black-faced sheep do well on the hills, where there is not enough grazing for cattle.'

  Miss Elliott nodded. She was obviously knowledgeable about such things, perhaps more so than her callous brother.

  An awkward silence now reigned. Eventually, Miss Elliott broke it by rising gracefully to her feet. 'If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I shall go and change. I shall be but twenty minutes. James, would you be so kind as to order Lucifer to be brought round? Tam took him to the stable.'

  Elliott, who had risen to his feet along with the others, grunted an in­comprehensible response.

  Ross moved quickly to open the door for her. 'Twenty minutes, do you say, Miss Elliott?' he said quietly, raising his eyebrows at her. 'It sounds as though you are a more remarkable woman than I had imagined.'

  She smiled serenely back at him. 'Prepare to be astounded, Captain Graham.'

  And he was.

  Precisely seventeen minutes later, a vision in a dark blue riding habit swept down the grand staircase and into the great hall. Ross had the sud­den impression that the suits of armour along the walls were standing to attention to salute the arrival of a great lady.

  It seemed all the more appropriate since Miss Elliott's habit was of a very severe military cut, with black frogging down the front. It looked, Ross thought suddenly, as if she had been sewn into it, for it showed off the contours of her delectable figure more clearly than the lowest-cut evening gown could have done. Miss Elliott certainly spent a great deal on her wardrobe, to judge by this habit, and the matching shako-style hat she wore. Ross had been out of the country for too long to know whether it was quite the latest mode, but that mattered not a whit. In that dark blue garb, which served only to highlight the intense colour of her eyes, she would be the envy of any woman. And the delight of any man.

  She was certainly a delight to Ross's eye. No doubt about that.

  A sudden qualm hit him in the pit of the stomach. He couldn't be at­tracted to Miss Elliott, could he? No, he wouldn't permit that to happen, no matter how beautiful she was. He had forsworn all entanglements with females. Julie had deceived him. He would not permit himself to be be­trayed again. And certainly not by someone of Cassandra Elliott's stamp.' By all accounts, her family were little better than thieves and scoundrels.

  Perhaps his own family had been the same? After all, there had been plenty of reivers in this part of
Scotland. And smugglers, too. Until he discovered who and what his father had been, there would always be a nagging doubt that Ross was not truly entitled to call himself a gentle­man. He would have to—

  'Well, Captain Graham?' Her triumphant voice recalled him to the present.

  'I concede, ma'am. As you predicted, I am astounded. And now, if you are ready, the horses are waiting outside. May I help you to mount?'

  It was utterly delightful to be riding again, out in the open air. Cassie had not been on Lucifer's back since the night she was caught trying to escape across the Solway. The groom must have been exercising him in the meantime, for he was rather better behaved than she had expected.

  She patted his glossy brown neck as she rode. 'Good boy. Good boy,' she cooed in his ear. 'You would show us just how well behaved you can be, wouldn't you? Good boy.'

  'You and your horse seem to be in remarkable sympathy, Miss Elliott.' The colonel matched his horse's pace to Lucifer's walk.

  'I think he is determined to prove all the gentlemen wrong. That he can be a lady's mount, even though he may not look it.'

  'I am more than happy to admit that I was wrong in that, Miss Elliott. He does seem to have very easy manners.'

  Cassie said nothing. She just smiled and stroked Lucifer's neck once more.

  The colonel began to point out some of the interesting aspects of the estate. Over the following twenty minutes or so, Cassie learned a great deal about cattle, and sheep, and the liming of fields using shell marl. She also saw for herself something that the colonel did not mention. The workers' cottages were clean and neat, and very clearly well maintained. If there was dire poverty in Galloway, it was not to be found on Colonel Anstruther's estate. And the workers they met were always ready with a smile and a bright 'Good, afternoon'. There was none of the sullen silence that so often greeted James Elliott when he chanced upon his tenants. Not that such meetings happened often, for James Elliott rarely did the rounds of his own lands.

  They had come, at last, to a broad hillside dotted with fat sheep, sweeping down to a glistening loch on the valley floor. 'Oh, how lovely it is,' Cassie exclaimed. 'Your estate is truly splendid, Colonel, and you are to be congratulated on the way you have managed it.'

  'Not I alone. My dear wife deserves as much of the credit as I.'

  'I have no doubt of it. And if she were here, I should be the first to say so. I hope you will tell her of my delight in what I have seen this afternoon.'

  The colonel bowed his agreement.

  'Colonel, might I tempt you to a gallop across this hillside? It is won­derfully alluring, and I am sure Lucifer is not the only one who is longing to stretch his legs.' Galloping might not be a very ladylike thing to do, but here there was no one to witness her transgressions, except James and Captain Graham who were dawdling a long way behind. She glanced quickly over her shoulder at them. The two men appeared to be riding in stony silence.

  Cassie turned her attention back to the colonel and smiled up at him.

  'I think that galloping across open country with a beautiful lady is a young man's prerogative,' he said, with a slightly sad smile. Without waiting for Cassie's reply, he turned in his saddle and called to Captain Graham, who spurred his horse forward to join them. 'Captain Graham, Miss Elliott has expressed a desire to gallop down to the loch. Perhaps you would be so good as to accompany her?'

  Oh, dear. James would be furious. He would assume that this was Cassie's doing, rather than the colonel's. 'I... .I.. .had hoped that— Will you not accompany us also, Colonel?' she said in desperation.

  'I am afraid not, Miss Elliott. This old horse of mine—' he stroked his horse's neck '—is long past doing more than a gentle amble. If I had thought you might wish to race, I should have brought out one of my younger horses. But this old fellow has served me well and deserves an outing now and then.'

  Cassie nodded in sympathy. 'Ah, yes. When one has a favourite mount, it is difficult to give him up, even when he is getting old.'

  'You have put your finger on my weakness, Miss Elliott. It is exactly so. Now, I suggest that you and Captain Graham make the most of the sunshine. I shall sit here and talk to your brother, ma'am, while you show me exactly what this Lucifer of yours can do.'

  'Are you ready, ma'am?' the captain said. 'Are you for a gallop, or for a race?'

  It was so tempting, but Cassie was in enough trouble already. 'A gal­lop, sir,' she said quickly, trying to frown at him. 'Surely you do not ex­pect a lady to indulge in anything so vulgar as a horse race?' Behind her, Colonel Anstruther swallowed a laugh.

  The captain, however, maintained his composure. 'Lead the way, ma'am, if you will.'

  Cassie resolved to forget all about James and simply enjoy the mo­ment. Gathering her reins, she touched Lucifer's flanks with her heel and her whip. In seconds, he was flying across the hillside.

  Lucifer started off so swiftly that he had a twenty-yard start before Ross had even asked Hera to move a step. It might not be a race—though he doubted that—but Miss Elliott was certainly determined to show that her horse was capable of an amazing turn of speed. If he did not start soon, he would have no chance of catching them. Hera, too, was impatient to be off. She raced down the slope after Lucifer, the moment Ross gave her her head. 'Good girl. Let's show that devil ahead what a goddess can do, shall we?'

  When they were about three-quarters of the way down the slope, Hera began to overhaul Lucifer. Ross could not believe it. It should not be hap­pening. Something must be wrong. Lucifer was at least as fast as Hera, if not faster. Miss Elliott must be deliberately allowing Ross to catch her.

  He was starting to come up with his quarry. Something was very wrong indeed. Miss Elliott, though the finest of horsewomen, was slipping in her saddle. The girth must be loose! She had managed to check the horse a little from his headlong gallop, but not enough for safety. Ross must stop them, or she would take a heavy fall. This time, she might really be hurt.

  Ross urged Hera to a faster pace. In moments, she came fully along­side Lucifer. Then, dropping his reins and riding only with knees and heels, he stretched across the gap, grabbed Miss Elliott around the waist and pulled her roughly out of her saddle. 'Let go the stirrup,' he ordered sharply as he took her weight. But she had already done so. She must have known what he was about to do before he touched her. He lifted her into his lap with a sigh of relief. He had saved her.

  He had reckoned without her stubbornness. Damn the woman! She was still holding Lucifer's reins. 'Let him go!' he cried. But she did not.

  Hera could not possibly keep pace with Lucifer, now that she carried a double burden and he carried none. If Miss Elliott clung on to the reins, Lucifer would pull her out of Ross's grasp.

  'Are you mad? Let go the reins!'

  This time, she did. Ross slowed Hera's pace, but Lucifer galloped on down the hill. As he did so, the saddle slipped even more, until eventu­ally it was almost hanging on the horse's side. That soon stopped his flight. No wonder. It must have felt very strange to him.

  Ross settled Miss Elliot more comfortably in his lap and, reining Hera back to a walk, let her amble down to where Lucifer now stood, quietly cropping the grass at the edge of the loch, as if nothing untoward had happened. 'My dear Miss Elliott,' he said softly into her ear, suddenly conscious of how his breath fanned a tiny curl lying against her skin, 'you seem to have remarkably ill luck when you gallop Lucifer. I should have expected a horsewoman of your stamp to be more careful in the matter of girths.'

  She was already white, but now became quite ashen. 'My brother—' She bit her lip and said nothing more.

  So her brother had been responsible for the saddling of her horse. He would not have slackened the girths deliberately, would he? There could have been no way of knowing what would happen. She might have bro­ken a leg. Or her neck.

  Ross put that thought out of his mind, for it made him shudder. It was too wicked to contemplate. He forced himself, instead, to focus on how rewarding it
was to be holding Miss Elliott so close. She was a most de­licious armful. The skin on her cheeks was as fine as the finest peaches the colonel's succession houses might produce. Perhaps finer. And her subtle scent aroused all his senses. Lavender, was it? And perhaps a hint of citrus? He could not be sure, but he knew that, in the right circum­stances, it would be intoxicating. He would love to hold her in his arms— in somewhere much less public than this open hillside—and explore just which parts of her beautiful body were responsible for that fragrance.

  Her next words brought him back to earth. 'Sir, I think you should set me down.'

  'Why? Would you rather walk than ride the two hundred yards to your mount?'

  'It is most improper for me to be riding like this with a gentleman I barely know.'

  He settled his arm more comfortably around her. He had absolutely no intention of letting her go. Not while he had the slightest excuse for continuing to hold her. 'Miss Elliott, there is no impropriety. Colonel Anstruther and your brother have been witnesses to everything that has happened. They will know, just as you do, that if I had not pulled you off Lucifer's back, you would have taken a nasty fall. You knew yourself that it was the only solution. You had your boot out of the stirrup already, had you not?'

  'That was not in readiness for you, sir. I was simply making sure that Lucifer would not drag me along the ground once I had fallen off.'

  Ross laughed, deep in his throat. 'But you still would not give up the reins, would you?'

  'I would have. Eventually. I thought my weight would have stopped him quite quickly. It did before.'

  Ross raised an eyebrow.

  'And if he had not stopped, I would have let him go.'