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.Is it David? Have you run into him on one of your rides? Did he bother you in any way?”She had seen David the day before, when he met her while she was riding on the post road.He had been both aloof and gentlemanly, surprising Exerilla and greatly relieved.“No, no, David has done nothing further to make me uncomfortable.”Anne appeared at the sitting room door and announced with a smile, “Lord MacTorry and Sir Jacob.”Exerilla actually felt the breath in her lungs travel to her throat and get stuck.Her heart began to beat at a threatening pace.Her knees began to quiver, and she was glad she was seated.Both gentlemen strode into the room, looking merry and ready to do much more than the polite as they greeted first Mary Horwich and then turned to her.Exerilla smoothed the neatly fitted skirt of her mint green day gown over her lap, pleased that she had worn this color which always made her green eyes greener.She couldn’t believe she was preening for a man she would have to say good-bye to in a few months.His glance took her in from the top of her black hair, right down to her little slippers.She saw the glint in his blue eyes as he looked her over and she felt a rush of pleasure.All at once, Sir Jacob pushed him aside and laughed, “Out of my way, man, and allow me to greet Miss Radley properly.”She laughed and saw his lordship’s eyes fill with amusement, “Out of your way?” He shook his head and took the hand she reached out to give him, bending low over her ungloved fingers, putting them to his lips in a way that sent sparks skittering up her arm, and straight to her fluttering heart.Not to be outdone, she suspected Jacob was merely having fun, he took up her free hand and said, “Ravishing, Exerilla, simply ravishing.” He turned to his lordship and gave him an amiable smirk.“And I am enchanted, as always when I find myself in yer company, lass,” his lordship murmured quietly.Sir Jacob released a friendly if impolite snort and said, “Don’t believe his dribble.He will break your heart, but I…I never shall.”This light banter had served to save the moment for X who was attempting to recover her composure.She smiled prettily at both gentlemen and said, “Ah, but Jake, such nice dribble, that we must allow him, if not my heart, a smile,” She was proud of herself as she had noted that this was the way a young woman of the era would dally with a gentleman.It was absurd.Hunter MacTorry had seen her naked.She had seen him naked; he had touched her in a way that had sent her to the moon.Oh yeah, they were well past the stage of light flirtation, nevertheless, she found it appealing.Mary interjected to offer refreshments, but Jacob waved his hand apologetically saying they couldn’t stay long.Exerilla felt immediate disappointment and said, “Oh…” with which her voice trailed off.Oh, she asked herself, and then almost closed her eyes as she thought, I am such a brilliant conversationalist.His lordship smiled regretfully and said, “Sir Jacob has a notion to take out the yacht today just for a short sail and satisfy Jerry Swit…”“Not so much satisfy, as keeping him quiet about the thing,” Jacob said and chuckled.“He’s driving me mad with his nagging about the yacht.”“Meeting the dashed silly fellow at the docks, but we did want to stop by and see how it is you are neglecting Princess Tat,” his lordship’s blue eyes found and locked with hers.Mary’s face brightened and she interjected at this point, “Oh how I love sailing.When Samuel and I were first married, we had a sloop, and I enjoyed those days on the water immensely.”Jacob sat down with Mary and they began a conversation about sloops versus schooners.He told her that he thought he would rather have something he could take out without a crew.“Well,” laughed X as she turned away from watching the two.“I would never have guessed it.Mary and the squire, sailing?”“Ye haven’t been with them long enough to know a lifetime’s worth of who they really are,” his lordship said on a quiet note.“I suppose you are right.People are more than what you may think from a glance, and still…” she allowed her voice to trail off.He took that moment to say, “Why haven’t ye been up to the Towers?”She shook her head, “Complicated.”“Someone forbid ye? The squire? Why all of a sudden?” He pursued.“Stop this now,” she whispered and gave him a meaningful look.He wouldn’t be warned off and asked, “Was it David? Did he ask his parents to keep you from coming to the Towers?”“He seems to think you mean to take advantage of me,” she dimpled.“And you do.”He chuckled.“Ye had a will of yer own lass,” he said softly.This was true, but it incensed her all the same, and she gave him an evil eye as she hissed, “I do beg your pardon, so I had, though my will was nothing to your experience.”“Touché!” he answered.“I sounded even to m’self, a downright cad.Sweet Exerilla, I was wrong to say such a thing.Ye never had a choice.I took it from ye the moment I knew I had to have ye for m’own.”She wasn’t sure what she could say to that without raising her voice, so she kept still for a moment as she collected herself and said in a quiet and solemn murmur, “Oh, so I am just one more thing you decided to have?”No time to get his reply as Mary and Sir Jacob called to them and Jacob said jovially, “I was just telling Mrs.Horwich that my poor mare misses your hands, and she has come up with a solution she believes will satisfy the squire.”“Oh?”“Indeed,” said Mary brightly.“I don’t know why I did not think of it sooner.I shall accompany you to the Towers and be your chaperone!”Out of the corner of X’s eye, she witnessed his lordship expression as his jaw dropped.Oh, that did not suit him at all.She almost laughed out loud at him.“Mary, are you sure? It will be such an inconvenience,” she offered.“Not at all, I have another old gelding the squire has put out to pasture, but who is fit enough to make the short trip to Cressly.Indeed, this shall be an outing for both of us.”* * *David Horwich had developed an obsession.He knew that what he was experiencing was not normal.He knew it would lead to trouble.He couldn’t stop it from influencing everything he did.It grew malignantly inside his brain and intensified everything he felt for Exerilla Radley, and what he felt was lust
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