Taffeta & Hotspur (11 page)

“
Scared out of you!” Her
brother snorted.

Nigel, ever serious, said, “You might
have a point there, Seth.”

“
Well, did you two see Cathy
home?”

“
Aye, that we did, and all
is well,” said her brother.

Tarrant running away from her skipped
into her head, and she thought, Not so very well for me, no—not so
very well at all.

Chapter Six

Nattily attired in his caped black
greatcoat, his tie superbly fashioned in the mathematical style,
his superfine waisted and tailed coat of blue fitting his so very
perfect body, his breeches of buff cream tightly molded over his
muscular thighs, and his Hessian boots gleaming in their blackness,
the Hotspur, Tarrant, took the ribbons of his high perch phaeton,
ordered his tiger at his back, and tooled his high stepping dapple
greys through the hum of London’s morning traffic.

He told himself he hadn’t dressed to
impress Lady Taffeta, that this was his usual style when he took
out his high perched phaeton, but he knew in his heart it was a
lie.

When he had regarded himself in the
long looking glass, he had wondered absently if she would like the
way he looked. He caught the question in his head and immediately
berated himself. What the devil are you doing? She was a chit—lass
… a virgin, and all he could think about was getting her into his
bed and driving himself into her in every imaginable position he
had ever fantasized about. He was a cad.

She was a child, playing at games she
knew nothing about. She was an imp of a woman. He shouldn’t be
thinking about her. He should visit Melody Conners and relieve
himself of his raging and demanding constant need.

These thoughts were driving him mad,
and then there stood Mrs. Melody Conners at the curbing flagging
him down. Should I stop? He had no choice. She was stepping into
the street. He pulled up his greys and smiled.

“
Tarrant…” she said in a
soft alluring voice. “I missed you last evening … wherever did you
vanish off to?”

“
Something unexpected kept
me from you, Melody,” he said in a low flirtatious voice and was
aware of a sudden impatience to be off. What the hell was wrong
with him?

“
How very vexing, but I
trust you may find your way to me this afternoon, for a private bit
of … relaxation?”

She was a lovely piece of bit and
fluff, and he was sure to enjoy an hour’s frolic with her in her
bed, but…

“
I am afraid not, lovely
lady; I am already otherwise promised.” He watched her pout and
laughed to himself as he waved and tooled his horses back into
traffic. He pulled up at Lady Marble’s townhouse, and nimbly
planted himself on the curbing, giving the ribbons to the young
groom acting as his tiger. “Right then, Jason, I shan’t be long,
but walk them if need be.”

“
That oi will, m’lord,” said
the lad grinning, obviously proud to work for Tarrant. “Probably
will ‘ave to if ye’ve come fer a loidy … all of ‘em keep them
standing too long.”

Tarrant laughed and pulled the peak of
the boy’s wool cap down over his eyes, “Cheeky, but you are right.
I don’t think this lady will keep us waiting though. She is a bit
different than most of her kind.”

He skipped up the steps and found
Jarvis very civil as he showed him inside. He didn’t have to wait
at all. As he suspected, Taffeta must have been waiting at the top
of the stairs she was presently bouncing down toward
him.

She was a vision of cheery life, an
alluring figure clothed in a fitted aqua velvet driving ensemble
designed to display her provocative figure. Her long, highly
dressed, copper lit gold curls cascaded down one elegant shoulder.
On her tilted head rested a chip hat of matching aqua with netting
and one twirling white feather. Short thick wisps of her hair
ornamented her forehead and ears, and her bright gray eyes twinkled
impishly, without a hint of what had passed between them the
previous evening in her bedroom. He could see she meant to put it
aside and be comfortable. She was more than stunning, and
everything about her took his breath away.

As she came toward him, he discovered
he had lost the ability to breathe. The rakehell Hotspur, gourmet
of women, prince of flirts, proponent of cynicism, received his
leveler completely in that moment. And then, he attempted, with
careful reserve, to vanquish it. He told himself he had recognized
she was incomparable at their first meeting. So, what was this? She
is not for me … not for me, he repeated silently.

With a calm demeanor, he went forward
to greet her, and again, all built-in resolves were shaken, for
what must she do but take his hand and shake it
famously.

“
My lord…” declared Lady
Taffeta, still holding onto his kid gloved hand, stepping back to
eye him with teasing admiration. “My, but you do look an
out-and-outer, a regular dasher, a…”

He felt his lips quiver, but he
restrained the bubble of mirth and admonished sweetly, “Take a
damper, sunbeam. We made one another a promise—I don’t seduce, you
don’t throw your cap…”

“
Ah, but you did not promise
to not seduce, and I think that is what you have been trying to do
to me—soooo, if my cap falls at your feet, you have no one to blame
but yourself,” said the lady glibly, and her bright gray eyes
laughed at him. “And you really do look absolutely—”

“
Ravishing.” He cut her off.
“I know. I always mean to.” He led her toward the front
door.

“
Oh, there you are…” cried
Lady Marble, sticking her face out of her morning room to wave them
off. “Such a lovely day for a ride.” She eyed Tarrant. “Don’t you
dazzle my niece, sir, for I shall hold you to account.”

He laughed out loud. “You needn’t
worry, my lady, Taffeta and I have quite agreed, we are both quite
off limits to one another.”

“
Oh?” replied her ladyship
on a note of disappointment. “Pity.”

With this last, he led Lady Taffeta
toward his waiting phaeton.

Taffy leaned into him and said on a
giggle, “What you need is to be set down a peg. You are far too
lofty, you know.”

“
Where is your puppy?” he
asked, effectively changing the subject.

“
Oh, the dear little man ate
most of his breakfast and even tried hobbling about. He is so very
weak but getting better. He is in the nether regions of the kitchen
as cook is very fond of dogs and will look after him while I am
gone.” She sighed. “He slept most of the night and only whimpered
once for me…”

“
And what did you do when he
whimpered?” He found he couldn’t look away from her
eyes.

She smiled softly and sighed again. “I
cuddled him and put him back to sleep. We gave him fresh paper in
his basket this morning, but cook has a method of housebreaking …
and will start teaching him as soon as he is strong enough. In the
meantime, I have promised to help her clean up his basket and
supply her with fresh newspaper, so we must get a great deal of
them…”

He burst out laughing and helped her
into the carriage, “Yes, I am familiar with the method of
housebreaking a pup.” He shook his head and laughed again. Never
was there such a chit! Her conversation was so natural, and he
almost allowed the thought to enter his head, But love? No, love
could not, would not work for him. He didn’t believe in love—it was
no more than … no… love was an impossible emotion, and he certainly
was not about to—

“
Tell me, my lord…” said the
lady, bringing him out of his cogitations. “Have you been
abroad?”

“
Aye…”

“
Not just to Paris, where my
parents took us when we were still so young, but—”

He grinned, “Yes, I know what you are
asking. One of my favorite places was Venice.”

“
Oh, I do so want to go to
Venice … gondolas and history and Italians.”

He laughed once again as he tooled his
horse through the London traffic toward Hyde Park. “You are a
wonder. I never know what is in that busy brain or what you will
say next.”

“
I hear Italy has some very
plausible rascals?” she asked ignoring this.

“
Aye, you would find
yourself very comfortable there,” he answered teasingly.

She inclined her head, but her eyes
were lively when she brought her gaze up to his, “A flush hit, my
lord.”

“
Then I must make it up to
you by letting you decide our destination … a sedate ride through
the park or somewhere else?” He pulled up his pair of dapple greys
as he eyed her, looking for a response and once again found himself
caught up by her bright gaze.

“
The Peerless Pool!” she
announced, looking like a schoolgirl.

“
No … absolutely not, funny
little brat. Who the deuce has been telling you about the Peerless
Pool?”

“
Well Seth and Nigel went
there and enjoyed it excessively, but when I asked them to take me
there, they became very stuffy and said ‘twas
impossible.’”

She tickled him in ways he had thought
would never happen to him again. She looked so demure and innocent,
and then she batted her lashes purposely, and he burst out laughing
once again.

“
Will you not, my
lord?”

“
Certainly not!” he answered
jovially. “Taking you to the Peerless Pool would forever ruin your
reputation. It would have been bad enough for you to be seen there
with your brother and uncle, but with me?” He shook his head.
“Disaster. Pick another place, sunbeam.”

She pouted at him, and he wanted to
take her in his arms. She interrupted his thoughts by touching his
thigh and igniting his already charged bolt of desire into a blaze
he had to quiet.

“
I don’t know of anything
else…” she said, still pouting. “And I don’t pout.”

“
Don’t you? Ah, then it is
merely a very good imitation of one.” He chuckled, and then an idea
came to him. “I know just what you would like—I rather like the
place myself.”

Her eyes opened wide, and he almost
lost concentration, but she grabbed his upper arm, and even through
the thick wool of his greatcoat sleeve, once again, he felt a
titillating wave of excitement.

“
Where?” she asked with a
bit of a bounce.

He thought with some amusement that
she was so young, so spirited, and full of life, and he wanted her
more than he would soon be able to control. He cleared his throat
and answered, “The Royal Exchange.”

“
Sounds dashed flat to me,”
said the lady with a slight frown.

“
You won’t think so when we
get there. It is where they house the wild beasts…”

He had definitely hit upon the place
in all the world she would enjoy, and she told him so
enthusiastically, “Oh, oh… I do forgive you all your sins … yes,
yes, the Royal Exchange!” She was quiet for a moment. “I have
always wanted a monkey…”

He looked shocked, “Well, I am not
getting you one. You may look … you may even touch where they
allow, but we are not foisting any wild beasts on your poor
aunt.”

Taffeta laughed, “No, you are quite
right, I have already turned her kitchens into a kennel with
Valiant.”

As he tooled his team around the
corner, Taffeta exclaimed, “Tarrant … look, at that man! What a
beautiful man—who is he?”

“
Sir Francis, and it is not
the thing to be pointing at men simply because their looks are
pleasing. He noticed you…”

“
Oh pooh,” she answered.
“Men are forever pointing out women to one another.”

“
It is not the same thing,
Taffy. You simply can’t go about ogling handsome bucks.”

“
Why not?” Taffy shrugged.
“All the town bucks spend a great deal of time ogling the
chits!”

He laughed in spite of himself,
“Incorrigible minx!”

“
Besides, he had such fine
shoulders…” She teased him in answer.

“
Bah, wadding,” retorted
Tarrant a bit irritated.

“
Yes, but he was dressed to
the nines…” she pronounced.

“
Dandy.”

“
Well, I thought him good
looking,” she replied.

He eyed her suspiciously, “And so the
Lady Taffeta collects her handsome beaux?” His voice was dry and
touched with irritation.

“
Now what does that
mean?”

“
Evidently you take it upon
yourself to give as good as you get. The town bucks preen and ogle,
and you feel entitled to the do the same. Town bucks collect
pretties, do you feel it your right to collect a list of
hearts?”

She suddenly went serious. “That is
not nice. Odd that you should take such a notion into your head. I
rather thought you were up to snuff.” The tease had returned to her
gray eyes. “You see my lord, I don’t ape cruel
behavior.”

Caught, he wouldn’t give it up. “You
wouldn’t lead a man on?”

“
Certainly not.”

“
Then what of Fenmore?” he
replied triumphantly. “I rather thought you were leading him an
excellent dance the other night.”