In the Garden of Temptation (7 page)

“
I think it will be
enjoyable, my lord.” The expression on her face did not mirror her
words.

Adam, concerned with his own burgeoning
desires, knew it was unwise for them to spend an entire afternoon
alone in each other’s company. But what could happen, really?
Nothing, unless he assumed she was struggling with the same
attraction he was. There was no reason he should assume that was
so. And yet, something in her eyes led him to believe she was not
entirely indifferent to him.

“
Right then, shall we
go?”

He placed his hands around her trim waist,
and with a swift burst of energy, lifted Catherine into her saddle.
He was aware of the firm flesh under the thin cotton of her dress,
and he removed his hands quickly lest she take offense. Her gaze
averted, she briskly set her skirts to right.

No corset, he mused.

The earl mounted his own horse and, grasping
the reins, turned the animal in order to bring himself abreast of
his companion. In doing so, he caught sight of the young servant
who had brought him the basket.

“
And you, my good lad, I’ll
settle with you later. Off with you now.”

Adam watched as a smile as wide as his old
nanny’s backside transformed the youth’s face into an expression of
eager delight.

“
Aye, milord!” the boy
shouted as he scampered back to the house.

“
You’ve made a friend in our
Billy, my lord.”

Adam turned to Catherine. “It’s not I. Money
has that effect on even those of us who do not need it.”

She gave him a curious look. “He doesn’t
usually take to strangers, moneyed or otherwise.”

“
I believe the same could be
said of most of the people on your husband’s estate,” he said
dryly.

“
I hope you don’t count me
in that category, my lord. I’d like to think we are friends…or at
the very least, friendly acquaintances.”

The earl sent her a grin so like the one he
had elicited from young Billy, he saw her eyes widen in surprise.
“Ah, Lady Bourgeault, you know how to touch a man’s heart.” He
bowed to her from his saddle. “Lead on, madam. I find I am suddenly
impatient to discover whatever adventure this day might hold.”

*****

They could not have chosen a more beautiful
afternoon to make an excursion into the countryside. The air was
warm and redolent with the fragrance of wild lilacs, and puffy
clouds nestled in the sky like rich mounds of clotted cream. The
occasional butterfly lit on a beckoning blossom completing an
atmosphere of such languid tranquility, Adam felt no urgency beyond
riding in silence with his beautiful companion.

Anyway, there was little to see of
domesticated property, only mile upon mile of wild, untamed
acreage. And that the baron had in abundance. Those infrequent
individuals they did meet appeared to hold the baroness in some
affection, but no one inquired after her husband. Adam would have
thought that an oddity if he were not already acquainted with the
man.

“
Doesn’t Lord Bourgeault
require his tenants to farm the land they are allocated?” he asked
at last.

“
As far as I know, Edgar has
set no conditions on his property, except that he receives an ample
portion of the wild game that is hunted. Two or three families do
most of the cultivating. They share their produce with the other
tenants and are rewarded with a generous allotment of whatever the
hunters can provide. Actually, it’s a barter system that works
quite well.” She shrugged. “My husband can’t be bothered with
something as simple as the well-being of his tenants. Still, as
long as they don’t provoke him, he is tolerant.”

“
Yes, but with the baron’s
straitened financial situation, it would make sense for him to take
advantage of the income that could be realized if he developed his
land. Can’t imagine him not wanting to benefit from such a
resource.”

“
Edgar has, for whatever
purpose, decided to foster the impression that he is near ruin,”
Catherine said with an ironical twist to her lips. “That is untrue.
In fact, his fortune might rival your own.”

“
Are you telling me he
doesn’t need to sell his grays?” He barked the words.

“
I suppose that’s what I’m
telling you.”

He gave her a piercing look. “Does he want to
sell them?”

Catherine stared back at him, her silence
more telling than if she had spoken.

“
By damned!” Adam leaned
forward on his horse and grasped the pommel of her saddle, bringing
her mount closer to him, which brought her closer as well. “Then
why did he invite me out here?”

She drew in a shaky breath and, shifting her
gray eyes from his, whispered in an uncertain voice, “I don’t
know.” At his look of incredulity, she began again. “I swear I
don’t know. Edgar doesn’t share his innermost thoughts with me. He
only tells me what he wants, and I try not to disappoint him.”

“
All right then, would you
like to divulge the baron’s instructions regarding me? I would be
most interested.”

“
He told me to be pleasant
to you.”

Adam straightened in his saddle and surveyed
her, bewildered. “Was that perceived as a problem?”

“
You must forgive me for any
reluctance I felt, my lord. If you had seen some of the ‘gentlemen’
my husband has introduced to me, you might understand my
misgivings.” She paused then sent him a captivating smile. “I
hadn’t met you yet, you see.”

Adam was no match against such powerful
persuasion. He had not been exposed to the full force of her
enchanting personality before, and he sat stunned as the beguiling
warmth of her smile washed over him like the euphoria of an opiate.
The end result was a slack-jawed grin that he feared left him
looking like an idiot. If somewhere in the back of his mind he
wondered if she were just being “pleasant” to him, he chose to
ignore it.

“
You are a witch, casting
spells. You know that, don’t you?” His words were laced with
self-mockery, for he realized his growing weakness where this woman
was concerned.

Lady Bourgeault wrinkled her brow. “I don’t
know what you mean, sir. A witch is an old crone with a crooked
nose and a hairy wart on the end of her chin.” She glanced at him
through her lashes as she continued. “I hope I present better than
that.”

The earl threw his head back and gave vent to
a bark of laughter that echoed through the trees above. “And so you
do, sweet lady, and so you do.”

The sun had reached its apex and had begun to
descend and, as if to illustrate the point, Catherine’s stomach
gave a timid mewl of protest. He watched her cheeks grow pink as
she hastened to explain.

“
Pardon me. The toast I ate
this morning is no longer with me. Perhaps we could begin our
picnic soon?” She smiled wryly. “Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll have
to suffer similar episodes of unladylike behavior.”

How refreshing she is, Adam thought. If that
talking stomach had happened to a London miss, he would have been
subjected to mortified hand wringing. He liked the baroness, he
decided suddenly. He didn’t understand what game her husband was
playing, but he couldn’t bring himself to paint her with the same
brush.

“
Let me see,” he said,
“should we toss our blanket on the ground right here, or do you
have a better place in mind? I understand the correct milieu aids
in the digestion. And considering the rumblings coming from your
midsection, good digestion would be in order.” Adam winked at
her.

“
It’s only hunger, my lord.
That can be satisfied anywhere. But now you mention it, I can think
of one place…” She trailed off, clearly hesitant.

“
Yes?”

Catherine straightened her shoulders. “I know
just the spot to enjoy our meal.” Giving him a winsome smile, she
kicked her mount into a gallop. “Follow me!”

At that moment Adam would gladly have
followed the lady into the depths of Hell without a backward
glance. He spurred his own horse into action and shot across a
narrow ditch in hot pursuit.

He could have overtaken her but chose instead
to lag several yards behind, enjoying the intoxicating view of a
beautiful woman who, as it happened, was also a splendid rider. Her
hat had slipped from her head, loosening a mass of sun-brightened
curls. She glanced back again and laughed, the tinkling sound
dancing on the soft breeze.

Adam groaned inwardly.

They charged their horses up a small incline,
and a stand of trees appeared on the horizon as they reached the
top of the slope. She looked at him mischievously and without
speaking dashed down the hill toward the dense grove. The earl
raced after her, feeling like a helpless mortal lured by a wood
nymph into the magic of the forest beyond.

*****

Catherine didn’t know if she wanted to tell
Lord Ashworth about her retreat. She had come upon it not long
after her marriage to Edgar, and it had offered her the only peace
she was to know for a long time. It was dangerous to share the only
thing that belonged to one. Yet the thought of spending an
afternoon with the earl in her most treasured place, sharing a
leisurely meal, beckoned her. She glanced shyly over her shoulder
to see if he still followed.

Lord Ashworth trailed only a
few yards behind her, and he grinned when their eyes met. He had a
lazy, sensual smile and, when he looked at her like that, she felt
an odd breathless catch in her throat. She wondered how it would
feel if he were to place those warm lips to hers instead of the
back of her hand.
Oh dear!
There went that catch again.

The earl was handsome and she feared her
taste in men might be superficial. Not the noblest of thoughts but
she was unable to control the attraction she felt for him. What did
it matter? His company energized and aroused her. Whether right or
wrong, it had become a matter of indifference to her. Had she been
able to tap into a source of loyalty for her husband, her attitude
would have been different. As it was, she ceased to care.

Catherine made a decision then. She would
enjoy whatever today would bring and let tomorrow take care of
itself. She had little enough pleasure in life, so why must she
feel guilty for wanting to enjoy herself? Her retreat would be
ideal and, with that in mind, she threw caution to the wind.

Within moments they entered a clearing.
Catherine dismounted without waiting for the earl’s assistance and
swung her arms wide as she turned in a circle about the shaded
copse.

“
What do you think?” she
asked.

Water bubbled its way in easy contentment
along the bank of a small, rock-studded stream, sunlight sifting
down through the towering limbs overhead. The smell of clover
scented the air.

The earl, still astride, cast his gaze slowly
around the tiny glen as he studied the scenery. He then turned his
attention to Catherine but did not speak. A suggestive grin broke
the calm of his expression as he continued to watch her.

“
More beautiful than I could
have imagined,” he murmured.

Simple statement that, but it held a wealth
of meaning. Catherine dropped her arms while staring back in
fascination. Her mouth fell open and her breathing quickened. The
air vibrated with unspoken words as they shared a moment of
absolute understanding. The specter of desire had been brought into
the open and was acknowledged.

With a monumental burst of willpower, she
broke the eye contact and with it the mood. Her hands trembled as
she smoothed the wind-blown hair from her face. Unnerved, she
avoided speaking lest her unsteady voice give her away. Yet if the
earl thought it was he she feared, he was wrong. Catherine did not
trust herself. Temptation had made a grand entrance into her cozy
wild garden, and she didn’t know if she had the strength to
resist.

Lord Ashworth apparently took pity on her
then. He was businesslike as he climbed down from his horse and
brought the wicker basket to the middle of the clearing.

Catherine was relieved when his conduct
turned impersonal. One thing to tell the devil to take the hindmost
and quite another to follow through with it.

They conversed little as they spread their
blanket on the spongy ground and emptied the contents of the
basket. They avoided looking at one another for fear of bringing
highly charged emotions to the fore. But where their hands chanced
to touch as they arranged their meal on the woolen spread, there
was profound awareness.

Catherine stared in amazement at the
well-prepared food, and her stomach gave another growl of
discontent. It was a veritable feast, with cold roast chicken,
glazed ham and three varieties of cheese. Peaches, tinged with
pink, rounded out the repast.

“
I didn’t know Cook could
provide such a meal,” she said.

Adam looked at her curiously. “The baron
doesn’t demand excellence from his cook?”

“
Not usually. But since
you’ve arrived, I’ve been surprised by what has come out of that
kitchen. Either my husband has put his foot down, or Cook has seen
how handsome you are.” She spoke without thinking, and she glanced
at him quickly, embarrassed by her boldness.

He searched her expression for a moment
before that wonderful, ready grin appeared that made her nerves
tingle with excitement. “Whatever the reason,” he spoke gently,
“I’m grateful for what we are about to receive. Shall we?”

This last did much to ease the tension as far
as Catherine was concerned. She tucked her legs under her skirt and
reached for a leg of chicken. Taking a bite, she nearly smacked her
lips in appreciation. She was too hungry to be dainty, and for some
reason she could not explain it seemed unnecessary. The atmosphere
between them had become casual and uninhibited, and she was elated
by the sudden lack of restraint. She smiled hugely and took another
bite.