Vexed by a Viscount

Vexed by a Viscount

An All's Fair in Love Novella

Erin Knightley

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

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Vexed by a Viscount

Copyright © 2015 by Erin Knightley

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.

Books by Erin Knightley

The SEALED WITH A KISS Series

More Than a Stranger

A Taste for Scandal

Flirting With Fortune

Miss Mistletoe (novella)

The PRELUDE TO A KISS Series

The Baron Next Door

The Earl I Adore

The Duke Can Go to the Devil

The Viscount Risks It All (January 2016)

The ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE Novella Series

Ruined by a Rake

Scandalized by a Scoundrel

Deceived by a Duke

Vexed by a Viscount

For the most recent list, please visit my website at
http://www.ErinKnightley.com
!

Dedication

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Epilogue

Excerpt: The Duke Can Go To the Devil

About the Author

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F
or Kirk, who is happy to share my every adventure with me. You will always be my first choice for everything, even if you do vex me from time to time ;)

A
s her toes sank into the slimy muck of the lake bottom, Prudence Landon was beginning to rethink the items on her list. Swimming naked in the lake was supposed to be freeing, exhilarating, and deliciously naughty. Instead, it was cold, dirty, and more than a little disgusting.

Making a face, she paddled backwards, attempting to swim out to deeper water where her feet wouldn’t touch the bottom. The farther she swam, the more she imagined some unknown lake creature darting out from its underwater lair and nipping her in the backside. The very thought made her swish her arms around wildly, attempting to discourage any such animal from getting any ideas.

Speaking of ideas, this was a bad one. A
very
bad one. Her only swimming experience in the past had been during her trips to see her aunt in Brighton, where the sea bottom was composed of coarse, firmly packed sand—completely devoid of slime—and the water was clear enough to vaguely see one’s toes.

Still, as much as she wanted to abandon her swim and escape to shore, this was her pre-marriage, last-chance-to-live checklist, and by Jove she was going to do it right. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the horses were galloping...wait, what?

She froze, nearly going under in the process before remembering to tread water, as she listened over the sudden hammering of her own pulse. That was definitely the sound of hooves pounding the earth in the near distance.

Drat it all! Here she was, naked as the day she was born, her clothes an impossible distance away on shore, trying to do something brave and daring for once in her life and
this
was what happened?

She stayed as low as she could in the water, paddling all four limbs with tiny movements in an effort to keep herself as still as humanly possible without drowning in the murky, creature-filled depths.

A man on horseback appeared through the trees. The horse was moving faster than at a canter, but not quite at a gallop. It was impossible to know his identity—or even his age or hair color—as he streaked through the trees. Her heart thundered away, making it hard to draw a proper breath as she watched him pass within yards of the shore. By some miracle, he didn’t turn his head the required angle that would allow him to see her pale pink gown draped neatly over the fallen log by the water.

Keep going, keep going.
The words ran through her mind like a prayer as she willed him to somehow miss the stark-naked blonde trespassing in her neighbor’s most remote lake. Oh heavens, why had she taken the chance? Why had she thought she could break the rules and get away with it?

Yes, she had it on the very best authority that Lord and Lady Malcolm were at a house party a hundred miles from here. And yes, she
knew
they wouldn’t be back until just before the wedding, a good fortnight away, but she should have known that the very first time in her life she did anything wrong she would be caught.

Her mother was going to kill her.

No, she wouldn’t be that lucky. Mama would simply lock her away until her wedding day, so that she couldn’t get into any more trouble on her mother’s watch. The very thought made Prudence’s throat squeeze. She
needed
these next few weeks of freedom. They were the last she would ever have once she was married off to Squire Jeffries.

Just as she was starting to panic, just when she was sure that she would find herself embroiled in the sort of scandal she had steadfastly avoided for the whole of her twenty years on this planet, the horse and rider passed right by, never slowing in pace nor veering from course.

Relief flooded through her entire body, instantly heating her chilled limbs. Blowing out a quick breath, she started for shore.

And that was when something cold, slimy, and very much alive brushed her backside.

***

W
illiam, Viscount Ashby, hauled back on the reins, bringing his mount to a jarring stop.
What the devil...
? The horse pranced as he looked around for the source of what he was absolutely certain had been a scream.

A
woman’s
scream.

The trees around him blocked any real visibility, so he wheeled around and urged his horse back toward the clearing beside the lake that they had just passed. His blood thrummed through his veins as he scanned the passing scenery. No one should be out here, but he was certain of what he had heard. His father and stepmother were up north for a few more weeks at least, and this time of year none of the servants would venture out to this part of the property, which was reserved for hunting in the fall.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of pale fabric against the green grass. When he glanced fully at it, his eyes widened. A woman’s dress was laid out as neatly as if it had been draped upon a lady’s bed. White unmentionables were folded beside it, and a pair of dainty half-boots completed the ensemble.

With dawning incredulity, he swung his gaze out over the lake, searching for the woman who belonged to the discarded clothes. Much to his disappointment, nothing but wind-rippled water stretched before him. A wry grin tugged his lips despite the letdown. He had come out here for a bit of solitude, but he would have happily made an exception for a nude female.

After glancing around to be sure this wasn’t some sort of elaborate trap, he vaulted down from his mount and moved toward the gown. It was no maid’s dress, of that he was sure. It was clear, even to a man of his limited fashion sense, that both the cut and fabric were of exceptional quality.

So where had it come from? And why was it here?

Just as he reached out to pick up one of the shoes, a subtle splash and a quick indrawn breath made him jerk upright and swing around to face the water. Much to his astonishment, a flaxen-haired woman rose from the depths, her neck and shoulders bare, her skin glistening enticingly in the afternoon sunlight. He
had
to be dreaming. Or imagining things. Or losing his bloody mind.

But then something clicked into place in his shock-dampened brain, and he realized this was no mirage. He knew this woman, and he would have never, not in a hundred years, imagined her doing such a thing.

“Miss
Landon
?” he said, blinking several times just to be sure.

His eyes did not deceive him. It was indeed shy, timid Miss Landon, the neighbor he had known almost his entire life but to whom he had barely spoken three complete sentences. The same woman who had always been hidden behind acres of ruffled lace and flounces, with necklines up to her chin and bonnets the size of dinner plates shading her pleasant but rather unremarkable features.

Her whole face flamed a deep red as she reluctantly met his gaze. “Lord Ashby,” she returned with a dignified nod, clearly trying to maintain her composure.

Good girl
, Ash thought, more than a little surprised. Any other woman would probably be screaming her head off by then. “Is anything amiss? Should I be worried that bees are about to swarm me, perhaps? Or that a rabid badger is on the loose?”

She sank a little farther into the water. It lapped at her chin as she shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of, my lord.”

The evenness of her voice was to be commended, especially when juxtaposed with the abject panic in her vivid blue eyes. Her mother must have spent every minute of the last decade training her to behave like a lady. As soon as the thought entered his mind, he realized the absurdity of it. After all, the girl was trespassing while naked on her neighbor’s property.

That thought brought him straight back to the present. More precisely, it brought his attention back to the lovely expanse of pale skin just above the water’s surface, in full view of any lucky bastard who just happened to be riding by.

Honestly, he never would have thought sweet, prim Miss Landon had it in her.

“I see,” he said, stifling the urge to laugh. “In that case, I suppose I shall leave you to your swim. Do enjoy your day, Miss Landon.”

As much as he wanted to stay and find out exactly what she was doing—and perhaps glimpse more than just the tops of her shoulders—his sense of self-preservation was far too keen to allow him to do so. He had been betrothed since he was seven and Tabitha a mere infant, but that didn’t mean that someone couldn’t find a way to force him into marriage, given a bad enough situation. A situation, for example, like being caught cavorting with a naked young woman of otherwise impeccable character.

She dipped her head. “Thank you, my lord. I’m sure I will.”

Lord, but she was a treat. Tipping his hat in farewell, he headed back to his horse, chuckling to himself the whole way. He mounted up, stole one last look, and set off toward the northwestern corner of the property. With any luck, that particular section would be without any unexpected visitors.

More’s the pity.

I
f it hadn’t been for the knowledge that unknown sea creatures were circling her like underwater vultures—at least they were in her now over-active imagination—Prudence might have died of mortification right then and there.

As it was, she scampered onto shore the very moment Lord Ashby and his horse disappeared from sight and sound. Mud squished between her toes as she hurried toward her clothes, all the while dripping wet and covered in goose flesh. Using her chemise for a towel, she hurriedly dried off before yanking her gown on.

This was a disaster. An utter, total, and complete disaster. What if he told someone? What if he laughed about it with his friends at the pub, and the whole village learned of her stupid little rebellion?

Never mind her mother’s reaction; her
father
was going to kill her. She’d never done anything to garner his notice, good or bad, but she’d bet her eyeteeth that this would get his attention.

Closing her eyes, she drew in a shaky breath. She needed to talk to the viscount. Immediately—
before
he could talk to anyone else. She sat on the log and brushed at the mud on her toes before cramming her feet in her half-boots. She’d told her mother she was simply going for a long walk to reflect on her upcoming wedding, so she didn’t have enough time now to walk all the way to Malcolm Manor, but oh, how she wished she could. Her only option was to go home, then find a way to sneak next door sometime tonight. One more adventure to add to her
Things To Do Before Life As I Know It Is Over
list.