Tessa's Touch by Brenda Hiatt Read Free Book Online

have
there—Miss Seaton, is it?"
    She inclined her head— regally, Anthony
thought. "Yes. And thank you. Nimbus will be up for auction tonight,
should you be interested. My uncle will be handling the transaction." She
nodded toward Mr. Emery, who was only now joining the rest of the field.
    Anthony raised a brow, for this was the first
he'd known of the relationship. It explained much, he thought, recalling his
original opinion of the younger Mr. Emery as well as the elder.
    "Will he indeed?" Killer said
enthusiastically. "I've had an eye out for a new hunter, as it happens. I
believe I'll go have a word with your uncle now." He turned his horse in
that direction.
    "Don't do anything rash," Anthony
called after him, mindful of what the others had said about the bay. Killer was
a capital fellow, but not the best rider in the world.
    Turning back, he found Miss Seaton frowning at
him. "Do you mean to dissuade your friend from bidding on Nimbus?"
she asked.
    He shrugged, feeling slightly uncomfortable
under her curious brown gaze. "I've never been in favor of buying a horse
simply because it shows well at a single meet. I'll simply caution him to
examine Nimbus for himself before committing any large sum of money to his purchase."
He glanced at the others for support.
    Rush cleared his throat. "Thing is, Miss
Seaton, we happened to see this horse in your father's paddock last week. He
seemed a bit . . . ill-tempered at the time."
    "As I told them, though, we could have
simply caught him on a bad day," Stormy put in. "Most horses have
'em."
    "They do," she agreed with a smile
that Anthony thought looked a tiny bit strained. "Surely, none of you
gentlemen think you would have trouble managing a horse that a mere female like
myself can handle?"
    They all laughed, but Anthony couldn't help
feeling her line had a rehearsed sound to it. Before he could comment further,
however, the hounds gave tongue and the huntsman blew several sharp notes on
his horn, signaling the resumption of the hunt.
    Everyone wheeled their horses around and a
moment later they were off again, flying across the fallow field and into the
next. With the start the fox must now have, they were all but guaranteed a
long, excellent run for the rest of the day.

    * *
     *

    Skimming across the countryside on Nimbus
again, Tessa couldn't help feeling the hounds had found the scent in the nick
of time. She'd been able to tell from Lord Anthony's expression that he saw
right through her "mere female" ruse, and she feared he meant to call
her to account for it.
    Nor could she blame him, not really. Nimbus had
improved remarkably over the past few days, as she'd spent more time with him
in the company of other horses and people, but she was by no means confident
that he'd behave himself without any influence from her whatsoever. Still, what
choice did she have?
    Father's readiness, even eagerness, to allow
her to ride in the hunt, once Uncle Mercer convinced him, showed her how
desperately he needed to believe that the Seaton family still held a position
of importance in Leicestershire. To rebuild that position —or even a credible
illusion of that position —they needed funds well beyond the rents, which
seemed to cover fewer and fewer expenses every year.
    At the next check, she was careful to keep her
distance from Lord Anthony. She owed him no explanations, of course, but she
feared that if he pressed she might say more than she intended. There was
something about him that drew her, that tempted her to an openness that was
unfamiliar to her after so many years of keeping her own counsel.
    The third check was longer, as the fox had
crossed a stream before heading into a rockier area that apparently held little
scent for the hounds. While the hunstman and whippers-in sent the hounds here
and there, Uncle Mercer approached Tessa, where she sat a bit apart from the
others.
    "This was a clever scheme, if I say so
myself," he said. "Already three different gentlemen have