Page 45 of My Hellion, My Heart
Irina inhaled deeply. When he’d spoken of that young girl, she’d seen a side to him she had never imagined. The raw ache in his voice had been unbearable. A man who felt nothing would not have spoken as he had…would not have felt regret or sadness as keenly as he did. She adjusted her earlier statement. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in love, he simply guarded against it. Henry had blocked himself from all feeling, and from any of the vulnerability it could bring. She understood it because she had done the same over the past five years, holding everyone at arm’s length.
Except with Henry, it seemed.
“Sixpence for your thoughts?” Max asked from where he sat beside her in Stanton Park’s exquisitely landscaped rose garden. After her bath, she’d felt too restless to be cooped up inside and had suggested a stroll with Max. The children had all gone on a jaunt to the village with their father, leaving Lana to rest. “You seem quite preoccupied.”
“I am exhausted.”
“No surprise there. Riding several hours on horseback is apt to do that. And on the heels of such heroic actions, too. You really shouldn’t be so gallant next time,” he quipped with a mocking smile. “Everyone was talking about your daring rescue of Lord Langlevit’s runaway horse.” He eyed her, arching an eyebrow. “Though you never did quite tell me the whole story.”
Irina shrugged and kept her face blank. “There’s nothing to tell. I managed to stop his horse. That is all.”
“It’s surprising that Langlevit would lose such control,” he said.
“The stallion was young and untried. It could have happened to anyone.”
“True.” Max shot her a sidelong glance as if he could see right through her lies. He usually did. She smiled brightly at him. “However, you took quite a long time to return,” he added. His insouciance irritated her more than the question.
“What is the problem?” she asked, her smile whittling to a glare. “It seems that you are insinuating that something untoward happened between the earl and me.”
“Did it?”
“No!” She sighed. “It took some time to find and calm the horse, that is all.”
He reached out an arm to her. “Don’t be upset with me, I’m just worried about you where he’s concerned. I don’t like the way he looks at you, the way he’s always watching you, especially when he should be concerned with his own fiancée.”
“Max!”
“Well, it’s true,” he said. “When you started the archery contest, Langlevit couldn’t take his eyes off you. No wonder he lost control of his horse if his attention was attached elsewhere.”
Irina pursed her lips, ignoring the quiet rush of delight his words ignited, and rolled her eyes at her friend. “I certainly didn’t take you for the jealous type,” she said dryly.
“I’m not.”
“Then what is this truly about?”
“I think he’s dangerous,” Max began. “Françoise—”
She poked him and feigned a shocked look. “You’re on a first name basis with Lady La Valse? That’s a new development.” Irina shook her head. “You must take every confidence she shares with a grain of salt. Lord Langlevit hasn’t been seen with her for weeks. He’s no longer interested in her charms, it seems, and so it’s no secret that she’s upset. After all, hell hath no fury…”
Max’s gaze hinged to hers. “Like a woman scorned?”
“Exactly.”
“You sound strangely pleased.”
“I’m simply stating the truth.” Irina stood, irritated with the turn of the conversation. She couldn’t give one whit about the Earl of Langlevit’s bedtime partners, though the thought of the voluptuous Lady La Valse in a fit of rejected pique did give her some satisfaction. “If you’re going to be a squawking mother hen all day, I’d rather spend time in Breckenham with the children.”
“No, no, stay,” Max said. “I promise to behave. It’s dreadfully dull here without your company, and I fear I’ll go mad if you leave me to my own devices.”
Irina laughed at his theatrical expression and waved her arm. “How could you find any of this dull? No smog, no smoke, just blue skies and nature’s own beauty.” Irina raised her arms to the sky and twirled. “Smell that clean country air. It’s a gift.”
“I’d much prefer a new pair of shoes,” Max grumbled. “There’s far too much mud in nature if you ask me.”
“Come now, poppet, it’s not all that bad.”
Scowling at her veiled sarcasm, he chucked the head of a rose at her. “I think I will see myself in for a rest, after all. Do we have anything diverting planned for later?” he asked hopefully. “Croquet? Shuttlecock? You know I love anything with that word in it.”
Irina squealed, covering her ears and glancing around. If anyone heard, they would be appalled. “You are shameless.”
