Page 41 of The Scandal You Started
There was a small but pretty garden on the left side of the house bordered by bushes of pink, white, and blue flowers and a wooden gate. Beyond the garden, gravel paths led off in differentdirections, heading towards the Griffins’ house, to the stables, and around to where a silver“car”was parked.
A car turned out to be an alien mode of transport that Dominic didn’t quite trust, but he was intrigued enough to poke around when Rayna said she’d be driving them to places in it. It wasn’t until she opened the so-called“bonnet,”though, and pointed out the different parts surrounding the“engine”that he became convinced she was as capable with the car as she claimed to be.
After that, they went past the Griffins’ house to the small river, the bright sun above making the clear water glisten invitingly. It seemed deep enough for a swim, though Rayna said he’d need“swimming trunks”first, as doing so naked wasn’t an option.
While they didn’t cross the wooden bridge that led to the other bank and the forest spread across it, from closer, the trees looked much bigger but had an enchanting beauty to them.
Eventually, they made their way into the paddock that housed the stables and inside the wooden structure.
Four stalls lined either side of the central aisle, dustings of hay scattered on the floor in front of some of them. The back of the space opened out and had a small workbench, with shovels and reins hanging from the wall. Dominic caught glimpses of shelves in the corner too.
Rayna introduced him to the horses—a mare called Petal, a white gelding by the name Cloud, and Captain, a brown three-year-old colt. The other mare and stallion, Beauty and Beast, weren’t, however, in their allocated stalls.
“Beast is my horse,” Rayna said, sashaying towards the back of the stables. “Well…not really, but kind of.”
“What do you mean?” he replied, scratching Cloud’s chin absently.
“The Griffins bought him when I was fifteen. He was about six then, maybe five, and George and I used to spend a lot of time here with Benedict—the Griffins’ youngest son—so Beast and Igot really attached to each other.” She disappeared around the side where the shelves were. “The Griffins have always looked after him, but I’ve been paying for some of his care and coming down to see him and ride him whenever I can. So, I don’t own him, but he’s still mine.”
Rustles of movement whispered through her explanation, but Dominic could still clearly hear the affection for the horse in her voice.
“Are you an accomplished rider?” he then asked as Cloud nuzzled his empty palm.
“I’d hope so. Uncle Declan has had me, George, and Benedict on horseback since we were five.”
His brows lifted in question as she appeared in the aisle with a carrot in one hand and her other fist closed around something he couldn’t quite make out. “Uncle Declan?”
“Oh. Yeah. I’ve known him since I was little, and he’s V’s cousin, so I’ve always called him uncle.”
Dominic nodded slowly as he searched her face. She was rather elusive about how this Victor was related to her, turning his jealousy into a determination to find out what she was hiding from him. But if she called Declan Griffin uncle, then was Victor also an uncle to her?
She sauntered past him with a beckoning call, oblivious to his need to know every detail about her. He patted Cloud one last time, then headed after her.
Beast turned out to be…well, a beast as his name would suggest.
The horse was grazing in the corner of the paddock beyond the stable building with Beauty, but even from a distance, Dominic could tell the animal was about seventeen hands high.
His calves were black as if he’d been stomping in a field of coal, just like his tamed mane and half-plaited tail. But his brushedfur faded into a grey that grew paler and paler, leaving his snout an almost snowy grey in colour.
Like a mountain.
Beast was built like a mountain and coloured like one too.
He wasn’t at all sleek like the racehorses Dominic bred and reared, but he wasn’t inferior either. In fact, Dominic was in awe of how large, magnificent, and powerful the creature was.
Standing by the fence, Rayna called out to her horse, and while Beauty, the pale brown mare, completely ignored her, Beast turned his head to look. She lifted onto her toes and waved her carrot-filled hand above her head. He circled around to face her, his snout lifting with either intrigue or ruthless judgement, but he stayed exactly where he was.
She slumped back down with a fluttering giggle. “Oh no. My baby’s upset with me.”
Dominic’s lips parted in disbelief. “Your‘baby’is by no means a baby, sweetheart. He’s a damned magnificent beast.”
“He is, isn’t he?”
He looked down to see her beaming proudly. It shot right through his heart, leaving behind a searing imprint that sizzled in akiss her, kiss her, kiss herrhythm.
“It does appear he doesn’t wish to come greet you, though,” he heard himself say thickly as he curled his hands around the fence to stop from hauling her into his arms.
“So it seems.” She turned her attention back to the horse. “You don’t happen to know how to whistle loudly, do you?”
