sat the horse with innate skill and ease, his hands light on the reins. There was something about the contained strength and elegance of him that made her insides quiver unexpectedly. Her hands quivered too. Her fingers slipped against the rough bark and she made a convulsive grasp for the branch, scoring her fingers. The leaves rustled. The gentleman looked up and directly at her.
Now that she could see him properly Cassie was obliged to admit that he was rather handsome. She had not been able to gather much reliable intelligence about Viscount Quinlan, but the meagre reports suggested that he was at least thirty if he was a day, dissolute and prone to wearing vests, although Cassie thought that these two must surely be mutually exclusive, for what woman in her right mind would wish to be seduced by a man in a vest? This gentleman logically could not be the Viscount, for he was far too young and good-looking to be a degenerate.
She looked at him thoughtfully. He had slanting, watchful eyes, but there was a hint of humour in the hard lines of his face, as though he smiled often. He wasnot smiling now, however. His gaze was narrowed on her with acute assessment. Cassie found it so disconcerting to be the focus of his interest that her throat dried and a ripple of heat washed right through her, despite the inclement weather.
Abruptly she remembered why she was there and decided that she could not take the risk on this not being Viscount Quinlan. She brandished the banner. ‘Truth and Liberty!’ The words came out as a croak rather than the radical rallying cry she had intended. She was not even sure that the gentleman had heard her. He was looking at the banner now with his head tilted to one side.
‘Bead to feed the hungry?’ he queried.
Cassie glanced at the wilting banner and rubbed the rain out of her eyes. ‘Bread!’ she said crossly. ‘ Bread to feed the hungry!’
‘Ah.’ The gentleman nodded. ‘That makes more sense. I confess I was a little puzzled by the missing letter.’
Cassie frowned. She was feeling quite confused herself. It did not seem right that this gentleman should be calmly sitting discussing spelling with her when she had intended to frighten him with her outrageous radical politics. She had been told for so long that radical politics were outrageous that it had never occurred to her that not everyone would react in the same way. She tried again.
‘Justice to punish crimes!’ she shouted.
The gentleman smiled. His eyes held a wicked glint now and Cassie gulped to see it. He seemed in no way discomposed by her behaviour. In fact, he seemed positively fascinated by her. There was a very particular light in his eyes as they rested on her and it made her stomach patter and her toes curl just to see it.
‘A very laudable sentiment,’ the gentleman approved. ‘I am entirely in favour of justice to punish crimes.’
‘Are you Viscount Quinlan?’ Cassie demanded, abandoning her limited attempts at finesse and getting straight to the point.
‘Are you going to come down from that tree?’ the gentleman countered, the glint in his blue eyes now looking remarkably like a challenge.
Cassie trembled slightly. She had the oddest feeling that were she to climb down she would end fair and square in his arms and that somehow, that was the appropriate place to be. She looked at him for a long, loaded moment.
So this is the one…
A shiver of sensual awareness crept along her skin, turning her hot and cold at the same time and scattering her senses to all points of the compass. She was too flustered to move or even speak.
‘Well?’ the gentleman prompted, his smile deepening.
Cassie trembled again. The banner flapped in a sudden gust of wind. The tree creaked, its branches shifting, and Cassie’s hand slipped against the trunk. She made a grab for something firm to hang on to, but her fingers raked the air. She tumbled down on to the track, the banner wrapped wetly about her in a flurry
Now that she could see him properly Cassie was obliged to admit that he was rather handsome. She had not been able to gather much reliable intelligence about Viscount Quinlan, but the meagre reports suggested that he was at least thirty if he was a day, dissolute and prone to wearing vests, although Cassie thought that these two must surely be mutually exclusive, for what woman in her right mind would wish to be seduced by a man in a vest? This gentleman logically could not be the Viscount, for he was far too young and good-looking to be a degenerate.
She looked at him thoughtfully. He had slanting, watchful eyes, but there was a hint of humour in the hard lines of his face, as though he smiled often. He wasnot smiling now, however. His gaze was narrowed on her with acute assessment. Cassie found it so disconcerting to be the focus of his interest that her throat dried and a ripple of heat washed right through her, despite the inclement weather.
Abruptly she remembered why she was there and decided that she could not take the risk on this not being Viscount Quinlan. She brandished the banner. ‘Truth and Liberty!’ The words came out as a croak rather than the radical rallying cry she had intended. She was not even sure that the gentleman had heard her. He was looking at the banner now with his head tilted to one side.
‘Bead to feed the hungry?’ he queried.
Cassie glanced at the wilting banner and rubbed the rain out of her eyes. ‘Bread!’ she said crossly. ‘ Bread to feed the hungry!’
‘Ah.’ The gentleman nodded. ‘That makes more sense. I confess I was a little puzzled by the missing letter.’
Cassie frowned. She was feeling quite confused herself. It did not seem right that this gentleman should be calmly sitting discussing spelling with her when she had intended to frighten him with her outrageous radical politics. She had been told for so long that radical politics were outrageous that it had never occurred to her that not everyone would react in the same way. She tried again.
‘Justice to punish crimes!’ she shouted.
The gentleman smiled. His eyes held a wicked glint now and Cassie gulped to see it. He seemed in no way discomposed by her behaviour. In fact, he seemed positively fascinated by her. There was a very particular light in his eyes as they rested on her and it made her stomach patter and her toes curl just to see it.
‘A very laudable sentiment,’ the gentleman approved. ‘I am entirely in favour of justice to punish crimes.’
‘Are you Viscount Quinlan?’ Cassie demanded, abandoning her limited attempts at finesse and getting straight to the point.
‘Are you going to come down from that tree?’ the gentleman countered, the glint in his blue eyes now looking remarkably like a challenge.
Cassie trembled slightly. She had the oddest feeling that were she to climb down she would end fair and square in his arms and that somehow, that was the appropriate place to be. She looked at him for a long, loaded moment.
So this is the one…
A shiver of sensual awareness crept along her skin, turning her hot and cold at the same time and scattering her senses to all points of the compass. She was too flustered to move or even speak.
‘Well?’ the gentleman prompted, his smile deepening.
Cassie trembled again. The banner flapped in a sudden gust of wind. The tree creaked, its branches shifting, and Cassie’s hand slipped against the trunk. She made a grab for something firm to hang on to, but her fingers raked the air. She tumbled down on to the track, the banner wrapped wetly about her in a flurry
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