The Pursuit Of Marriage Read Free Page A

resolve soften, if only just a bit. “Now then, Leo, shall we talk about your life? Your own prospects for marriage? The business nature of your own endeavors?”
    “I shouldn’t call it business exactly,” he said uneasily. “It’s really more of a—”
    A shout sounded and all eyes turned toward the bend in the road and the sudden appearance of the riders: Christian on his favorite bay, Berkley on a sorrel-colored steed, both fine-looking animals. The rhythmic thud of well-shod hooves beating the ground and the growing cheers of the crowd swelled with their approach. The contestants were neck and neck, the men flattened so hard against their mounts that it was difficult to discern man from beast. The men looked as well matched as the horses. Christian was on the far side of the road, and even from here, Cassie could see the intensity of his effort in the line of his body and furrow of his brow.
    “Good Lord, he’s going to lose.” A sense of awe rang in Leo’s voice. Not at all surprising. To the best of Cassie’s recollection, Christian had never lost at anything.
    “Why do you say that? They appear even to me.”
    Leo narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “There is still a hundred yards or so remaining, and Christian is spent. I can see it from here. Whereas Berkley—”
    “Berkley does look more at ease, doesn’t he?”
    “I’m afraid so.”
    She studied the other man carefully. The difference between Berkley and Christian was apparent only under close scrutiny, but indeed his lordship did look a touch less strained, a tad more relaxed, as if the level of his endurance had yet to be reached whereas Christian’s had already been breached. Even as she watched, Berkley inched ahead.
    The men thundered across the finish line, Berkley a good half horse length in front of Christian. The crowd erupted in cheers and good-natured groans. Half the gathering surged down the rise to greet the victor and console the vanquished, and the other half wandered toward the linen-covered tables and the late-morning feast that had been laid out unnoticed.
    Cassie and Leo started toward the riders. Christian slipped off his horse, his expression a mix of chagrin, annoyance, and genial acceptance. For a man used to winning, he seemed to innately know how to lose with grace. Cassie pushed aside a touch of guilt at wagering against her brother and turned her attention toward the gentleman who had just helped increase her savings. Berkley still sat upon the sorrel amidst an air of confidence and congeniality. Someone handed him a tankard, and he downed its contents in one long drink, then laughed with the exhilaration of victory. And perhaps of life itself. It was a surprisingly contagious laugh, and she found herself smiling in response.
    “Berkley is unmarried,” Leo said idly. “And I understand he is not averse to marriage.”
    “From what I have heard of Berkley, he is no better than Lord Warren or you.” She shook her head firmly. “I have no desire to reform a rake, Leo.”
    There was no doubt in her mind that the man was indeed a rake. Not merely because of rumor and gossip, but more because of the way in which he carried himself, the assured manner in which he sat his horse, the very look in his eye.
    Berkley scanned the crowd, probably looking for one lady or another. He was handsome enough, and it was apparent from his bearing that he well knew it. He was obviously tall, with walnut-colored hair, charmingly disheveled, still too far away to discern the color of his eyes. His gaze skimmed past her, then returned and caught hers. His smile broadened, then deepened, in a disturbingly intimate manner, as if they shared something as yet unrecognized but quite personal nonetheless. It was at once rather intriguing and most disquieting and completely improper. She pointedly shifted her gaze. She had no intention of encouraging a man like Berkley.
    Of course, she wasn’t entirely certain what kind of man she should