Beauty in Breeches Read Online Free PDF Page B

Lord Chadwick, what do you say? Will you accept my challenge?’
    â€˜I am a huntsman, Miss Fanshaw. I enjoy the chase.’
    â€˜Aye, and once the prey is caught, the sport is over. You should know better than to gamble against my good friend Julius at any game of skill,’ Lord Roderick Caruthers warned. Like everyone else he had been listening to the interesting altercation between these two.
    Beatrice looked at Lord Caruthers coolly. ‘Lord Chadwick and I are not acquainted, sir, so how couldI possibly know that? But I am sure that if he is as skilled as you say he is, then he will have no qualms about me taking him up on his challenge.’

Chapter Two
    J ulius smiled at her words. His smile was the same smile that caused Astrid to flush and tremble—but it would take more than a smile from Julius Chadwick to have the same effect on Beatrice.
    â€˜So, Miss Fanshaw, are you really serious about taking me up on my wager?’
    â€˜I would not have put myself forward if I wasn’t—unless you have an aversion to accepting a challenge from a woman, afraid of how it will look should I win.’
    â€˜Win?’ His lips curved in mockery. ‘Do you seriously think you can beat me?’
    â€˜I stand as good a chance as anyone else.’
    â€˜I see. Then the answer is, no, I do not have an aversion to a race between us.’
    Common sense told Julius not to encourage her, and yet, confronted by her challenge, he was intrigued and was unable to resist the temptation. He was compelledto take her on, merely to see how well she could ride. He stared at her profile as she turned her head slightly, tracing with his gaze the beautiful lines of her face, the curved brush of her lustrous dark eyelashes. Yes, Miss Fanshaw was quite extraordinarily lovely. She had an untamed quality running in dangerous undercurrents just below the surface and a wild freedom of spirit that found its counterpart in his own hot-blooded, temperamental nature.
    â€˜The place and the distance will be of your choosing and we shall meet at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.’ He turned to George. ‘Arrange it, will you, George? Who will you place your bets on?’
    George laughed. ‘Now there’s a challenge in itself. Were it anyone else, Julius, I would certainly back you, but be warned. My cousin has a special affinity with the equine species, preferring them to people. She would rather throw a saddle over a horse than attend a ball. She’ll do anything for a dare and is a demon on a horse. Her own is no dainty mare, but a brute of an animal—a gelding. On such an impressive mount she stands to win.’
    Beatrice threw Lord Chadwick a challenging look. ‘Perhaps Lord Chadwick considers it most improper for a young lady to ride a gelding.’
    An eyebrow jutted upwards. ‘Young lady? My dear Miss Fanshaw, you are the most controversial and exciting woman I have ever met in my life; I suspect that your vitality is such that you are a menace to everyone you meet. It does not surprise me in the least that you ride a gelding.’ A roguish grin tugged at his lips. ‘Ifyou told me you rode an elephant, I would believe you. As it is I shall take my chance.’
    The wager had attracted a good deal of attention and others began to place their bets.
    â€˜I’ll back you, Chadwick,’ someone shouted. ‘Fifty guineas you win.’
    Julius turned and grinned as interest in the race began to mount. ‘See what is happening, Miss Fanshaw. You have fallen among desperate gamblers.’
    â€˜I already knew that before I accepted your challenge,’ she uttered, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. He gave her a cold look, but chose not to comment on her provocative remark.
    â€˜Seventy-five guineas,’ another voice shouted.
    â€˜A hundred.’
    â€˜My diamond necklace,’ a lady from the back of the crowd piped up.
    And so it went on until the stakes