The Taming of Lady Honoria Read Online Free PDF

I
particularly enjoy the suggestion of testes under her left
foot."
    "My word! Those are testicles. You
have a sharp eye, Lady Charlotte."
    Danton's laugh stirred the hair at Honoria's
nape. The minute her mother's voice faded at the end of the
corridor she turned and glared at the blank spot where she imagined
his face to be.
    "I sincerely hope I never see you again."
    Danton turned her to face him. "Back here,
love." He brushed a kiss on her nose and laughed softly. "It's been
suggested I can see in the dark." He pulled her bodice up and
pushed her out into the corridor. "Run, little rabbit. The wolf is
gaining on you."
    This time he didn't bother to constrain his
mirth. He followed her down the long hall, pinched her on the
bottom and sauntered off in the opposite direction.
    ****
    Honoria galloped after the distant horses.
Placid as Cleo was, she had a gallop like a bag of rolling rocks,
which worked for Honoria because she had a seat like a sack of
flour. Just short of a hedgerow, Cleo stopped and sidled sideways,
snuffling nervously.
    Honoria wasn't a good rider. Her skills
didn't include sitting on a rebellious horse.
    "Don't worry." She leaned forward and made
the little nickering sound one of the grooms had taught her. "We
can walk around it."
    Cleo rolled her eyes back, kicking wildly.
Honoria fell forward, hands around the pommel. Her heart thundered
and didn't stop even when Johnny ran up to grab the dangling
reins.
    "Lady Honoria?" he shouted, over Cleo's
panicked whuffles.
    He had volunteered for the position of whip,
and the bright scarlet coat set off his fair hair and boyish face.
Honoria couldn't look down into his eyes without remembering his
lips locked around Robbie's cock.
    She turned away, uncomfortably aroused.
"Johnny?"
    "The Earl your father has asked that you
retire from the field."
    Her father glared at her from his position at
the front of the pack. His seat was perfect, and the set, angry
look to his mouth made it obvious she had embarrassed him yet
again. In the family, she was the only one who couldn't ride. The
others were all excellent horsemen.
    "Cleo isn't well," she told the stable
lad.
    "The Earl said I wasn't to bring back an
argument, m'lady."
    The brooding sky chose that instant to spit
on her. Honoria's face felt so hot, it was a wonder the rain didn't
sizzle from her reddened cheeks. She took the reins back and stared
down at her white-knuckled grip, miserably aware of the riders
gathered beside her father's big, blocky form.
    "Please tell my father—"
    "The Earl, your father, says I was also to
tell you he'd have a tray sent up." Johnny looked as unhappy as
Honoria felt, and to her horror she felt tears prickle at the back
of her eyes.
    "Thank you," she said bleakly.
    "Go, m'lady—afore he looks this way.
Please . "
    "Perhaps you'd better listen," said a thin,
spiteful voice.
    Honoria glanced to the left where her younger
sister sat on a horse so perfectly behaved it looked like a statue.
Despite an excess of nose and narrow little eyes, Eugenie cut a
dashing figure in her scarlet riding habit.
    "You embarrass all of us," she said. "You
might be passably pretty, but you can't even control your hack, and
your seat—! Why don't you just go away?"
    Honoria opened her mouth to tell Eugenie
where to put her interfering and huge nose, but the faces turned
her way were hard and condemning. Was it really the end of the
world if she couldn't control her horse? She didn't even like hunting.
    Honoria swallowed back her retort and stared
down at the space between Cleo's ears. "I'm not leaving because you
told me to go; I'm leaving because I don't want to be here
anymore."
    Eugenie wheeled her horse around. "Think what
you wish."
    Without the hunting party the little lane
felt very isolated. Rain hit the back of Honoria's head and dripped
into her collar. Cleo danced back and shuddered, dumping Honoria in
the mud.
    "Eugenie!" she called.
    From where she sat, Honoria saw her sister
jump the