A Lady unlike any other (four hoydens #1)

Chapter 9

Theo was sitting in his dimly lit study with Gavin.

He swirled the whiskey in his glass, watching it with concentration...trying to get a certain woman out of his head.

He couldn't get the image of her laughing face out of his mind. Her face tipped up, eyes scrunched close and her rosy lips parted. Everything in him had clenched when he'd seen her that way.

"You've got it bad, eh?" Gavin chuckled, pulling Theo out of his reverie.

"She wants to be friends with me," Theo said in a low voice, not looking up from his whiskey.

"Some friend you're going to be," Gavin laughed, clearly amused.

"It's probably for the best. I can't have her anyway. She's a Lady. And Ralph's sister," he muttered.

"You can always marry her," Gavin grinned.

"Balls I can."

"It can't be so bad."

"Marriage isn't for me."

"We'll see, my friend. We'll see," Gavin smirked, annoying Theo more.

"You know, I met her friends too," Theo murmured.

"Oh?" Gavin asked, suddenly interested, just like Theo had guessed.

"There was Lady Alice, Lady Sarah and Lady Vanessa..." he said, appearing to be deep in thought.

"Cut out the bullshit and tell me the dazzling black haired beauty's name," Gavin growled.

Theo just chuckled.

"I believe you're talking about Lady Vanessa, although all of them are quite dazzlingly beautiful," he said, putting Gavin out of his misery.

"Vanessa, you say?" Gavin smirked, his eyes gleaming.

The next morning.

Rosalyn was riding King again. Along the same path.

She only grinned when she heard the hoof beats this time, not intimidated in the least.

She turned right again. And this time, King jumped gracefully over the branch.

As she turned, making a half circle, Lord Fortescue followed suit.

"I must say, I'm quite impressed, My Lady," he said by way of greeting.

Rosalyn made a theatrical bow, looking ridiculous bowing while she sat on her horse.

"Thank you, My Lord."

"I'm surprised to see you. Why didn't you come all these days?"

"Let's just say that I was afraid of some unsavoury characters that lurk around the woods at this time of they day," Rosalyn said coyly.

"Unsavoury eh?" Theo chuckled sheepishly.

"So you're not afraid anymore?" He asked, leaping down from his horse.

"Of course not," she grinned as he helped her down from her horse.

She tried to ignore the way the heat of his hands on her waist seared her.

Rosalyn was wearing her riding dress. She certainly couldn't come to woods in men's garments when she knew she was going to run into him. It was was different the last time, she hadn't expected to see anyone.