Susan bristled. Her father would never have expressed his opinion in such blunt and coarse terms; Halliwell had voiced his own view of women. “My father did not approve of my thirst for learning,” she allowed.
He turned his unsettling gaze on her. “Is that why you bought Orion? Because you thirst to learn more about thoroughbreds?” he asked, his eyes hooded.
She gritted her teeth, not sure what was behind the bitterness she detected. Her plan to make him think she was attracted to him would flounder if she confessed she’d intended to spite him. “No, I bought Orion because I fell in love with the sport of kings as soon as I entered the grounds at Chester.”
His puzzled frown mirrored her own surprise at the truth of her words. “I know exactly what you mean,” he said. “Except, for me, it’s the wonder of watching an elegant foal take its first steps. I enjoy wagering on the outcome of a race, but I relish the beauty and grace of the horses themselves, not the winning or losing.”
“I enjoyed winning, though,” she retorted, wondering why on earth she’d revealed that she’d wagered money.
He arched a brow. “You picked winners?”
“I have an eye for bloodlines,” she preened, echoing Oscar’s praise.
She felt strangely bereft when his eyes darkened and he clenched his jaw. “Is that the only reason you bought Orion?”
“What other reason could there be?” she asked nervously, avoiding his gaze.
“Because you knew I had already made arrangements to buy him.”
She closed her eyes, her stomach suddenly in knots. He wouldn’t believe her if she denied it. And she’d thought her plan to make him think she liked him was going so very well.
As they continued their journey in silence, her jumbled thoughts drifted back to the grubby laborer she’d seen loitering outside Thicketford’s gates. There was something about him she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but she’d sensed malevolence, and now things had gone awry.
An Inquiring Mind
Griff was angrywith himself. Why had he revealed Orion was supposed to be his horse? Now, if he pursued his plan to convince Susan he had feelings for her, she’d think he was somehow finagling to get the stallion back. And she’d be right.
He was going to have to put on a masterful performance to prove his affection was genuine. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d lied his way into a woman’s heart, but the bed partners he normally pursued weren’t known for their intellect.
That notion triggered a wry smile. A female’s brain wasn’t what interested him. Admittedly, he had what some might consider a prodigious sexual appetite, but he was a young man, after all. He needed women who were wanton, lusty, playful—and, of course, well-endowed physically.
Mind you, Susan qualified as far as the latter was concerned. But he’d always insisted on another criterion, hadn’t he? What was it? Oh, yes. She had to be blonde, naturally. He’d never made an exception. Not that he could recall.
He took a deep breath, resolved to keep his eye on the prize. “I take it you were not aware of my connection to Orion?” he asked, pleased he’d managed to keep his tone civil.
“No. I honestly was not. I knew you had plans to purchase a thoroughbred Arabian at Tattersalls. I was so angry with you, I wracked my brain to come up with a plan to buy it from under your nose. But it never occurred to me your horse would be in Chester. I simply fell in love with Orion as soon as I saw him.”
He found himself believing her, and couldn’t fault her honesty, but the reason she was being so forthright puzzled him. She seemed to have softened her attitude toward him. Was his infallible charm working on the indomitable Lady Susan? He hoped so, because his plan to offer to buy Orion fizzled when she spoke of her love for the stallion. He knew only too well the power of an emotional attachment to a horse.
Perhaps he should cut his losses and return to London.
“We will need guidance,” Susan said softly.
“Guidance?” he echoed, ignoring a warning bell going off in the back of his head when she did that eyelash fluttering thing and sighed, “We plan to set up a stud farm at Farnworth. You know. To charge fees for…er…”
Did she seriously think he didn’t know the purpose of a stud farm? He had to admit, though, her blush stirred his male interest.
He cleared his throat, annoyed he’d even noticed she was blushing. “I can certainly advise you,” he declared, abandoning all thoughts of returning to London in the near future.
*
Apart from theoccasional polite remark about the state of the road or the look of the weather, Susan and her companions completed the journey to the court in silence.
Normally a good conversationalist, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say and Rebecca seemed determined to pretend she’d fallen asleep. Susan came to the conclusion she was rubbish at this game between males and females.
She’d never been in a confined space with a man for such a long period of time. Gabriel and her late brother didn’t count, of course. Griffith Halliwell certainly didn’t fit into the category of relative—or married man.
His cologne was pleasant, unlike any she’d encountered before. Not overpowering, just…intriguing.