Wishes In The Wind Part 5

"I see." A pensive silence. "Your father is welcome to move to Tyreham with you," he added, studying her reaction. "I can offer you a cottage on the far grounds where my tenants reside. It's small but furnished and private, and it will eliminate your need to travel to and from London each day."

Relief exploded in Nicole's chest. Not only a job that surpa.s.sed her wildest hopes but a home as well-and a safe place to hide her father. Perhaps her wishing locket had worked a miracle after all. "That would be ideal, my lord. Again, I thank you."

"And again you're welcome." He closed the distance between them, looming over her in a way that made her mouth go dry.

"I ..." She swallowed, staring at his shirtfront. "I'd best be on my way. I have to pack. And tomorrow will be here before you know it."

"Indeed it will."

"You won't be sorry you made this decision, my lord."

"No, Nicole, I won't be." Dustin cupped her face, raising it to meet his gaze. "Because if you ride half as fast as you run, you'll put even Nick Aldridge to shame."

Four.

NICOLE'S JAW DROPPED. "YOU knew?"

"The instant I saw you. Did you honestly think I wouldn't?"

She gave a small, bewildered shrug. "In truth, I didn't think at all. I hadn't time to. I had no idea who you really were until a quarter hour past." A mutinous spark. "Why did you put me through that grueling interview if you already knew who I was?"

"Because an incident occurred just before your arrival, and I had to decide if your visit was in any way related."

"What incident?"

Dustin answered with a question of his own. "Your father-the man who will accompany you to Tyreham-it's Nick Aldridge, isn't it?"

Fear flashed in her violet eyes-eyes more exquisite than he'd been able to fathom in the darkness of night-as frantically, she sought an explanation. "He's ... I'm ..."

"So, he's not in Scotland at all," Dustin mused aloud.

"My lord, please." She'd gone sheet white.

"It's all right, Nicole." Dustin captured her fingers, warming them in his. "Your secret is safe. Your father will be, too. I'll make certain of it. I promise."

Satisfaction inundated him as he saw her visibly relax.

"Is my disguise so transparent then?" she asked in a small voice.

"Only to me, and only because I've done nothing but visualize your face since we met. If it's any consolation, my butler, Poole, who is known for his discerning eye, never doubted for a minute that you were a boy. So I commend you on a job well done."

He was rewarded with a hint of a smile. "You've comforted me yet again, my lord, and this time without need of a handkerchief."

"I'm honored," Dustin replied. Soberly, he a.s.sessed her delicate features, thinking to himself that even disguised as a boy, she was breathtaking-all that he'd remembered and more.

On impulse, he reached out, tugging at the brim of her cap, frowning when it wouldn't budge. "Did you cut your hair?" he demanded.

She shook her head. "No. I wanted to. It would have been prudent, given the circ.u.mstances. However, Papa became irate at the prospect. So I compensated by pinning the cap on so securely it cannot fall free."

"Take it off."

"Lord Tyreham ..." She glanced uneasily at the door.

His eyes darkened. "Two days ago it was Dustin."

"That was before I knew who you were."

"I'm the same man you met on the river walk. Only now you have a t.i.tle to put alongside the name." Swiftly, he crossed the room, turning the key to lock the door and protect Nicole's secret. "I also have a surname. It's Kingsley. As yours is Aldridge. Now, does that conclude all aspects of our introduction?"

"You've made your point, my lord-Dustin," she amended, detecting the clenching of his jaw. "Now what is it you want from me?"

"From whom? Nicole Aldridge or Alden Stoddard?"

"Both."

"Very well." He walked slowly toward her. "From Alden Stoddard, I want answers."

"That's what I was afraid of, once you mentioned this mysterious incident you have yet to disclose." Sighing, Nicole resettled her cap more firmly on her head. "So you were toying with me when you offered me the job."

"You didn't let me finish. I also want first place in the Derby. And I believe Stoddard is the man to hand it to me."

"You were serious then?" Her chin shot up. "The job is mine?"

"Um-hum." He stifled a grin-as well as a nearly unbearable urge to haul her against him and kiss her senseless. "If your father says you're that good, you must be." He continued toward her, halting only when mere inches separated them. "Is everything you said about being Aldridge's protege true?"

"Yes. I practically grew up in the stables."

Dustin searched her face. "Why?"

"Because I adore horses. Because I come alive when I ride."

"That wasn't the question I wanted answered."

"I suspected as much." Nicole's fists knotted at her sides, steeling her to deliver the necessary reply. "Which why did you require an answer to? Why am I dressed this way? Because the marquis of Tyreham couldn't be expected to take me seriously as a female jockey. Why is my father taking this risk? Because he believes, as I do, that I'm a d.a.m.ned good rider. And why now? Because Papa's life depends on it. Does that cover all your whys?"

Despite the menacing significance of her final words, Dustin chuckled. "You and Dagger should be a good match. You're as fiery as he."

Nicole blinked. "Nothing I just said surprised you, did it?"

"No." He raised her clenched fist to his lips, unable to resist teasing her. "But I do think you owe me an apology for a.s.suming I'd dismiss your riding abilities simply because you're a woman."

Now she looked totally stunned. "Have you given any thought to the consequences of allowing me to ride in the Derby?" Guilt tinged her cheeks as she realized how true her words were. "If not, you must. You're renowned and respected on the turf. You could be disqualified, penalized, if someone should see through-"

"They won't." His breath grazed her knuckles. "But I thank you for your integrity and your concern." Kissing a path to her wrist, he smiled at the way her pulse accelerated at his touch. "I know what I'm doing, my fervent Derby contender. Fret not. Beneath my"-he raised his head, giving her a wicked grin-"handsome, well-bred, and devastatingly charming exterior lies a shrewd businessman, one who is h.e.l.l-bent on winning. And winning means taking risks. I'm taking one with Dagger. I'm taking another with you. Both will pay off."

"And you called me arrogant?" Nicole murmured, shivering a bit as he nuzzled the sensitive underside of her forearm. Lashes lowered, her expression was an open contradiction of dazed awareness and stubborn denial as she struggled to retain her train of thought. "Dustin, what I said about Papa-you knew, didn't you? That he's in trouble, I mean. Whatever occurrence preceded my arrival, it alerted you to that fact."

"Yes. I knew." He hesitated. "Two men called on me this morning just prior to your visit. It seems they spotted my personal in the Gazette and would prefer I not hire your father. They told me so in no uncertain terms."

"They threatened you?"

"More or less." A wave of tenderness swept through him at the sight of her worried expression. "Fear not, love. I can take care of myself." His glance turned meaningful. "And my houseguests, as well."

"If Papa and I stay here, we'll be endangering you."

"No you won't." Dustin pressed his forefinger to her lips, silencing her protest. "Guaranteed. Now, tell me what your father's done to anger the wrong people enough to pursue him and to necessitate your taking the drastic step of masquerading as a boy."

That distracted her, and she stiffened, sparks of anger igniting her eyes. "I'm not masquerading. Other than the difference in gender, Alden Stoddard is Nicole Aldridge. This"-she indicated her attire-"is who I am. The person you met the other night was a facade. She doesn't really exist."

"Doesn't she?" Dustin drew her closer. "You've haunted me for two nights you know. Which leads me to another why. Why did you run away? Did you think I meant you or your father harm?"

"It wasn't you. I would have run from anyone who approached me." She hesitated.

"Nicole, if you'll forgive my bluntness, I already know far more than you originally intended. You might as well tell me the rest. And, sweetheart, you can trust me."

Slowly, she nodded. "I do trust you. I have from the start. I'm not certain why, but I do." She inhaled sharply. "There are horrible men after Papa-and all because he's honest and won't succ.u.mb to their demands to forfeit races."

"Money. Why am I not surprised?" Dustin's jaw tightened fractionally. "Have you seen these men?"

"No, but I've witnessed their threats firsthand." In a rush, she detailed what had happened after the 2,000 Guineas when she discovered the ominous message in Oberon's stall. "Papa and I fled Newmarket then and there. The thought of losing Papa-I was terrified. I still am. Then I met you, and your kindness meant more than I can say. But when you pressed for my full name, I panicked. Given Papa's fame, I knew you'd recognize the surname Aldridge the instant I said it. And, being that Sully had just circulated the rumor that Papa was recuperating in Scotland, I couldn't risk your guessing that if Nick Aldridge's daughter were still in London, Nick would be, too. So I bolted."

"*Sully'?" Dustin pounced on her reference.

"Gordon Sullivan. The only other person who knows Papa's whereabouts."

"Ah, yes, Sullivan." A nod. "I've seen him race. He's a fine jockey."

"He's also our closest friend. He helped us locate safe quarters, then spread the news of Nick Aldridge's supposed injury. The rest was up to me."

"Up to you?"

"Yes. I convinced Papa to entrust me with the responsibility of earning our wages, at least for a time. After fifteen years, I was more than able to fulfill the requirements of any job in the thoroughbred world."

"As a boy."

"As a boy," Nicole confirmed. "But first, I had to find an available position. In order to do that, I had to pore over the ads of every newspaper I could get my hands on, which meant I had to venture onto the streets of London to buy those newspapers." She grimaced. "So I dressed the only way I could to ensure concealment-in the reprehensible apparel I had on the night we met."

"You looked lovely." Dustin couldn't help but grin at her shudder of revulsion-the complete ant.i.thesis of any reaction he'd ever received from a lady. "The only way you could ensure concealment ..." he repeated. "Am I to conclude you don't often don conventional attire?"

"Never, if I can help it. I only own two gowns, and those I bought just to appease Papa. Only for him would I have suffered the misery of wearing that ridiculous day dress. Not to mention that torturous corset, which nearly succeeded in suffocating me to death."

Laughter rumbled from Dustin's chest. "So that was the cause of your near swoon."

"Corsets should be declared illegal," she informed him with a lift of her chin.

"I couldn't agree more." He caressed her nape, keenly attuned to her tiny quivers of pleasure. "I'll remember never to suggest that you wear one." His voice grew husky. "We have yet to probe the question, what do I want of Nicole?"

"I'm afraid to ask."

"Don't be." He tipped her head up to his. "One kiss," he urged, nipping at her lower lip. "The same one we began but never finished."

"Dustin-" The bewildered expression was back on her face. "Given the circ.u.mstances, I don't think that's wise."

"Probably not," he agreed. "But, as I told you, I believe in taking risks, especially when my instincts scream out that I should." He drew her close.

"My instincts are shouting just the opposite," she whispered, wide-eyed.

"In that case, let's listen to mine."

With that, his mouth closed over hers, silencing her protests and completing the awakening that had begun two nights before, on a private bench along a moonlit walk.

A kiss-Dustin knew it only as a prelude to pa.s.sion, the preliminary step in an age-old dance that culminated in bed.

Not so with Nicole.

The sweetness of her mouth, the hesitant parting of her lips as she silently granted him entry, was a breathtaking ent.i.ty unto itself, as foreign as it was humbling. Trembling with emotion, Dustin enfolded her in his arms, deepening the kiss in deliberate, gradual shimmers of sensation. His tongue glided inside, softly stroking every velvety surface, learning every delicate texture. Then it sought hers, melding in an exquisite, shattering caress more poignant than anything he'd ever experienced.

Nicole felt the impact, too, for she stiffened, clinging and retreating all at once.

"Don't." Dustin breathed the protest into her open mouth, tightening his embrace even as he ordered himself to slow, to remember her innocence, her inexperience with men.

He felt as inexperienced as she.

"Stay." His lips circled hers. "Just a moment longer-stay."

She paused, and he could actually feel her indecision.

Cautiously, he repeated the caress, his tongue penetrating, sliding sensuously against hers.

She melted, moaning softly and entwining her arms about his neck.

"Yes," he managed, shuddering at the. unbearable beauty of the contact. "Nicole ... kiss me." He molded her against him, feeling the pounding of her heart, the fragility of her form, the awakening of her response.

On and on the kiss went, tenderness melding with fire, the intensity escalating until it was nearly unbearable.

Abruptly, Nicole pulled away. "No."

"Yes." He reached for her, scowling as she backed off.

"I can't," she gasped, wildly shaking her head as if searching for a rational reason for her actions. "W-we come from different worlds." She continued to retreat; Dustin continued to advance. "I work for you," she tried, feeling the door behind her, tugging at the handle only to recall he'd locked it. "I'm supposed to be a man," she burst out.