He was reluctantly impressed.
She continually thumbed her nose at the normal expectations of ladylike behavior. Young ladies did not cavort in their undergarments in the middle of the day, where anyone could see them. No…they should be inside, designing meals, reading, practicing their instruments, planning their wardrobes for the Season, or even bloody sewing.
The only thing she did that seemed normal was paint, and even in that he had been erroneously wrong. He’d spied a painting of his estate that she’d left unattended in the parlor and Tobias had been riveted, unable to credit that a young lady of only twenty-two years had produced with such skill, precision, attention to detail, and mastery. The painting had made him observe Grangeville Park through fresh eyes. Everything had seemed more vivid, more beautiful, more peaceful and serene. On an impulse, he had offered to purchase it, and had been pleased and baffled when she’d offered it instead as a gift, for his generosity in having her in his home.
Lady Olivia jangled at nerves he had kept detached and unemotional since he had been a boy of twelve years. He’d learned early to master the Blade’s volatile temper and emotional vulnerability, tempering his emotions with logical thinking and carefully guarded responses. Yet how easily her mere presence irked and fascinated him in equal measure. He found her decidedly strange…and dangerous.
His sister shouted something and pointed toward the main house. Olivia nodded, and Francie fairly skipped away, leaving her alone. Tobias would need to have a talk with her. One did not leave a friend to fend for themselves when they indulged in reckless endeavors. Someone needed to ensure their hides were safe. The thud of hooves stirring the earth had him momentarily shifting his gaze from the very beguiling and vexing woman.
Grayson, his younger half brother, rode up. His mother would be furious that he had invited his father’s by-blow, as she referred to Grayson, for a spot of fishing. But Tobias had never been one to let someone else’s anger determine the path he would choose for himself. The minute he had discovered his brother, he had reached out to him, for it mattered not to Tobias if Grayson was a bastard. He was his brother. He was deeply regretful, however, that his mother had to endure the pain of her husband’s betrayal.
“What has drawn you over here? We were having the most invigorating race and then you simply headed off without a word,” Grayson said. He was six years younger than Tobias, but there was no doubt they were brothers. They were the spitting image of their late father, with their dark green eyes, black hair, and physiques that might have better suited the hardworking class than fashionable men of leisure.
“I cannot account for your inability to keep up with the power of my stallion.”
Grayson grinned. “You would like to—” He froze and then a long, low whistle of male appreciation slipped from him.
Tobias followed his brother’s gaze, and his mouth dried. Lady Olivia was climbing from the lake, her thoroughly soaked underclothes plastered to her body. Though her chest was only modest, her bottom was delightfully curved. Well-rounded, it looked like they would fill a man’s palm and then some. A breath hissed from his teeth. He was annoyed she could tempt him to desire. He was used to women more beautiful and more scantily clad than her.
Devil take it! He had a lover who was more provocative, and she had never made his cock so achingly hard so quickly, even when dressed in her most daring peignoir.
“Turn away,” he commanded flatly.
Grayson jerked, curiosity shifting in the depth of his eyes. “Is she yours?”
Tobias smoothed his features into a cold mask of disinterest. “What she is supposed to be is a lady, though she is not acting like it. I will join you at the main house shortly.”
Grayson arched a brow and then, instead of arguing, nudged the side of his horse and left for the main house.
Someone needed to take a switch to the hoyden’s backside. The damnable chit stretched before lowering her arms, leaning left so her mass of wet hair tumbled down. She gripped a fistful and wrung it. The chill in the air was evident, yet she stood there as if the biting cold was not affecting her.
Before he could talk himself from it, he eased his horse forward and rode down the incline. Her head snapped up at the sound, and she gasped when she spied him. She scrambled for her discarded gown and held it to her front.
“It is a bit late to be thinking of modesty, don’t you agree, Lady Olivia?”
She chewed on her lower lip, before lifting her chin defiantly.
“Have you truly lost all sense of propriety?” he inquired in a steely voice.
Her face flushed a becoming pink. “It was but a swim,” she said through obviously gritted teeth. “A pleasure I’ve seen you indulge in several times at this very lake.”
“I’m a man,” he drawled, deliberately provoking her.
“Of all the ridiculous notions,” she spluttered. Accusation and ire shot from her eyes. “You delight in vexing me, my lord. It’s very ungentlemanly, if I may say so.”
No…he delighted in seeing her face flushed and her eyes darkened with fury. She was so transparent in her feelings. He stiffened at the unwanted thought, and anger snapped through him. He ruthlessly buried it, calming the sudden unwanted spike in his heart.
“I thought you were away on business, and none of the countess’s guests have yet descended on us for the house party. I thought it safe to indulge,” she offered by way of explanation, a soft blush dusking her cheeks.
“I left London at first light.” He would not admit that the thought of how she fared had been tugging at him to return to the estate after only a few days.
“But you were not to return until tomorrow,” she pointed out, no doubt to be contrary. “It’s also ill-mannered to creep up on a guest.”
“Ill-mannered?”
She nodded empathically. “Most assuredly. Nor are you acting in a gentlemanlike manner now by remaining when I…I…am not decent.”
Tobias allowed his gaze to run insolently over her wet form. God’s blood. She was delectable. An unwelcome rush of desire went through him, and his body reacted with painful immediacy to her state of deshabille. He restrained the response. It made no sense for him to even dwell on his lustful urges. Lady Olivia was looking for marriage, and she was the last woman he would offer for. The lady was simply not the type of woman he would make his countess. His wife would be respectable and of sound character, with no hint of scandal surrounding her.
He had a family history to defy, and his sons and their children would not be associated with the reputations of the past Blades. He would ensure it. At the moment, Tobias did not possess the pressing urge to wade through the marriage mart, despite his mother’s urgings. He was only twenty-eight years old and quite content with directing his energies to restoring his estates, which his father had brought to the brink of ruin with his excesses.
When he selected his bride, he would marry a woman incapable of stirring too much passion in his blood. He’d been unfortunate enough to inherit the famous Blade men’s temperament, which had been a curse on their marriages for more than two hundred years. Hell, his great grandmother had shot her husband because he had turned his terrifying anger on her and she had been insensible with fright. The stain on his family name from the many scandals had been called legendary by some.