Tessa's Touch Read Online Free Page B

fears.
    "That won't be necessary. My groom
believes that in time the horse can be made useful and as I said, I got him at
a good price. But I thank you, Sir George," Lord Anthony said with a bow.
"Now, we will impose upon you no longer. I'll be in touch about a hunter
for myself."
    Tessa relaxed. He was leaving, and had neither
demanded money nor said anything about last night. But then he turned to her.
    "It was an honor to meet you, Miss Seaton.
Perhaps our paths may cross again sometime. You seem quite . . . knowledgeable
about horses."
    She dipped a curtsey, as much to hide her face
as for propriety's sake. "Thank you, my lord. The honor was mine."
    The moment the four gentlemen had gone, Uncle
Mercer said, "Sir George, may Miss Seaton accompany Harold and myself to
the stables? There is something we would like to show her."
    Her father frowned, then nodded. "I
suppose so, as long as she doesn't stay long. But wait until those young men
are out of sight. It won't do to have any of them see her down there. It might
not be perceived as quite proper, you know."
    Then, turning to Tessa, "Well, this was
quite a morning, my dear. So many eligible young men under our roof, even if
they did not precisely come to call upon you."
    "I don't believe any of them knew of my
existence before today, Papa," she replied, smiling in spite of herself.
    "Ah, but they do now. You never would
allow me to send you to London for your Season, but now, perhaps, you'll get
your chance after all. I've never felt it right that a lovely girl like you
should spend her life shut away in the country with her invalid father, you
know."
    Tessa dropped a kiss on his forehead. "I
know, Papa, but I've felt it no sacrifice, I promise you. The whirl of Society
has never appealed to me in the least." That was quite true, aside from
the fact that they had no money to pay for such a thing. "I'm happy here
with you, and with the horses."
    He patted her hand. "You're a good girl,
Tessa."
    "I hope those gentlemen did not tire you
too much, Papa."
    "No, no, I quite enjoyed it," he
said. "We should have callers more often."
    Tessa smiled, but did not agree. "Now, I'm
sure you'd like to return to your memoirs," she suggested.
    "Oh. Of course. Of course." Turning
to the nearest stack of papers, he began to rummage through them, his eyes
already reverting to their usual vagueness.

    * *
     *

    "Sir George seems an upright enough
fellow, for all he can't stand upright," Sir Charles said as they rode away
from the Seaton estate.
    "You should be smacked for that remark,
Stormy," Thor declared with shake of his head. "Still, I have to
agree. Seaton himself seems an honest sort. That trainer of his, however . .
."
    Anthony nodded. "I thought the same. Young
Mr. Emery seemed overly defensive. So, what did you three discover at the
stables?"
    "Not a great deal," Rush admitted,
"for the moment the fellow spotted us, he insisted we accompany him up to
the house. When we reached the paddock, he was exercising a big bay—a pretty
beast, I must say— while a few lads looked on. I'd wager that horse will fetch
a pretty penny once it's properly broken."
    "Yes, they do have some exceptional
animals there, from what I could see," Thor agreed. "Of course, the
Seaton stables used to be famous, so it's likely they still have some of the
original bloodlines."
    Anthony recalled that his Great-uncle Alden had
mentioned the Seaton stock once, before Anthony had gone into the Army. He'd
completely forgotten it until now. "I wonder why we've heard so little
about them in recent years?"
    Thor shrugged. "I think the old trainer
died a few years back. My guess is this new fellow isn't up to the same
standard. Takes more than breeding to make a great hunter, after all."
    They all murmured agreement.
    "Well, it appears our little mystery is
solved, then," Rush said. "I doubt, after today, that the Emerys will
attempt to impose on any other greenlings —if, indeed, that's what they did.
What say you