Georgiana reluctantly introduced Will to Simeon and watched the men size each other up like prize fighting cocks. In spite of their civility, a curious tension hovered in the air. It was clear that they were never going to be friends, but then she didn’t care. Even so, their animosity made her own day suddenly cloud over, and all trace of her earlier enjoyment vanish. In its place was a wariness that left her nervous and on edge, and desperate to find a way to break the uncomfortable atmosphere.

“I didn’t realise you had business this way,” Georgiana said in bored tones.

“Is your aunt aware you are here?” Will demanded, ignoring her.

He had no intention of telling her that she was the reason he was there. He had been looking out of the tavern window, debating whether to pay her a visit, when he had seen Simeon arrive at the house. It was galling to have to stand and watch Georgiana head off alone with this stranger, but she had. Given her penchant for getting into trouble of late, Will knew he had to do everything possible to forestall any scurrilous gossip, and limit the damage to Georgiana’s sterling reputation. With that in mind he had high-tailed after her just as fast as he could manage.

“Of course,” Georgiana snapped.

“And she allowed you to go out, unchaperoned, with this man, did she?” The disgust in Will’s voice was clear as he raked Simeon with an insulting glare that blatantly cast doubt upon his character.

“Ruth Bentley trusts me,” Simeon announced pompously. “She has known my family for nearly thirty years. I am sure that if anyone can vouch that I am of good, solid, moral fibre then Ruth can. Why, anybody in the village will tell you that if Georgiana is safe with anyone, it will be with me. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Georgiana has a tendency to be rather reckless,” Will snapped with an air of dismissal that assured Simeon he had no idea what he was talking about. As if to prove his point he glared accusingly at the reins Georgiana held. “Like curricle racing.”

Will was well aware that it was one of the items of her list of adventures. He was just shocked she had decided to experience it with this oaf, and shook his head in disgust.

“Do I have to remind you what the gossips are likely to do if they see you sitting so close, unchaperoned, Georgiana?” Will snapped.

“No, you don’t,” Georgiana replied pertly. “I don’t care what anybody says. There can be no harm in what I am doing. I am merely holding the reins while the horse plods along. Anybody who reads anything into that has a serious problem they need to be dealing with before they criticise me in any way.”

“But you are out in the middle of nowhere unchaperoned, Georgiana,” Will argued.

“I am not any threat to her honour,” Simeon replied unconcernedly. “Besides, if anyone does vociferously object and her reputation is scandalised because of this then I shall just have to do the decent thing and marry her. Then we can go curricle racing whenever we want, and anybody who doesn’t like it can find something else to do.”

Georgiana lifted a snooty brow at Will when she sensed he was staring at her. She was aware that having the reins gave her an element of escape she had never had before, and didn’t waste a moment in taking advantage of it. Unfortunately, she momentarily forgot Simeon’s instructions yesterday and slapped the reins on the horse’s backside far harder than she should. This resulted in the horse leaping into action, and the curricle lurching forward and tearing down the road at breakneck speed.

“Oh, Lord,” Simeon muttered, clinging on for dear life as the curricle swept around a corner and barrelled down another lane. “Keep hold of the reins. Haul back!”

His orders were carried on the winds, and barely understood by Georgiana who, rather than being scared by the speed in which the hedgerow flashed past, revelled in being free at last.

“For God’s sake, will you watch where you are going?” Simeon scalded when she grinned at him. He nodded to the hedgerow directly before them. “Pull back, or we are going to go through it.”

Georgiana did as instructed, but gently because she was mindful that she didn’t want to hurt the horse’s mouth. However, although she slowed down enough to traverse several bends in the road without issue, she kept the horse at a fast trot for several minutes. Eventually, Simeon motioned to her.

“Now slow down,” he murmured.

Once the pace had eased, the sound of thundering hooves rent the air. Seconds later, Will appeared beside them.

“Oh, Lord, not again,” Georgiana murmured with a heavy sigh.

“What the Hell did you do that for?” Will snapped.

Georgiana threw him a defiant glare but made no attempt to answer. Instead, she slapped the reins on the horse’s backside again only this time a little gentler.

Simeon glanced over his shoulder as they left Will behind and then looked at her knowingly. “There is a history between you,” he murmured thoughtfully.

“Is there? We were childhood friends,” she replied unconcernedly. “I am no longer a child.”

Simeon looked as though he was about to push for more information but nodded at the end of the road instead. “Go left,” he ordered.

“Do you like to gamble?” Georgiana asked, desperate to stop him probing further. She had no idea why she chose to ask him but she did.

“Not on a curricle,” Simeon replied flatly. “Now slow down because the corner up ahead is a sharp one.”

Georgiana dutifully did as she was told and slowed the horse to a fast walk.

“Where do we go now?” She looked behind them as she asked and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw it empty of other traffic, in particular, Will.

“Are you alright?” Simeon asked curiously having watched the swinging emotions on her face.

“Yes, fine,” Georgiana assured him. “Let’s go back, shall we?”

“But I had hoped that we were might have a picnic while we are out,” Simeon protested. “There is a wonderful spot just up ahead.”

“No, thank you,” Georgiana said firmly.

Suddenly, she was in no mood to pander to the demands of any man, including Simeon. Although it galled her to admit it, she had risked enough for one day–enough of her life, and enough of her reputation. A picnic alone with Simeon was going too far even for her. The only problem was that she had no idea where they were.

“Where do we turn around?” she asked eyeing the road ahead.

“Let’s have something to eat first,” he persisted. “We have to enter the field to turn the curricle around. If we are going so far as the field-”

“No,” Georgiana said firmly.

Rather than wait for instructions, she did exactly as he had told her and swung the curricle into a field a little further down the road. Instead of stopping, she quickly re-joined the road so that they were heading back to Mecklemerry.

“There,” she said with no small measure of relief. “See how easy that was? Now we can get back before our absence causes yet more gossip.”

It was evident from the thunderous look on his face that Simeon didn’t like to be thwarted. He hadn’t uttered a word but the sudden tension in him was distinctly hostile. She half expected him to ask for the reins back, and that left her in a quandary. If she gave them back to him then she would be at his mercy and he was apt to stop off somewhere for the picnic he was so determined to have. However, this wasn’t her curricle. Did she have the right to keep them if he wanted to take control again?

Thankfully, the problem didn’t present itself because a rather stilted silence remained between them throughout their return journey.

“Give me the reins back before we join the main road,” Simeon demanded with a sulky pout as soon as the village came into view.

Aware of the other people on the road, and the safety of the village up ahead, Georgiana did just that and took the opportunity to put as much physical distance between them on the seat as possible. It was then that she took a peek at him.

Unsurprisingly, he looked like a mardy child who had just been told to go to bed early. There was also something else lurking in his gaze, something more. There was a hardened glint there that was faintly sinister. She shivered and suspected she was being warned about something only had no idea what. Whatever it was she was seeing made her distinctly uncomfortable, and reassured her that her decision not to take a picnic with him had been the right one.

By the time the carriage rumbled to a stop outside of her aunt’s house they had drawn the attention of several locals who stopped what they were doing to watch them. Uncomfortably aware that they were making a spectacle of themselves riding out alone together, Georgiana kept her gaze lowered and willed Simeon to get them to the house quickly.

“Thank you,” she murmured politely when he handed her down. To her dismay, he insisted on escorting her to the front door. “It was wonderful, thank you.”

Simeon nodded. Rather than speak, he lifted her hand pressed a lingering kiss onto the back of it. It appeared that his earlier sulks had vanished because there was no trace of discontent in the friendly gaze he kept pinned on her. In fact, unless she was mistaken, there was a slight hint of mischief lurking in the depths of his gaze. She suspected that he knew he was making her uncomfortable, and enjoyed it.

I need to be wary around him, she mused, taking a wary step away from him.

She realised then just how easy it would be for him to destroy her reputation completely. Quickly yanking her hand away from his, she pushed open the front door and turned toward him to block him from following her.

“I should like to call upon you first thing in the morning,” he promised huskily, standing far too close to her for comfort or propriety.

Georgiana backed into the house warily, and half-closed the door to stop him from coming closer.

“What for?” she asked but found herself staring into thin air. Stupefied, she peered around the edge of the door in time to watch him clamber quickly aboard his curricle and drive away.