A Gallant Gamble - Jackie Williams Page 0,1

the foal has a leg caught. Her contractions are strong but there has been no movement for several hours. I want to try moving the babe, but she won’t let me near her business end, will you girl?” He ran his hand along the mare’s neck and patted her gently.

Star Gazer tossed her head and whinnied feebly. A shrill neigh and clatter of impatient hooves sounded from further down the stalls. Lightning, Charlotte’s prize mount, didn’t sound any happier about the situation than Geoffrey.

Charlotte walked further into the stall and Star Gazer turned to her immediately, shoving her velvet nose into the young woman’s shoulder. The horse nibble at the ribbons on the sleeve of her gown and Charlotte stroked the nervous mare gently.

“There, girl. This will all be over soon...” Charlotte spoke softly before glancing up at Geoffrey. “We must find out what’s going on inside. Maybe she needs a woman’s touch. Here, help me out of this.” She pulled the thick curl of her hair over her shoulder and turned her back to Geoffrey.

Geoffrey shuffled his feet in the hay as he looked at Charlotte’s gracefully exposed neck. Something in the way she held her head had him wanting to take a step backwards.

“What do you want me to do?” He asked in some confusion. So mesmerized was he at the sight of a small brown mole, a tiny blemish on her perfect white skin, that he couldn’t for the life of him think what she was asking of him. He stood there hopelessly, his heart beating dangerously hard as he bit back the temptation to lean forwards and kiss the enticing flaw.

Charlotte’s shoulders rose as she took a deep, patient breath.

“Unfasten my dress, of course.”

Now Geoffrey really did stagger backwards. He nearly fell into the pile of hay that sat by the stable door as every drop of his blood raced to his groin.

“Now, hang on there. I don’t think that your guardian...er, Giles would approve of me...” he stammered but then stopped as Charlotte spun towards him, her face a mask of impatient annoyance.

“No! You hang on there for just a moment. Do you have any idea how much a dress like this costs or how long it would take to clean?” She brushed impatient hands down the layers of silk skirts that adorned her body. “Did you want to get your shirt mucked up and dirty? No, you took the blasted thing off when you thought that it might become soiled. I’ve not been able to sell that dashed diamond yet so I’m doing the exact same with my frock as you did with your clothes, nothing more, and at least I have some undergarments on, unlike some people I could mention. Star Gazer is suffering and so is the foal, Geoff. As there are only you and me here, and she won’t let you near her back end then I must try, but I would rather my gown didn’t become ruined while doing it.” She sniffed haughtily, gathered the hair that spilled in a golden river over her shoulders, and turned her back to him once again.

Geoffrey pressed his lips together. He felt a complete fool as she pointed out the obvious. The huge diamond that she had discovered the year before, was more of a millstone than a benefit. Whoever heard of a diamond that was so enormous, unusual, and valuable that no one could afford to buy the thing? He knew of her genuine disappointment over not being able to fully commit to the Ormond breeding programme in her own right due to the lack of a sale.

Charlotte craved her independence, but while she couldn’t realize the monetary value of the huge stone and refused to spend her guardian’s money, she was only able to support the venture in more menial ways. Geoffrey had been shocked the first day she appeared in her breeches and shirt, fork in hand, ready to muck out the stalls alongside him. He’d shaken his head and removed the rough handled tool, horrified at the thought of her blistering her palms on such a crude implement. Instead he had asked her to exercise the horses, tend to their ailments and book appointments with the blacksmith for shoes and tack.

Charlotte had ridden Star Gazer almost constantly for the last year while her owner, Lady Anne was in confinement and coping with a new babe. Horse and rider had formed a strong and lasting bond. It made sense that