Page 78 of A Single Obsession

Beau shouted after her in exasperation, but she was gone. He and Ant set off in pursuit, but the faster they galloped, the harder she pushed her horse.

When Eliza reached the crest of the hill, she momentarily slowed, but something must have frightened her mare, because she sped up again and disappeared out of view at an alarming pace.

Beau’s exasperation turned to fear. He was familiar with the lie of the land and knew the danger she was in. On the other side was a steep slope ending in the wall that marked the edge of the estate. If she went over the top at that speed, she wouldn’t be able to slow down in time. To jump the stone barricade would be nigh on impossible. The incline was too sharp.

He yelled after her to stop, but she didn’t. Why wouldn’t she listen to him?

Unless…

His breath hitched as he realised she wasn’t being obstinate. Eliza had lost control of her mare.

Beau had never ridden so fast with such purpose in his life. All he was aware of was the thud of his horse’s hooves racing in pursuit and the thump in his chest as his panic grew.

As he sped over the top of the hill, his heart almost stopped beating. Eliza was heading for the boundary at breakneck speed.

Not checking his pace, he swerved his mount to the right and urged Jet to ride down across the hillside at an angle. If he could get between Eliza and the wall, he might be able to steer her horse to safety.

Beau ignored the pounding in his ears and rode hard to cut across Whisper’s path. For one horrible moment, he thought they would collide, but then, little by little, Whisper altered the angle of her descent to match Jet’s, and both horses slowed as they reached the bottom of the hill.

Beau could see the relief on Eliza’s face—her beautiful face that a moment before he had imagined lying crushed underneath her horse.

“What were you playing at?” he yelled as they drew to a halt. “You could have been killed!”

The look of relief vanished and Eliza’s eyes once more blazed with anger. “Did you think I couldn’t control my mount?”

“Yes. Do you make a habit of riding like a madwoman?”

“A madwoman! Is that how you see me? Did you plan on leading me on, thinking you were going to propose, only to leave me cold when Romeo won you a fortune on the racetrack? Were you really planning to jilt me so heartlessly?”

“I have no wish to jilt you at all.”

“Of course not. Your horse has gone, and that has forced you to fall back on your insurance policy. Me. If I were cleverer, I would have made the connection earlier. You proposed to me the day after Romeo was stolen. If he had raced and won, you would not have had to marry me or anyone else. Now you must get married to keep your stables going. You lied to me. You said you did not gamble—that betting on your skill was different. But this? This is a wager you made and lost—and I am the loser.”

Even while she tore his character to shreds, he thought how magnificent she looked, with her eyes burning and her chin sticking out obstinately, dimpling despite her anger.

“Eliza, it’s not like that…”

But he spoke to the air. She had spurred her horse into a canter, and was riding back to the house without a backward glance.

Beau stared after her in dismay. The details of the race had emerged, and Eliza was furious.

Guilt weighed him down as he took himself to task. What a fool he’d been to keep the wager a secret. He should have told her. Trusted her with the truth.

He deserved her contempt. Every ounce of it. How he wished he could refute her accusations, but he couldn’t. He had no defence. When he’d agreed to race Romeo against Mr Cunningham’s Majesty, he had been looking for a way to escape marriage.

But now she thought he’d lied to her, pretending he cared in order to win her hand because he needed her.

And he did need her—but not just to save his horses.

Chapter 34

Eliza strode along the path back to the house with fists clenched so hard her nails bit into her palms.

“How could he treat me like that?” she muttered under her breath. “Do I mean so little to him? Why did he lie to me? Why did he make me think he cared?”

She stormed up the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her, causing her maid to exclaim.

“What on earth has got into you, miss?” she said, putting her hands on her hips.