would have been an ordeal to many young girls to be thrust into such sophisticated company; Jane felt quite comfortable. She had known many of the Marquis's friends, men like Lord Massingham and Mr. Firth and Sir Henry Graham, for years. She had hunted with them often. It never even occurred to her to feel shy.
Lady Carrington regarded Jane with considerable interest as they sat down to dinner the first night of the meet. Jane was dressed in a simple blue frock of schoolgirl cut and her hair was worn down her back, as befitted her age. But there was nothing of the jeune fille about Jane. She ate neatly with the appetite of a hungry schoolboy and all the time kept up a vigorous conversation with Lord Massingham, who was seated next to her. Lord Massingham was listening to her intently when she suddenly made a motion, as of a fencer thrusting home, and he threw back his head and laughed. My, my, Lady Carrington, cousin to both Lord Rayleigh and Jane, thought to herself; and she is only fifteen. She looked speculatively at the wide brow, high cheekbones, and square chin of the girl across the table. Edward will have his hands full with her, she thought with ironic amusement. And if he were planning to marrying the Bellerman girl, she would be no help in taming Jane. That black-haired child would ride roughshod right over the soft-spoken Anne.
Jane finished dinner utterly oblivious to the thoughts she had inspired in her cousin. She smiled vaguely upon the ladies as she left the drawing room to go upstairs. If she had met any one of them in another framework tomorrow, she wouldn't recognize her, but there was not a woman there who wouldn't have instantly known Jane.
David was staying at the stables with the horses and Jane spent most of her waking hours with him. The crowning moment of the whole meet came when Dolphin won the Gold Cup. The Marquis had invited David to join him for the race's running, and so both Jane and he had stood together along the rail in front of the Marquis's pulled-up carriage. Lord Rayleigh stood behind Jane, but she was conscious only of David. As the horses started she put out her hand and, without looking at her, David took it and held it tightly. When Dolphin came across the finish line a winner, the tight grip of his long fingers on hers told her all she needed to know about his feelings.
The Marquis turned from receiving the congratulations of his friends to hold out his hand to his young trainer. It gave Lord Rayleigh a shock to realize that he now had to look up to meet David's eyes. Several of the people who had been standing around came forward, anxious to meet the Marquis's new “wunderkind."
David smiled and answered politely in his deep, gentle voice, then, at a break in the noise, he turned to the Marquis. “I think I will go see how Dolphin is doing, my lord,” he said to Lord Rayleigh, but his eyes were on Jane. He felt a sudden need to get away from all these people, to be alone with her.
She nodded understandingly. “I'll come with you."
Laura Rivingdale stood beside the Marquis as the two of them moved off. She was staying with her husband at Windsor, but they had joined the Marquis for the race since they were part-time neighbors of his at Newmarket. Laura's long green eyes glinted as she watched David's blond-streaked head, easily visible over the crowd even though it was slightly bent toward the girl who walked beside him. “What an absolutely beautiful boy,” she said softly, almost to herself.
The Marquis stared at her, his eyes slightly widened. “David?"
"Yes,” she said. “David. How appropriate. One thinks of Michelangelo."
"You must be mad, Laura,” the Marquis said impatiently. “He is only sixteen years old."
She gave him a long, slow smile. “Age has nothing to do with it, Edward. Either you have that certain something or you don't.” She tapped him lightly on the chest. “And your David most definitely has it.” She walked away, leaving him
Lady Carrington regarded Jane with considerable interest as they sat down to dinner the first night of the meet. Jane was dressed in a simple blue frock of schoolgirl cut and her hair was worn down her back, as befitted her age. But there was nothing of the jeune fille about Jane. She ate neatly with the appetite of a hungry schoolboy and all the time kept up a vigorous conversation with Lord Massingham, who was seated next to her. Lord Massingham was listening to her intently when she suddenly made a motion, as of a fencer thrusting home, and he threw back his head and laughed. My, my, Lady Carrington, cousin to both Lord Rayleigh and Jane, thought to herself; and she is only fifteen. She looked speculatively at the wide brow, high cheekbones, and square chin of the girl across the table. Edward will have his hands full with her, she thought with ironic amusement. And if he were planning to marrying the Bellerman girl, she would be no help in taming Jane. That black-haired child would ride roughshod right over the soft-spoken Anne.
Jane finished dinner utterly oblivious to the thoughts she had inspired in her cousin. She smiled vaguely upon the ladies as she left the drawing room to go upstairs. If she had met any one of them in another framework tomorrow, she wouldn't recognize her, but there was not a woman there who wouldn't have instantly known Jane.
David was staying at the stables with the horses and Jane spent most of her waking hours with him. The crowning moment of the whole meet came when Dolphin won the Gold Cup. The Marquis had invited David to join him for the race's running, and so both Jane and he had stood together along the rail in front of the Marquis's pulled-up carriage. Lord Rayleigh stood behind Jane, but she was conscious only of David. As the horses started she put out her hand and, without looking at her, David took it and held it tightly. When Dolphin came across the finish line a winner, the tight grip of his long fingers on hers told her all she needed to know about his feelings.
The Marquis turned from receiving the congratulations of his friends to hold out his hand to his young trainer. It gave Lord Rayleigh a shock to realize that he now had to look up to meet David's eyes. Several of the people who had been standing around came forward, anxious to meet the Marquis's new “wunderkind."
David smiled and answered politely in his deep, gentle voice, then, at a break in the noise, he turned to the Marquis. “I think I will go see how Dolphin is doing, my lord,” he said to Lord Rayleigh, but his eyes were on Jane. He felt a sudden need to get away from all these people, to be alone with her.
She nodded understandingly. “I'll come with you."
Laura Rivingdale stood beside the Marquis as the two of them moved off. She was staying with her husband at Windsor, but they had joined the Marquis for the race since they were part-time neighbors of his at Newmarket. Laura's long green eyes glinted as she watched David's blond-streaked head, easily visible over the crowd even though it was slightly bent toward the girl who walked beside him. “What an absolutely beautiful boy,” she said softly, almost to herself.
The Marquis stared at her, his eyes slightly widened. “David?"
"Yes,” she said. “David. How appropriate. One thinks of Michelangelo."
"You must be mad, Laura,” the Marquis said impatiently. “He is only sixteen years old."
She gave him a long, slow smile. “Age has nothing to do with it, Edward. Either you have that certain something or you don't.” She tapped him lightly on the chest. “And your David most definitely has it.” She walked away, leaving him