Taffeta & Hotspur by Claudy Conn

anything
else…” she said, still pouting. “And I don’t pout.”
    “ Don’t you? Ah, then it is
merely a very good imitation of one.” He chuckled, and then an idea
came to him. “I know just what you would like—I rather like the
place myself.”
    Her eyes opened wide, and he almost
lost concentration, but she grabbed his upper arm, and even through
the thick wool of his greatcoat sleeve, once again, he felt a
titillating wave of excitement.
    “ Where?” she asked with a
bit of a bounce.
    He thought with some amusement that
she was so young, so spirited, and full of life, and he wanted her
more than he would soon be able to control. He cleared his throat
and answered, “The Royal Exchange.”
    “ Sounds dashed flat to me,”
said the lady with a slight frown.
    “ You won’t think so when we
get there. It is where they house the wild beasts…”
    He had definitely hit upon the place
in all the world she would enjoy, and she told him so
enthusiastically, “Oh, oh… I do forgive you all your sins … yes,
yes, the Royal Exchange!” She was quiet for a moment. “I have
always wanted a monkey…”
    He looked shocked, “Well, I am not
getting you one. You may look … you may even touch where they
allow, but we are not foisting any wild beasts on your poor
aunt.”
    Taffeta laughed, “No, you are quite
right, I have already turned her kitchens into a kennel with
Valiant.”
    As he tooled his team around the
corner, Taffeta exclaimed, “Tarrant … look, at that man! What a
beautiful man—who is he?”
    “ Sir Francis, and it is not
the thing to be pointing at men simply because their looks are
pleasing. He noticed you…”
    “ Oh pooh,” she answered.
“Men are forever pointing out women to one another.”
    “ It is not the same thing,
Taffy. You simply can’t go about ogling handsome bucks.”
    “ Why not?” Taffy shrugged.
“All the town bucks spend a great deal of time ogling the
chits!”
    He laughed in spite of himself,
“Incorrigible minx!”
    “ Besides, he had such fine
shoulders…” She teased him in answer.
    “ Bah, wadding,” retorted
Tarrant a bit irritated.
    “ Yes, but he was dressed to
the nines…” she pronounced.
    “ Dandy.”
    “ Well, I thought him good
looking,” she replied.
    He eyed her suspiciously, “And so the
Lady Taffeta collects her handsome beaux?” His voice was dry and
touched with irritation.
    “ Now what does that
mean?”
    “ Evidently you take it upon
yourself to give as good as you get. The town bucks preen and ogle,
and you feel entitled to the do the same. Town bucks collect
pretties, do you feel it your right to collect a list of
hearts?”
    She suddenly went serious. “That is
not nice. Odd that you should take such a notion into your head. I
rather thought you were up to snuff.” The tease had returned to her
gray eyes. “You see my lord, I don’t ape cruel
behavior.”
    Caught, he wouldn’t give it up. “You
wouldn’t lead a man on?”
    “ Certainly not.”
    “ Then what of Fenmore?” he
replied triumphantly. “I rather thought you were leading him an
excellent dance the other night.”
    She put up her brow, “When I danced
with Fenmore, he did the leading, and it was most enjoyable.” With
this, she read out loud, “Ah, the Royal Exchange!”
     
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Two days had passed since Lady
Taffeta’s excursion with Tarrant, and she had not seen or heard
from him since.
    Moping about wasn’t her style, and
yet, she felt a fit of the ‘blue devils’ start to overtake her
mood. It was time to own up to what she felt, and what she felt,
she conceded, was a great deal more than infatuation.
    She loved everything about him. His
great big, hulking good looks. His dark, mysteriously lit eyes she
could never quite read and kept her guessing all the time. She
loved the way he moved, like a stalking wild beast, graceful and
yet powerful. And she loved his kisses, his touching, and wanted
more.
    What was she going to