Eliza rode beside Conor silently. Her father and Geoff had had some
business to attend to in town so he had sent her home with Conor. So
far they rode together in silence. She glanced at his grim profile.
She didn't know why he looked so sad sometimes, and today Conor had
barely glanced at her for half the ride. She couldn't read his
thoughts like he could read hers. Sometimes he seemed strangely
happy. At times he would be fun and lighthearted witty in a good-
natured way and then others his eyes would cloud over and his witty
words would cut and he would be silent and reserved and drawn.
Almost as if he were two completely different people. He confused
her. But Ted Dakar.. Sir Ted Dakar. Ted. Sir Dakar. She rolled the
name around in her mind, pictured his face in her head. Brown hair,
strong jaw, blue eyes, and broad shoulders. He had the most
remarkable blue eyes, and when he had looked at her.
"Did you enjoy the joust today?" Conor asked suddenly.
"What?" she asked, his deep voice jerking her out of her reverie.
"The joust, did you enjoy it?" he repeated.
"Very much so."
"You like Sir Ted don't you?" he said bluntly. Her head jerked in
his direction, her eyes wide and he smiled knowing that he had read
her mind. Really, she was too easy.
"What?" she asked.
"Judging by your reaction, I'm assuming that you heard me." He
replied
"I don't know what could have led you to such a conclusion." Her
cheeks flamed, 'How could he have known?' she thought in shock.
"The fact that you were staring at him the whole time." He replied
glancing at her. "And don't even try to deny it." He added at her
expression.
"You are making me sound like a gaping fool!" she exclaimed.
"I only make you sound like what you looked like. If you sound like
a gaping fool then you probably looked it. It's not my fault and
hardly my problem."
"I should have you beaten!" she exclaimed.
" You're probably right but you won't so, don't make promises you
can't keep." He replied lightly. She glared at his tranquil
expression and huffed. She hated it when he was always right. "He
asked about you." He said after a while.
"He didn't!!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"No he didn't, but you just proved my previous accusations to be
true." He said now full out laughing.
"You little leach!!" she cried, punching him in the shoulder as hard
as she could. He cried out in pain and then took off, riding as fast
as he could. She switched her sidesaddle position to a straddle one
and then took off after him. She chased him all the way home,
catching up with him at times before he glanced behind him and sped
up his pace. He was a magnificent rider. She knew that he could
handle a horse like a kindred spirit, and that he could ride well
but he was exceptional. They rode into the stables, Eliza forgetting
getting a few strange glances since she was straddling the horse and
not riding sidesaddle. Conor leapt from his steed and started
running into the courtyard. Eliza leapt off after him and followed,
picking up her skirts and running like the wind. He sped into the
garden with her hot on his heels. She sped up, finally catching up
with him and tackled him into the grass. He hit the ground with a
thud and she landed on top of him and they rolled around in the
grass trying to pin the other onto the ground. Finally he gained the
upper hand, her incredible strength making it difficult to do so,
and still she squirmed, not willing to admit defeat even though her
hands were pinned above her head and his body had plastered her's to
the soft grass.
"Surrender!" he cried laughing.
"Never!" she cried, trying to buck him off of her. "I'm going to
kill you, you bloody brute!" she gasped.
"Oh that's nice, I'm sure you father would love to have heard you
say that." He said and he started to tickle her.
"NO! Please don't!" she gasped screaming out for all she was worth,
struggling harder. He grinned at her futile attempts to escape and
was considering letting her up easy when she kneed him in the groin
with all her strength. His eyes crossed and his lips parted in a
silent scream as he rolled off of her, struggling to breathe. He
didn't scream but he bit his lip so hard he drew blood. She grinned
and scrambled to her feet watching as he rolled about in agony, and
wondered briefly if she had gotten him a little to hard. Conor
pushed himself up onto his knees and braced himself on his hands,
flashes of agony attacking his body. "Conor? Are you alright?" Eliza
asked walking up to him. He didn't reply. "Conor?"
"Well what's your guess?" he managed to groan out as he struggled to
his feet.
"Well um."
"Mmmhmm" he mumbled glancing at her through squinted eyes.
"Well you don't look to good."
"Do I now? Well would you look at that? Who would have guessed that
I would be in pain because your foot had a ruddy muscle spasm!!" he
snapped sarcastically and started to limp away.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"I'm glad for you." He shot back. She stared at his retreating back
and tilted her head to one side then ran up to him.
"You were on top of me, tickling me and I couldn't stop you what was
I supposed to do? You know how ticklish I am!" she protested.
"There is no logical excuse for doing that to a person especially a
man." He replied glancing at her
"I truly am sorry Conor." He stopped hobbling gesturing wildly for
her to be quiet and turned to face her.
"For some odd reason that I just can't place, you being 'truly
sorry' does not give me one bit of bloody consolation whatsoever, so
forgive me if I don't seem placated by your expressions of remorse
but I still have one wicked pain in my more sensitive regions thanks
to your confounded knee! I think you broke the goddamned thing!!" he
cried.
"I'm sorry!"
"Oh for god sakes save your damn 'sorry's' for someone who can
actually use them for they aren't doing me a bit of good." He said
starting back his trek towards the stables.
"Don't be angry with me, I didn't mean to get you that hard I swear
it." She insisted. He simply glared at her and started away. Eliza
sighed and stared at his retreating back. He wasn't going to talk to
her for at least a week.
