Anna pulled her skirts to one side and began squeezing water from them, the gesture unintentionally outlining one leg and hip in stark relief. “I am in your employ, Lord Greyley. It is never a good idea to mix with the help.”

“I will mix when and where I will, thank you.”

“Earls and governesses do not go for rides together.”

“According to what rulebook?”

“According,” she said in a voice he was sure she normally reserved for her pupils, “to the rules of society. I seem to remember you preaching them to your sister not so long ago.”

“My expectations for my sister and for myself are quite different.”

“Spoken like a true man.” She shivered as she spoke, and for the first time, Anthony noticed how very transparent muslin became when wet. He could see the outline of her breasts so clearly that his breath thudded to a halt for a moment. Her nipples appeared faintly through the layers of drenched material—large and dark and desirable, perfectly made for his mouth.

Anthony discovered that it was possible to lose both the power of speech and thought all in the same instant.

Anna lifted her arms to push her hair back from her face, and Anthony was presented with an even clearer image of what lay beneath the layers of cloth. His body ached with the images and he had to swallow a groan.

Her hair secured behind her ears, she turned to the house. “I need to return to the nursery. The children must answer for this latest escapade. I’ve decided that they will write a letter of apology to both of us and then will do chores to help pay for the replacement of your shoes.”

Anthony could have told her that it would take the children several years to do that, but he refrained. She was right; the children should be punished and he had to admit she’d thought of a fair method.

He cleared his throat. “While the children are doing chores, I suppose I will be off riding alone somewhere.” He stared into the distance with what he hoped was a sad expression.

Anna frowned, her bad mood worsening. She’d been mocked, had almost died, and now had been forced to stand in front of Greyley and pretend she didn’t look like a drowned rat. She pulled her hair to one side and again attempted to twist some of the water from it, only to discover a huge lily pad on her forehead. She pulled it free, embarrassment heating her cheeks. “I am returning to the house.”

“Don’t you think you owe me something? After all, I saved you, and at great personal cost, too, for I nearly gave up my own life in the process. The least you can do is ride with me.”

“No rides.”

“Then I’ll settle for a kiss.”

It was infuriating the way this man could turn a simple sentence into a lazy challenge. And Anna was not good at passing up a challenge.