Ledbetter appeared with the brown waistcoat. He ventured to say, “You’ve never worn this before. You said it was ‘overly ornamented.’”

“Hand it to me,” Anthony growled. If Anna decided not to wait on him and had returned to the nursery with the children, she’d be as safe as a nun locked in a cloister.

He buttoned the waistcoat, yanked his coat in place, and strode out the room. He reached the foyer and was relieved to see his quarry standing at the bottom of the stairs before the wide cheval mirror, adjusting her collar. “Miss Thraxton.”

She peeped at him from beneath the brim of her hat, an almost mischievous expression in her light gray eyes. “Lord Greyley, you are late. I was just going to ask one of the footmen to send you a note.”

“I’m afraid I overslept.”

“Did you?” Anna gathered her skirts and walked past the footman who held the door open, the white feather on her hat bouncing cheerfully. “I’ve been ready for hours.”

Anthony frowned. She should be wary, if not irritated, he’d foisted this ride on her. He was halfway down the steps when he realized what had left his future mistress in such good spirits.

Not two, but seven horses were saddled and ready for the ride. At the front sat Selena astride a very fat old pony that appeared none too pleased to be awake at this time of the morning. “We’re going riding,” she piped up, her voice breaking the chill morning silence. “With the sun!”

The other children broke into burbling talk, annoyingly eager to be off. Even Desford seemed less filled with scowls.

Anthony caught Anna’s arm and brought her to a halt before him. “This was not part of our bargain.”

She pulled her arm free and tugged on her gloves. “We had no bargain. You invited me to go for a ride and I accepted.” She turned a calm gray gaze his way, her lashes casting shadows over her cheeks, her wide mouth curved in a smile. “What difference does it make, Greyley? The children won’t slow us down. They are capital riders, even Selena.”

“Perhaps I wished for the opportunity to speak with you without interruption.”

“If we ride two abreast, we will be able to do just that,” she returned, then sailed down the remainder of the steps and allowed a groom to assist her onto her horse.

Anthony watched her with reluctant appreciation. The minx had outmaneuvered him. So far. A ghost of a grin soothed his irritation. His success might be delayed, but only that.

He followed her down the steps and mounted his own horse. Soon they were under way, the wispy morning fog lifting as the sun heated the day.

Anthony led them to a wide, leafy pathway that led to a small, gurgling river. He’d originally intended to take another route, but there would have been no opportunity to ride two abreast on such a narrow path.

But Anna still managed to avoid him, riding forward to check on Selena, whose stubborn pony showed an annoying tendency to stop walking and take a nap, or to quell Desford and Richard, who wanted to race at breakneck speed.