He squared his shoulders and turned to face her. Isabella had been rude to Jane yesterday. Jane could more than take care of herself, but he refused to allow Isabella to imply to his friends there may be something indecent between them. Whatever she’d said, it had been enough for Jane to draw the conclusion that Isabella was his mistress. Guilt or no, he refused to allow that misconception to continue.

“Good morning, Mrs. Langford.” He gave her a tight smile.

She wore a smart emerald-green riding habit that hugged her every curve. Why was Jane’s frumpy one making his breeches tight? He looked back at Jane. She turned away. He let out his breath and forced himself to turn back to Isabella. Extracting himself from her company this morning would be difficult.

“Where are we riding to?” Isabella slid a gloved hand over his arm.

“I believe we’re riding to the church in the village and back.” Garrett could not resist glancing back at Jane again, who was absorbed in conversation with her friends.

“Sounds delightful,” Isabella replied. “I do hope you’ll help me mount.” She looked into his eyes. He didn’t like the way she had said the word “mount.” Garrett turned his attention to where the stable boys and grooms were preparing the horses. “Isn’t that your footman?”

A scowl flitted across Isabella’s face. “Oh, Boris, that dolt. I’d much rather have you assist me, Mr. Upton.” She batted her eyelashes at him. There was no mistaking the invitation in the depths of her pale green eyes.

He cleared his throat. “Very well.”

The team of grooms and stable boys began helping the ladies to mount. When Garrett looked again, Boris was gone. Garrett pasted on a smile and helped Isabella onto the frisky gray filly Cassandra had provided for her. He swung himself up onto his own mount. By the time he finished, Jane was already seated atop her own high-stepping filly. She had a smile on her face and the sunlight glinted off her spectacles. Was her hair looser in the knot today? She was lovely—frumpy riding habit notwithstanding.

Surprisingly, Isabella waited for Jane to come alongside them before she nudged her own mount into a trot. “Do you ride often, Miss Lowndes?”

“Not as often as I should, Mrs. Langford.”

“Good morning, Miss Lowndes,” Garrett interjected, feeling like an utter arse. Why was Isabella always near when he was trying to speak with Jane?

“Good morning, Mr. Upton.” Jane lifted her reins as if to make to move past the two of them, but Isabella stopped Jane with her words.

“Do you ride often enough to race, Miss Lowndes?”

Jane blinked. She let the reins settle back against the saddle. She turned her head to the side. “Race you, Mrs. Langford?”

“Yes,” came Isabella’s overconfident reply.