She had planned on meeting Wyndmoor’s tenants soon after arriving at the manor, but when the Duke of Blackwood’s shadow had darkened her doorstep she had been distracted by his legal claim. She had made a mistake. There was no better way to establish her position than to present herself to the tenant farmers as the new owner. Last night’s debacle at the Black Hound had proved that the stakes were higher than ever. She hadn’t realized what a formidable opponent James truly was. If his kiss was sufficient to raise her passion, then he held a power over her that she must never allow to be unleashed. He cared only for the property, not the country widow that accompanied it. Donning her riding habit, Bella made a quick stop to the kitchens to seek directions to the tenant farms and to gather a basket of fresh sweet rolls before heading to the stables. The young, red-haired lad was busy polishing tack. “Would you please saddle my mare, Bobby?” “Aye, my lady.” He reached for a side saddle that hung on the stable wall, then went for her horse.
