Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

L uncheon passed with comfortable conversation. But as it neared to an end, Agnes prepared herself for what would happen afterward. If the duke and his brother were serious about their arrangements, it would only make sense for them to spend some time together after their meal. Perhaps a walk across the meadow near the castle.

His Grace must have heard her thoughts because, as soon as they were all done eating, he said, "Shall we all go for a walk?"

Caroline's smile came readily to her face. "That sounds lovely, Your Grace. Doesn't it, Agnes?"

"Only if I am free to tell Lord Christopher all about the book on botany I am reading," Agnes responded with a huff of laughter. She turned to Lord Christopher, expecting a smile at the very least. But the duke's brother looked rather bemused.

"Botany?" he asked. "As in flowers?"

Agnes smile grew wan. She shook her head and stood. "Never mind, my lord. Shall we?"

Lord Christopher blinked, then shook his head as if shaking away the confusion.

"We shall act as chaperones," Lady Reed offered, shooting to her feet.

"Yes, a marvelous idea," her husband agreed, also standing.

Agnes didn't bother hiding her look of dismay. She glanced at Caroline but her friend was far more adept at hiding her displeasure at that.

"Mother," Agnes said quickly. "Didn't you say you were looking forward to getting a bit of fresh air?"

"Did I?" Mary asked innocently, eyes wide.

"Yes, I am most certain that you did," Agnes pressed, her smile forceful.

But Mary simply tilted her head to the side. "Perhaps I did, but I am feeling a bit tired after such a heavy breakfast. I am actually looking forward to resting in my chambers."

Agnes turned to her father. "Father?—"

"Solomon, won't you join me? I may be terribly lonely without you."

If the viscount knew what his cheeky wife was up to, he made no indication. He simply said, "Of course, dear."

Mary grinned and Agnes stifled her sigh. It seemed her mother was content to leave her in the hands of Lord and Lady Reeds. Paul did not bother to state what he was doing and Agnes could only hope that he did not get himself in any trouble.

Lord Christopher offered his hand to Agnes, helping her to a stand. She smiled softly at him and tried to ignore the duke doing the same to Caroline on the other side of the table. She liked how tall Lord Christopher was, enjoyed the way she felt being tucked closely to his side as they made their way out of the castle and out into the fresh air.

"This is a lovely property," Agnes commented politely as the walk commenced. They strolled idly, Lord and Lady Reeds maintaining a decent distance behind, much to her relief.

"Yes, it is," Lord Christopher responded. "I grew up here, you know. Spent my entire childhood in this castle."

"Was it a happy childhood?" Agnes asked.

He nodded, gazing out at the expanse of grass in front of them. "Quite so. I was able to indulge in a great manner of activities. As such, I could determine which of those activities I fancy the most."

"And which would you?—"

"Horse riding was my first love, you see," he barreled on as if Agnes had not spoken at all. "I was racing my horses across this very same meadow from the age of ten. There was a mare I loved and she gave birth to a male horse that is currently my preferred steed, now that the mare is too old to continue with the intense method of riding I enjoy."

"I see. Perhaps?—"

"But I do enjoy other things, you see. While I do ride my horse every day, I also partake in fencing, croquet, and pall mall. I excel at any outdoor activity you can think of, in fact. It is my favorite pastime."

Agnes paused, expecting him to say more. Lord Christopher spoke with such exuberance that he didn't seem to realize that she was trying to respond in kind. She quelled her irritation every time he cut her off or spoke over her as if she was not talking at all.

But he seemed to be waiting to hear what she had to say about everything he'd just told her so she said, "You seem to be quite athletic."

He chuckled. "That is an understatement. I excel at every physical sport I set my eyes on. Though not always physical, I suppose. I am rather good at cards as well. But rest assured, I do not partake in betting."

Agnes shot him an odd look. Surely he wasn't talking about cards with her? He didn't notice her appalled look, his eyes trained ahead and his face full of excitement. He had such a jovial countenance about him that Agnes could not even be mad at his insistence on talking without waiting for her reply. It was clear this was a topic he was passionate about and far be it from her to berate someone for talking about such a thing.

"There is a horse that I enjoy watching in London. His name is Sprite, simply because he is always the smallest horse on the track. One would think that his shorter legs would put him at a disadvantage but he has such power and drive that…"

Agnes stopped listening. Lord Christopher didn't seem to care for her response either way. So she simply let her mind wander.

And wander it did, mostly to the couple who were walking ahead of them.

She hadn't noticed when they'd passed them but she couldn't take her eyes off them now. They made a lovely couple, she realized. Caroline's head barely peeked over the duke's shoulder and it would have been a rather adorable sight if she placed her cheek on it. The direction of Agnes' thoughts brought nothing but annoyance.

"But what of you? Certainly there must be something you take interest in? I would love to hear about the things you like to do, Miss Agnes."

Caroline was saying something and the duke seemed to be listening intently. He even nodded now and again, a clear indication that he actually cared what she was talking about. A bit of envy came to mingle with Agnes' annoyance.

"Or perhaps there is nothing? Miss Agnes?"

She shook her head slightly as if that would be enough to banish her thoughts. But her eyes fell on the duke again. His back was broad and imposing, the curl of dark hair on the nape of his neck far more endearing than it should be. Agnes wondered what it would be like to thread her fingers through them. Or at least to have those intense eyes of his focused so steadily on her, as if nothing mattered but the words pouring from her lips.

"Miss Agnes?" A hand touched her arm and Agnes jolted from her reverie. She looked up to see Lord Christopher looking down at her with a frown.

"Yes, my lord?" she asked, bemused.

"I was asking you what your interests were, but you seemed to be lost in thought. Is there something on your mind?"

She flushed, avoiding his worried look. She could not very well tell him that she had been thinking about his brother, could she?

"Forgive me, my lord, it is nothing. I enjoy reading. Mostly histories and biographies."

"Oh heavens, I cannot think of anything more dreadful," Lord Christopher said. "The last time I tried to read a book, I fell asleep only a few pages in. There is something about the entire task that bores me to no end."

Agnes quelled her irritation at that. "Yes, well, I am not surprised that?—"

"I do recall one time where I did get one chapter into a book, though I cannot for the life of me remember what it was about. I think it centered around an old king of some sort but I cannot say for certain. All I know is that one minute I was reading about his early life and the next I was waking up with the sun halfway to the horizon."

Agnes supposed it was a good thing Lord Christopher had cut her off. What she'd almost said would have been a little rude, though she had a feeling he would not have picked up on it. She ignored him entirely and he continued talking about how boring reading was compared to the rush-inducing activities he liked to partake in.

When the walk began to draw to an end, Agnes was itching to leave. They'd looped around the meadow and had made their way back to the castle within an hour. She was tempted to march right into the castle without saying anything to her escort.

"I am really enjoying my time with you, Miss Agnes," Lord Christopher said and it was all she could do to quell her surprise. How could he have enjoyed himself with her when he hadn't even given her much of a chance to speak?

She gave him a tight smile, too tired to respond to him. To her left, Caroline and the duke were still speaking and Agnes tried her best not to glance curiously at them.

"Would you like to continue this in the drawing room?—"

"I am feeling quite tired, sir," Agnes cut in, feeling little remorse after what had happened the past hour. "I only wish to retire to my chambers until dinnertime."

A look of disappointment crossed his face and Agnes felt a twinge of regret. It felt as if she was kicking a puppy. Yes, she supposed he did ramble on about things she did not care about while paying scant attention to her own interests. But his jovial and boyish nature made it hard to stay mad at him.

Still, she did not break, knowing very well what fate awaited her if she let him cajole her into spending more time together. There would be more than enough of that in the near future. For now, she wanted to be alone.

"If you would excuse me, sir," she said with a curtsy before she turned and walked away, ensuring she did not look at the duke even though every bit of her wanted to.

She made her way indoors and headed straight to her bedchamber. Agnes immediately made her way to the chaise lounge tucked under the bay window and picked up the book she had left there in passing this morning. She kicked her shoes off and tucked them under her as she attempted to immerse herself in its pages and forget about the disappointing walk with the duke's brother.

That was where Caroline found her nearly ten minutes later. Agnes thought she would have more time.

"What's the matter?" Caroline asked, resting a hand on Agnes' knee. "I could tell that you were trying to escape back there."

Agnes sighed, putting her book aside. "Was it obvious?"

"Not to those who do not know you well," Caroline assured. "Was Lord Christopher not to your liking?"

Agnes' lips twitched. "You make him seem like a fish dinner. But no, he was not. Well…I suppose that is a bit harsh for me to say. It is too early to judge him, is it not?"

"A first impression weighs a lot," Caroline said wisely.

"That much is true." Agnes sighed again. "During our walk, he went on and on about his love of sports and would not give me a chance to respond. Every time I did, he would cut me off as if I wasn't talking at all. And then when I finally got the chance to tell him that I am interested in reading, he would not stop talking about how boring he finds it. I cannot find a single common point of interest between us."

"Oh."

Agnes laughed, amused at the fact that was all Caroline could think to say. "He is not making much of an impression, isn't he?"

Caroline nodded, oddly serious despite Agnes's apparent humor. "Any other lady would find that off-putting. A lady such as yourself, who reads nearly as often as she breathes, he may as well announce that he has no intention of winning her heart."

"At least he is handsome," Agnes said after a moment.

"Yes, that much is a relief."

They were silent for a moment, each contemplating the matter. Then Agnes asked, "What of you and the duke? How was your walk?"

"It was…nice."

"Simply nice?" Agnes leaned forward. "Was he not attentive to you?"

"He was quite attentive. He was gentle and kind and he showed much interest in the things I liked to do. I think he is wonderful, if not a bit stoic."

"Then why do you wear such an expression?"

"What expression?"

Agnes tilted her head. "You look as if you're worried about something. Did he say something untoward to you?"

Caroline shook her head, avoiding Agnes' eyes. "No, he didn't."

Agnes said nothing, studying her friend's face. Then she stood, brushing the skirt of her dress back into place.

"Where are you going?" Caroline asked with a frown.

"To see the duke. Clearly, he has done something so horrible that you cannot even speak to me about it. I shall get it out of him myself."

Caroline caught Agnes' hand just as she began walking away, laughing. "Oh, heavens, you are so overprotective."

"You are like a sister to me," Agnes said seriously. "I will not take kindly to anyone hurting or disrespecting you."

"The duke has not done anything, Agnes. I assure you."

Agnes stared at her for a while longer. Something was clearly wrong. Caroline had never been very good at hiding her emotions. Even the smile on her face seemed a little forced. But whatever it was, she clearly did not want to talk about it.

So Agnes quelled her urge to get to the bottom of it and reclaimed her spot. "Very well. Just know that the duke will remain on thin ice until he has proven that he is worthy of your heart."

Caroline's smile grew a little tighter as she nodded. "Of that, I have no doubt."