Chapter 5

CHAPTER5

Susanna abruptly broke off from her tune. When she had seen the shadow pass over the garden, not for one second had she expected that shadow belonged to the tall frame of the Duke of Belbridge.

Looking up from her roses, his eyes felt as if they pinned her to her very core yet in a pleasant way. Smiling, Susanna moved to her feet and wandered forward. A black railing separated the two of them, and the Duke stood, leaning on it with both hands.

She didn’t say any words as she approached him, and neither did he. His eyes darted down at her appearance instead, and his frown grew greater as he stared at those stains.

“Oh, dear indeed,” she said with something of a dramatic tone. “Something tells me you do not approve, Your Grace.”

“Do you not have a gardener for such work?” He gestured to what she had been doing. With that wild wave of the hand, she remembered what it felt like to have that hand in hers the night before as he had lifted her fingers to kiss the back of her knuckles. The mere memory of it had a shiver passing up her spine that she tried to hide by fiddling with the pruning shears in her hand.

“We have a gardener.” She nodded. “Yet, why should I let him have all the fun of gardening?”

“This is fun?” The Duke looked amazed, his eyebrows shooting up so far that they nearly disappeared beneath his top hat.

“Would you like to see, Your Grace?” She reached for the gate nearby in the railings, ready to let him in. Quite frankly, Susanna knew it was wrong. There was no chaperone here, no maid at all, but the garden was visible from the windows of the house and the street, so it was not as if it was anything truly scandalous.

The Duke clearly realized the lack of a chaperone at the same time, for as she opened the gate, he stayed firmly where he was standing, making no move forward.

“Afraid of being alone with me, Your Grace?”

“I said no such thing, but it would be improper. You do not need me to tell you that.”

“How about this?” She stepped away, leaving the gate open. “I may bend propriety a little, but I promise to keep a line of rose bushes between us at all times. Who would dare traverse their thorns after all?” she said playfully, moving to the other side of the bushes before turning back and waiting to see what he would do.

There was something about the Duke’s presence that made her playfulness come out. She couldn’t resist teasing him and goading him, just to see if his propriety would crack.

A second later, he moved toward the gate. She smiled with triumph as he entered the garden.

“Tell me then, Lady Curtis, what is so wonderous about gardening?”

“Lady Susanna. I told you, my friends call me Susanna. It is more personal.” Yet, she could see he was not going to listen, for he merely glared at her. “Before you tell me it is improper again, I shall talk of the garden instead. Here, take a look at this.” She pointed out a particular climbing rose to him. It was growing over a trellised archway at the end of the path. “See these blooms?”

“I do.”

“It has taken three years to get to this height and be quite so majestic. The thrill is like no other to see something do so well after working on it for this long. Smell the blooms; they are quite intoxicating.” As she gestured to a flower, he pointed behind the nearest rose bush.

“You made a promise, My Lady.”

She sighed and stepped behind the rose bush, giving him access to the climbing rose. He moved toward it and placed his nose to the rose before stepping back with a look of intrigue creasing that brow. Once again, the frown she had so often observed there softened into something altogether happier.

“Yes, it is a beautiful smell,” he concurred with a nod.

“Here too, this is quite wondrous.” She pointed to the edge of the flowerbed. “Do you see these mounds here beneath the baby sycamore tree?”

“I do.”

“Believe it or not, hedgehogs nest in there.”

“They do?” The Duke bent down, crouching so low it stunned her in his eagerness to see what was inside. “I cannot see them.”

“That is because they only come out at night. Now, when there is so much fun to be had in a garden, why would I leave it all to the gardener?” Her question got no answer, but the Duke smiled a little more as he stood straight once again. “Ah, I have forgotten my manners. You have come to call, and I have not offered tea. Would you like tea?”

“Yes, please.” He seemed almost relieved, sighing.

“Happier to be on familiar ground with such a prosaic offer?”

“Perhaps. I am unused to being given tours around gardens.”

“Then I’m pleased to have surprised you.” Susanna offered him another smile, aware of the way he looked at her.

What does that look mean?

It seemed to burn her — as if he wasn’t just looking into her eyes, but something else instead. She longed to ask him what it meant, just as she wished to know why he had kissed her hand the night before at the ball, but instead, she turned away. Perhaps it was a step too far for her to ask such things boldly.

Moving toward the house, she beckoned him to follow. Once inside, she called for Peggy to chaperone, and the three of them were soon settled in the drawing room.

Peggy sat in the corner, working on some sewing, as tea was left on a table in the middle of the room. Susanna encouraged the Duke to take one of the chairs as he passed his top hat to a butler who hurried to leave. Susanna didn’t sit down quite yet though, aware of the soil upon her hands. Promising to return momentarily, she hurried off to wash and then returned a few seconds later. The moment she stepped into his presence, that penetrating look was on her again. Yet this time, there was something disapproving there.

“Why do I feel as if I have already done something wrong?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. “I have not even said anything yet.”

“I didn’t say you had.” Yet, his eyes wandered. Susanna rather hoped he was admiring her figure, but she had little pride in it. She knew she was rather curvy; unlike the slenderer girls she had seen him dancing with the night before at the ball. “Your gown.” He pointed to it.

Susanna glanced down, soon realizing what was irking him.

“Oh, I see.” She strode firmly into the room and took the chair opposite him at the table. “Does a little dirt upset you, Your Grace?”

“I am not used to a lady wearing it to have tea,” he pointed out with something of a smile curling his lip.

“I wager few do,” she pointed out, reaching forward to pour the tea for the two of them. “Did you come this way in the effort to fix me, Your Grace?”

“Fix you?” He seemed startled, jerking back in the chair.

“Yes.” She slid his teacup toward him. He reached out to take it, but she didn’t release it quite yet. Their joint hold on the cup made her look up into his eyes once again.

Those eyes…

They were a deep rich blue set within the dark features of his face. Unlike Donald, who had rather pale and wan blue irises, these were altogether different, merely a few shades off the hue of an evening sky.

“Did you come wishing to fix me? To make me more ladylike?” she asked, teasing the Duke a little more. He took the cup sharply out of her grasp, apparently struggling to stop his own smile.

“No, I did not. Though you make me wonder if you wish to fix me too.”

“Fix you? How would I?”

“Well, I seem to remember you gave me this last night along with a lesson, did you not?” With the words, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Laying it on the table, he unwrapped the handkerchief, revealing inside a small enamel hair clip.

“Ah, maybe I did impart a small lesson.” She held up her fingers, emphasizing how tiny the message was by holding her fingers close together. “You came to return it? But it was a gift.”

“A gift I cannot accept.”

Susanna was rather disappointed by his words. She had meant the gift as a kindness, but apparently, it was not viewed by him as much. She took the clip back rather quickly and stared down at the clip in her hands.

“It was not that I thought ill of the gift. Believe me, quite the contrary, but it would be wrong for me to keep such a gift.”

“Ah, I see.” Susanna sighed and moved the clip to rest beside her as she poured out her own tea. “One mustn’t break the rules, after all.” She put on a mockingly formal tone with the voice. She hadn’t expected the words to make the Duke laugh as they did. He bent his head forward, chuckling, as if he knew it was wrong to laugh so yet did it anyway. “Well, that certainly tickled you.”

“You merely reminded me of someone, putting on such a voice, that is all.” He lifted his teacup to his lips as she did hers, and they both took a sip. To her surprise, they didn’t once look away from each other. Their eyes stayed constantly connected.

What is this?

She had never known these kinds of moments with a gentleman before. It felt far from the action of two people who were merely friends. It was as if a tension hung in the air between them, one that could be easily pointed out, yet she was nervous to do so.

“So, you came just to return my clip?” she asked. “Nothing more?”

“I did, but I hardly seem in a hurry to leave, do I?”

“I had noticed.” She gestured toward the tea in front of him which he took another small sip from.

What is going on in this gentleman’s mind?

Uncertain what to think or feel, Susanna gestured to the cakes that had been served with the tea.

“Cake?” she offered.

“Please.”

She began to cut one of the cakes, aware that his eyes were still on her.

“You have just prompted me to think of something,” the Duke murmured as if an idea had struck him quite suddenly.

“What is that?” she asked, passing the cake to him. Their fingers brushed on the plate. When she felt a spark pass between them, she retracted her hand rather quickly. It was so fast that he nearly dropped the plate though he managed to catch it in time and place it down in front of him.

“I suspect you wish to fix me, though you deny it. And you think I want to fix you too.”

“It is an apt summary of our conversation.” Susanna served her own slice of cake.

“What if we were to attempt to do so?”

“I beg your pardon.” She dropped the knife on her plate. It made such a loud clatter that poor Peggy jumped on the far side of the room. “My apologies, Peggy; that was my fault.” Peggy smiled and returned to her embroidery. “You wish to change me, Your Grace? That is an audacious thing to say!” Susanna turned on him, perhaps revealing a little more anger than she had intended.

“No, not change but teach. In return, you could do the same for me.” His words intrigued her. She leaned on the table and rested her chin in her hands. It was clearly something that irked him, for his eyes shot down to her elbows.

“By any chance, would lesson one be not to place my elbows on the table?” She smiled at the idea, teasing him a little more.

“You haven’t agreed to a lesson yet.” He pointed out as he picked up his fork and dug into his cake.

“So that I perfectly understand, let me make sure I have this right.” She lifted her own fork though she didn’t delve into her cake just yet. “In return for your lessons, I could give you some of my own. Are you hoping to relax your ways a little, Your Grace?”

“There is perhaps something you said to me last night that has not left my mind,” he mused, looking up to the ceiling as if in deep thought.

“What is that?” she asked and began to cut into her cake with the fork.

“That imperfections can be thrilling.” His words made her dart her gaze to him to find he was looking at her once again. They didn’t blink, either of them; they just kept staring.

Why did that make me breathless?

Susanna breathed deeply, trying to calm herself a little more.

“You wish to know what I meant?” she whispered.

“Very much.” He breathed out the words as if he had barely said them at all.

“Very well.” Susanna was too intrigued herself to deny this opportunity.

“You mean you agree?” The Duke’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“I do.” She nodded with the words. “You, Your Grace, may advise me on things, and I may advise in return. Perhaps you can do what my godmother hasn’t and teach me how to do silly things like use the correct knife and fork at dinner.”

“Ha! Surely, you know?” The Duke laughed heartily as he tucked into his cake.

“Sometimes I think I do, but who can really be certain when there are so many forks on the table?” She sighed as if it were the greatest challenge in the world to remember it.

Really, I know it hardly matters.

Knowing she had a certain amount of freedom now, Susanna delved into her cake with vigor. She felt it when she got cream on her cheeks though she was in no rush to wipe it off.

“Lady Curtis, you have a little…” The Duke waved a hand at his own cheeks, trying to show what the problem was.

“What is it? Do I have something wrong? Is there something on my face?” She made a point of taking another bite, and this time, getting even more cream on her lips.

He laughed even more this time, especially when she made a noise to show how much she was enjoying her cake.

“You are increasingly looking like someone who has had the entire cake planted on your cheeks,” he pointed out gesturing to her.

“Who cares? I do not.” She shrugged.

“Oh, I see. Is this where my first lesson begins?” he asked, playing with the cake on his plate.

“Yes,” she nodded. “Who is here to see me except you and Peggy? Peggy doesn’t mind, do you?” Susanna looked over to see Peggy trying to hide her laughter behind her embroidery. “Well, she could hide her laugh a little better at the cream on my face.” This only made Peggy laugh harder. “The point is, I am enjoying my cake.” She took another mouthful, and this time, made her sound of enjoyment even louder.

The Duke fell about laughing. This time, he didn’t bend his head forward, sniggering as if it was wrong to laugh. He laughed freely, so warmly that Susanna was quite intoxicated by the sight.

He could be a different man to the one I found sitting in the saddle of that horse, staring at me as if I had lost my mind.

“You should laugh like that more often, Your Grace.”

“Like what?” he asked as he reached for his discarded handkerchief on the table and passed it to her. “Come, that’s enough cream everywhere; it will start dripping off your chin in a minute.”

She wiped it away, watching as he slowed his laughter.

“You laughed without restraint then.” Her words made him pause with his teacup lifted to his lips. “That is the way we should all laugh, I think. As if we are not afraid to laugh.”

“I’m not afraid to laugh.”

“No?” Susanna was tempted to mimic the way he had laughed earlier, showing his previous restraint, but she decided to keep that to herself for now.

Perhaps that lesson could be saved for another day.

“This first lesson is rather fun. I will admit that.” He paused long enough to take a sip from his tea then he found her gaze with his own once again. “Happy for me to set up a second lesson?”

“You are eager to be taught,” Susanna couldn’t resist teasing him. “Or are you eager just to teach? Oh, do not tell me you will make me stop gardening!”

“I wouldn’t; I promise you that.”

“Good, why not, can I ask?” Susanna asked, intrigued. She knew Agnes encouraged the past-time, for she had a heart for it too, but even Donald had pointed out to Susanna once that it wasn’t really the done thing for ladies to garden.

“Because you enjoy it so much.” The Duke shrugged as if the matter was plain to see. “Do not let anyone take away from you something you enjoy so much.”

“Good, thank you.” Susanna sat taller in her seat. “So, what is it that gives you enjoyment, Your Grace?”

“Painting.”

“Painting? You paint?” Nothing could have surprised her more. She could imagine the rather rigid gentleman before her sitting perfectly still and listening to a concert or some lecture, but to wield a brush with artistic freedom? The idea seemed impossible! “I feel as if this is something that needs to be seen to be believed.”

“Very well. How about in two days’ time? You can come to my house to see my paintings. What do you say?”

Susanna smiled, knowing her answer long before the words came from her lips.