Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

BUTTERFLIES AND SURPRISES

" W ell, we do not want to keep the Duke waiting," Lady Bellmore said as she read the note over Charlotte's shoulder.

"No, of course not." Charlotte tried to ignore the swooping sensation in her stomach as she read the Duke's note, feeling as though she had swallowed thousands of tiny butterflies.

My Precious Plum,

Meet me at the stables in an hour. I have a surprise for you — if you are game for a little exploration of Banbury.

Yours,

Sweetkins.

She tried to be irritated at the silly nicknames, but she found she could only be quietly amused. She imagined Dominic grimacing and wincing as he wrote the word sweetkins, and she could not help but smile at the thought.

"Do not just stand there smiling! We need to get ready!" Lady Bellmore gave her a gentle shake. "And just think, you will get to try the new riding clothes he bought you."

Charlotte nodded and changed into her clothes with Beatrice's help. She kept reading the letter from the Duke and feeling the same odd giddiness within her.

She was enjoying her time at the estate, but she had been itching to explore the neighbouring town of Banbury. She had heard a great many things about its history and the fact that the Duke had decided to take her on an adventure made the day seem somehow brighter.

Get it together. He is only playing the part of doting fiancé. He does not actually have feelings for you. She gave herself a little shake and set off towards the stables with her mother in tow.

When they arrived, the Duke was waiting for them, his own riding outfit matching hers. He beamed at them when he saw them approach and bowed to them.

"I am so glad you came," Dominic said as he helped Charlotte mount the black mare that she was to ride.

"Was there any doubt? Your letter was rather intriguing," Charlotte teased him as she mounted her horse. "Besides, I have been itching to explore Banbury since we arrived."

"Is my family already driving you mad?" Dominic laughed. "I thought you were made of sterner stuff than that."

"Actually, I am really enjoying spending time with your family. It is rather delightful. But well…" Charlotte trailed off, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"Well?" Dominic canted his head towards her.

"It is nice to get out and stretch one's legs every so often, and there is so much rich history in the town that I have spent so many hours reading about, it seemed a shame to be so close and not at least visit it." She gestured in the direction of the tone, wistfulness seeping into her voice.

"Well, now you shall get your wish and a surprise as well!" Dominic gave her a mischievous grin.

"Apparently so," Charlotte agreed.

"I have given your stepmother Bess." Dominic gestured to the horse one of the grooms was helping Lady Bellmore mount. "She is a gentle and sweet creature. Good for novice riders — I did not get the sense that she was a particularly accomplished horsewoman."

"She does not generally care for riding, but I do."

"I had heard. Hence getting you a riding habit."

"Which you will note I am wearing."

"And what do you think of it?"

"It is lovely. And fits perfectly. Honestly, I marvel at how you accomplish such a thing."

"That is my secret, dear Lady."

"You are full of secrets and surprises today, it would seem."

"Perhaps I am simply in a secretive mood." Dominic winked at her and mounted his own horse. "Besides, I am sure you will enjoy it."

"Let us hope you are right." Charlotte said, trying to keep her face neutral but unable to keep the corners of her mouth from quirking into a half smile.

A cool breeze rustled the leaves in the trees around them and whipped the Duke's hair around his shoulders. Pine and Juniper. She took a deep breath, her eyes tracing the harsh line of the Duke's face, silhouetted in the sunlight.

"Are you both ready?" Dominic asked them.

"I am," Charlotte answered.

"I shall follow a little behind you. Give you two some time together." Lady Bellmore gave Charlotte a meaningful look.

For once, she found that she was grateful for her stepmother's interference. She had not relished the thought of trying to slow her horse to keep pace with her mother. And she found the thought of riding with Dominic rather appealing. It is only because you are going to ride to a place you have always wanted to see, nothing at all to do with the Duke.

She wished she believed her own words.

She kicked her horse into a slow walk, letting her warm up as they made their way into town. Dominic and his steed fell into step beside her.

It was a truly glorious day. The kind of day that belongs in a novel. The air was clean and crisp, and the faint sound of birdsong filled her ears.

"You seem rather pleased," Dominic remarked, bringing Charlotte back to the present. "Care to share your thoughts?"

"I was just thinking it was a rather lovely day, that is all." Charlotte shrugged.

"It is indeed. This has always been one of my favourite rides." Dominic gestured with one hand around them.

"Really? But I thought Verimore was quite some distance from here." She tried to conjure up the image of a map in her mind, plotting the distance from Caverton to Verimore. "I suppose it would depend on the roads."

"It is not too far, about a half day's hard riding. More if the roads are bad," Dominic explained. "I spent rather a lot of time with my grandmother."

"Because your mother was so poorly?"

"In part. My grandmother and my father were close, at least from what I can remember. Even after she remarried her last husband, my father spent much time between here and Verimore." A look Charlotte could not quite read crossed the Duke's face. Not quite worry or sadness but an odd mix of the two.

Before she could puzzle it out fully, the Duke gave a tight smile and said, "And yes, when my mother was poorly, my grandmother's estate became something of a haven for us. Though, I suppose I should really call it Frederick's estate; it has not been hers for many, many decades."

"It is odd to think of Caverton as his estate. Not when your grandmother has such a presence still," Charlotte admitted. "Did you and your cousin spend much time together?"

"Yes, Frederick, Thomas, and I were practically raised together. They are like brothers to me," he replied. "We actually used to race along this stretch of road every Sunday."

"Why on Sundays?" Charlotte asked, confused

"It was something of a game. See how late we could leave and still arrive in time for church." The Duke laughed, and Charlotte was struck by the pleasantness of the sound.

"And who won?" Charlotte urged her horse into a trot, unsure if the restless energy she felt was her own or her mount's.

"Who do you think?" Dominic grinned at her, his own horse easily keeping pace.

Charlotte paused as though giving the matter serious consideration.

"Duke Caverton, of course." Charlotte gave Dominic an impish grin, only saying it to wind him up.

To her surprise, Dominic laughed. "I love my cousin, but he is a poor rider. The winner was usually either Thomas or myself."

"Of course, it was." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"You say that as though you do not believe me." The Duke clutched his chest in mock offense. "Your lack of faith wounds me, good lady."

"It is rather hard to believe when you are riding as sedately as an old woman beside me," she retorted, gesturing to him.

"Is that a challenge?" He raised an eyebrow at her, an impish gleam in his eye.

"Perhaps." Charlotte shrugged, feeling her own grin return.

"And whatever would your stepmother think? She might think we are trying to escape her watchful gaze." The Duke put on an overacted voice of consternation.

Charlotte scoffed. "Do you truly care what she thinks?"

"I care what society may say of you if they think I have taken liberties," Dominic said, meeting her gaze.

Charlotte was taken aback by the earnestness of his answer. She shook herself and glanced up and down the road. "Well, then perhaps we should just have a short race. The road is rather long and straight here."

"It is," Dominic agreed, looking along the stretch of road they were riding on before gesturing to something a few hundred yards away. "Shall we race to the oak? Just there. It is a good finish line — shortly after the road curves sharply and can be treacherous if you have not ridden it before."

"Very well, to the oak it is." Charlotte nodded to herself and then winked at Dominic. "Catch me if you can."

And without waiting for a reply, she kicked her horse into a canter and took off towards the oak tree in the distance. Behind her, she heard two yells. One a distinctly male yell and the other a shriek. Stepmother will be furious.

Charlotte was almost tempted to ride out of her stepmother's view, just to wind her up but decided not to. After all, any scandal would reflect badly on her sisters, and she would not sacrifice them just to cause the woman some discomfort.

She heard the sound of hoof beats behind her and turned to see the Duke catching up to her. He took a moment to doff his hat to her and wink.

She laughed. "All right old girl, come on."

She urged her horse into a gallop. She had always loved the feel of a gallop; it felt as though she were flying as the wind tugged wildly at her hair and clothes.

She let out a whoop of delight and heard Dominic doing the same behind her.

"I am catching up to you!" Dominic called as he drew level with her.

"Not for long," Charlotte quipped as she urged her horse to move faster.

The two of them were neck and neck as they approached the oak tree. Not wanting to risk injury to her horse, she began to slow down though not so much that she lost the race out right.

"Shall we call it a draw?" Dominic asked as they passed the tree and dropped into a trot and then a walk, eventually stopping while they waited for her stepmother to catch up.

"I suppose we should. Perhaps we should race again, a longer one where we can truly test our skill," Charlotte suggested, her heart hammering in her chest. Ah, t he excitement of a good race.

"I would like that." Dominic smiled at her.

He is only saying that because it will add to our pretence. Charlotte told herself this; after all, there was nothing between them.

They heard a clattering of hooves behind them and turned to see Lady Bellmore stopping her horse. Her face red with exertion and panic. She swept a strand of hair from her face and looked at them both.

"We did not mean to panic you, Lady Bellmore. It was my fault, I thought it would be a fun thing to have a little race," Dominic said before Charlotte could say anything.

Lady Bellmore, who had opened her mouth to reprimand Charlotte, closed it again. After a moment, and still breathing heavily, she said, "Perhaps, Your Grace might give me some warning next time. I… I am rather out of practice riding and would rather not ride like that again if I can help it. I had not realised you would wait for me here."

"My apologies, Lady Bellmore, it will not happen again." The Duke inclined his head to her and winked at Charlotte when Lady Bellmore was not looking.

Charlotte had to stifle a laugh quickly, especially when her stepmother glared suspiciously at her. "Shall we continue the journey? I am sure you will need a moment to catch your breath, so do not worry, we will not ride too far ahead."

"See that you do not." Lady Bellmore gave Charlotte a flat look.

She smiled at her stepmother before turning away and settling into a sedate walk beside the Duke. After a while, he turned to her and asked, "Have you thought of what you will do with it?"

"With what?" Charlotte asked.

"With your share of the winnings, of course."

"Oh. Yes."

"New dresses? Perhaps a good horse?"

"I would like to make sure my sisters are both looked after. That is my biggest priority."

"Is that not the job of your parents?"

"I promised my mother that I would always keep Philippa and Evelyn safe. It was her dying wish, and I mean to honour that. The money will give them enough of a dowry that they could have any man they desire."

"One of your sisters already has such a man, does she not?"

Charlotte hesitated. She glanced over her shoulder, wanting to make sure that Lady Bellmore was definitely out of earshot before she told the Duke about Evelyn's love.

"Evelyn and Lord Michael Belton have been courting for quite some time now," Charlotte explained.

Dominic considered this for a moment. "Belton. He is the son of the Marquess of Fife?"

"Yes, that is him. From what Evelyn has told me, his father has threatened to disinherit him if he does not marry a wealthy woman." Charlotte shook her head. To choose money over love, ridiculous. "And while we are by no means destitute, Evelyn would not bring the kind of money that would give him the life he leads."

"And this… Lord Belton, he loves your sister, I take it?" Dominic asked.

"Yes. And she loves him." Charlotte smiled fondly. "Honestly, if you think our love letters were soppy, you should have seen some of the letters that Evelyn has received."

"Love does make fools of us all." Dominic smiled at her.

"So I am told." Charlotte laughed.

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, after you have provided for your sisters, you will still have a sizeable sum. What will you do for yourself?" Dominic's gaze held hers, an earnest curiosity on his face.

Charlotte shrugged and absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "I had not really given it much thought. I have spent most of my life looking after them, I had not really considered what I would want or need."

"You do not plan on buying a cottage and living in the country surrounded by ten cats?" Dominic teased. "I have heard that is the life all spinsters crave."

"I am actually more fond of dogs. Though I would not be opposed to a cat. I think two would be more than enough." Charlotte laughed. "I think a tabby and a black cat. And perhaps a retriever or a corgi."

"So, you will live in a house with your two cats and your dog. Alone?" Dominic canted his head towards her.

"I suppose."

"Do you not worry you will get lonely?" he asked.

"If that is the price I must pay for freedom. I would rather be lonely and free." Charlotte gestured vaguely around her, feeling something twist inside of her.

"I understand that." An odd look crossed Dominic's face, and a moment later, it gave way as he said, "Wonderful, we have arrived."

They had emerged into the high street of Banbury. It was full of people walking to and fro with a smattering of horses and carriages dotted around.

"Are you ready for your surprise?" Dominic asked.

Charlotte nodded, her chest feeling impossibly tight.

"There it is." He pointed to a shop down the street, and Charlotte's heart sank.

It was a jewellery shop. This is the worst surprise.