Oh no! Why did I have to think of him tumbling out of bed?
The week he’d been away in London had been easier on her fluttering nerves, but much to her surprise, she’d missed seeing him every day. “Your Grace,” she said, standing for a quick curtsey as her face flamed red. Thank goodness he couldn’t read her scandalous thoughts.
Richmond walked into the room and stood beside Charlotte’s bed. “How are you feeling today, my dear?” he asked, kissing her forehead.
“Better every day.”
“I’m so pleased to hear it. Perhaps you’d like to go downstairs for luncheon today?”
“That would be lovely. Thank you, Richmond.”
He turned to Emma. “Miss Bainbridge, would you care to go riding with me this morning?”
“Um…I was going to read to Charlotte. I have a new book for us.”
Charlotte squeezed Emma’s arm. “Go out for a ride. It will do you good to get some fresh air. I’ll be fine and will see you at luncheon. We can read together later this afternoon.”
Emma glanced at Richmond, then back at Charlotte. She loved riding and was sorely tempted, but she didn’t want to abandon her friend. “Are you sure? I’m happy to sit and read with you.”
Charlotte nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. Go with Richmond. I’ll see you later.”
“I need to change, Your Grace,” Emma said. “I’ll meet you in the foyer in a few minutes. Will that suit?”
He nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”
She rushed out of the room with her heart pounding so loudly that she was surprised neither the duke nor Charlotte had commented on it. She wasn’t sure if she was nervous or excited about riding with the duke. Although, if she was being honest, it thrilled her that he’dsought her company.
How her feelings about him had changed.
Before the house party, she’d wanted nothing to do with him, but he’d revealed a different side of himself during their evenings poring over the many different books in the library. He wasn’t an arrogant, unapproachable duke he seemed, but a warm and engaging man knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. What did it all mean? Perhaps she liked him enough to say yes if he asked to court her? Her mother would be thrilled, but did Emma want to lose what little freedom she had, to the whims of a man, even if that man was one of the most handsome and engaging of her acquaintance? A man she couldn’t stop thinking about no matter how she tried.
“Ava, where are you? Ava!” she cried, bursting into her bedchamber.
The maid poked her head out of the dressing room. “Miss Bainbridge, do you require something?”
She nodded. “My green riding habit, and quickly, please.”
“Of course, Miss Bainbridge.” Ava helped her change in record time. “You haven’t been riding in weeks. It’s good to see you going out again. I know how much you love it.”
“The duke has asked me to accompany him. It would be rude not to grant his request, especially since he’s a guest here at the Hall.”
Ava hid her smirk poorly. “Indeed, it would be terribly rude of you.”
Twenty minutes later, Emma met the duke in the foyer. “Your Grace, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting overlong.”
Richmond extended his arm. “Not at all. Are you ready?”
She nodded and placed her hand in the crook of the duke’s elbow. Her heart still hadn’t simmered down, and she wondered if he could hear it pounding as she walked beside him. She needed to calm down, not act like a simpering miss. Richmond was just a man like any other.
Although, if Emma were honest, she suspected there was no other man quite like him. No other man had ever made her heart pound like it did in the duke’s company.
Frederick greeted them outside the stables. “Your Grace, shall I saddle your horse for you this fine morning?”
“No. I’d like to ride the black stallion today.”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
Richmond nodded. “And Miss Bainbridge’s horse as well.”
