“Do not insult me any further, Miss Knight. I will not have you render services in this household without being paid,” he said firmly in a tone that bore no room for arguments.
“Of course, Your Grace. If that is what you wish.” Although she really had meant it when she said that she would be willing to work for free, she knew that the Duke’s pride would not allow him to let her do that.
She supposed it mattered not whether she was paid or not. She simply wanted to make sure that Barbara got the education that she deserved.
“Very well then, if you will excuse me, I will go clean myself up,” Morgan said.
“Of course, Your Grace.” Selina curtsied and watched as he followed in the direction that the Dowager Duchess and Barbara had gone in.
Selina walked in through the doors of the passage that Barbara had been about to lead her through before she crashed into the Duke. As she walked away, she could not help but think about the man she had just spent some time with.
He was not that bad. Although they did not get along much, that had been quite the funny moment that they shared.
Selina continued to her room with a smile on her face as she went to clean herself off as well.
CHAPTER7
Morgan kicked the side of his horse, pushing his horse even faster as he raced to the finish line, sweat pooling on his brows from the exertion and the humid air.
The wind whipped through his hair, the sun shining down on him, casting a warm glow over the open field. The sound of hooves hitting the ground reached his ear as he raced against his own thoughts.
There had been so many thoughts in Morgan’s mind but the very one he wished to avoid were the thoughts of the lady who seemed to challenge him at every turn.
“Hiyah!” he pushed his horse even faster, not caring that he was going faster than he probably ever had. He could feel the vibration of the horse as its speed increased, traveling up his body.
As he reached the finish line, Morgan bent atop the horse, his eyes squinting as he once again pushed the horse faster.
Morgan smiled, the action somewhat foreign but not completely so. There were only a few people he allowed himself to be free with and one of them was currently racing down to meet him.
Morgan opened his eyes and wiped off the sweat while waiting for Arthur to join him.
Arthur Finch was the very opposite of him. His usual easy smile and casual air were the same as always even though he had just lost the race. The man grinned even wider as he reached him and pushed his hair away from his face before he pulled his horse to a stop just beside him.
He was a big man himself, though not as big as Morgan was. Not that he would have let that stop him. Unlike his friend, his easy demeanor and charms often left ladies giggling, their fans held up as they batted their eyes at him.
“Well, that was… different,” Arthur said, trying to catch his breath as he studied his friend. “You were really intense today, Reid.”
He reached into his own bag and offered an apple to his horse, patting it just as Morgan had done only seconds ago.
Morgan grunted, not looking at the man. Arthur had a thing for sniffing out his moods and he did not think he was in the mood to talk about it like his friend was wont to do.
“Not speaking, huh? Clearly, something has got your feathers all ruffled. I wonder what it could be,” Arthur continued, not discouraged by his friend’s refusal to answer.
The two had been friends for quite some time and one of the disadvantages of that, something Arthur would indeed consider an advantage, was that he knew how to prod Morgan into giving up whatever information he needed from him.
Morgan had often been helpless against his friend’s intrusion and he doubted that today would be any different. Besides, perhaps he had sought him out today so he could have someone to talk to who would share his views instead of his grandmother and sister who saw no fault in Selina despite her actions.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Morgan grumbled. His friend might be able to coax him into telling him what had him so wound up but that did not mean he had to make it so easy.
“Oh please, Reid. You are competitive but not that competitive. You left me in the dust back there. I had thought we were going to chat while we raced.”
“Perhaps it has more to do with the fact that you are a slow rider and nothing else. You have to admit sometime that I am better than you at riding, Finch,” Morgan allowed a little smirk to settle on his lips.
“Ha! When the day comes, I’ll be sure to say so. Until then, how about you tell me what it is that truly bothers you and stop evading my questions.”
Morgan looked at the man and sighed. No point in delaying what was inevitable. He was bound to tell him sooner or later.
“You are right. It is true that I have something on my mind.” He picked up his reins and rode away from the sparse shade of trees he had stopped underneath while he waited for Arthur to arrive.
