“Well.” Callie panted, catching her breath as she leaned her hand against the nearest tree. “You do indeed have a beautiful home. What an estate to explore every day.”
“It inspires me.” He looked around the trees. There was a time when it had inspired his poetry, though, for a long time, it had just inspired his wish to work hard and keep this as his home. Now, for the first time in years, he felt inspired to write again. He turned to look back at the woman who had made that change.
Callie dropped down to sit on the nearest falling log. She didn’t care if her gown was muddied, neither did she care where she tossed her bonnet.
“Shall we stay here all day?” she asked.
“Now that is an excellent idea.”
Chapter 9
“Where are we going today then?” Alaina asked as she reached for the horse’s saddle. Marcus moved towards her, offering his hand to help her up into the seat, but Alaina had already lifted herself into the saddle. He looked up at her, his lips parted in wonder. She smiled, rather enjoying this propensity she had to keep surprising him.
“I’m going to see my tenants if you’d like to come along,” Marcus offered.
“I’d love to.” Alaina sat forward in the saddle, eager to get going.
“Thank you, David.” Marcus nodded his head at the stablemaster holding the next horse for him, then climbed up, too.
Alaina looked around for any sign of Caroline but couldn’t see her at all. The night before, Alaina had suffered Caroline’s remonstrations for one hour straight about how she should not have gone off with the duke alone. Alaina planned on not telling her mistress about this particular trip, as neither of them had showed any inclination of asking for a chaperone to come with them.
She turned her focus back to Marcus, who flicked the reins of his horse.
“This way.”
She followed him, hastening the horse to follow close behind him. More than once, he seemed surprised that she was able to stay so near, so he pushed the pair more and more until they were racing down the path, with their horses travelling nose to nose.
When they came to a turn in the path, he pulled up sharply, and she followed, the two of them laughing together.
“You may have narrowly won that race,” he said with an appearance of begrudging reluctance, then chuckled. “Your father taught you to ride like that?”
“No,” she replied automatically, then remembered she was supposed to be a fine lady. “My father’s groomsman instructed me and my maid to ride together. We used to race together in the grounds.” She chose not to add that Caroline had been rather mollycoddled on those rides, though Caro had hated it when she was. Trailing behind her, Alaina had always had to race to catch up, making the horse ready by herself without the groomsman’s help and jumping into the saddle alone.
“Impressive,” Marcus said with an approving nod. “This way. Some of the tenants’ cottages are just around this corner. This is just a hamlet, but there is a village beyond the horizon, and there are farms on the other side of the estate I own, too.”
She followed closely behind him just as the trees parted. A line of six cottages appeared before them, all beautifully kept and well-maintained.
When they reached the first house, people were already emerging. An old farmhand was the first to step out of his home, waving eagerly to Marcus in greeting.
“How are you doing, Tobias?” Marcus called to him.
“Well, very well, Your Grace. And you?” Tobias had stridden forward to take the reins of the horse and steady him so Marcus could step down.
As the two fell into conversation and other people came out to greet the duke, Alaina looked around, eagerly taking in the scene. Back at the earl’s estate, there was a big line between the tenants and the master of the land, but here, that line didn’t seem to exist very much. Marcus talked with the tenants with ease, and they spoke back eagerly, addressing him with respect at all times but still unafraid to speak to him.
Alaina paused on her horse, her eyes tracing Marcus’ face as he laughed with a young tenant. He was somehow even more handsome here, to her mind. The kindness he showed the people was evident as he started asking about the houses and if there was anything the tenants needed.
Alaina slipped down off her horse and wrapped the reins around the nearest fence post. Rather than going to interrupt Marcus with the other men, she wandered over to where a group of women stood, watching on and speaking amongst themselves. As she neared them, a young girl stepped out, no taller than Alaina’s hip; she laid a hand on Alaina’s fine skirt.
“No, no, Rowan.” A panicked mother ran forward and snatched the girl’s hand away. “I am so sorry, My Lady.” The mother curtsied twice and blushed the colour of a beetroot. “She is still too young to understand.”
“What? Oh, please don’t worry.” Alaina laughed off the matter and then knelt, unafraid to get her skirt in the earth. “What do you think? Do you like it?” she addressed the girl, holding up some of the hem for the girl to admire. The girl smiled eagerly and stepped forward once again, running her fingers over the patterned material.
“Beautiful,” she whispered.
Behind the girl, her mother was now smiling in surprise.
“I’m Lady … Caroline,” Alaina said hurriedly, remembering to introduce herself with this name. “But you can call me Callie. What’s your name?” she asked the girl.
