“It is a beautiful day for a ride,” Duke Vaughn said as he walked back into the stables. “Will you join me?”
“Of course, Your Grace,” Dietrich said, nodding as he finished saddling the duke’s horse. “I was about to take Turnip for a ride anyway.”
He’d just have to take a different horse if he went to Eldenwilde this afternoon.
Was Ella learning much from Beatrice, or was she simply trying to blend in and not cause trouble? He could see her doing both. It seemed just like her to avoid being a bother, and if she thought she was getting in Beatrice’s way, he had no doubt she’d hide to avoid it. She seemed very concerned with making sure she was never in the way.
“Where would you like to go, Your Grace?” Dietrich asked as he and the duke mounted their horses. “Toward town or away from it?”
“Away, please,” the duke said quickly. “I just need a moment to clear my head.”
Dietrich could understand that. “Of course,” he said.
They left the castle and made their way out. Dietrich found himself leading the duke toward a small clearing in the forest to the north.
He had taken the late duchess and her daughter there for picnics more than once when he was a small child. His father brought him to work fairly often—probably to keep him out of his mother’s hair—and he’d tagged along on enough picnics that the duchess had been willing to follow him to the clearing.
But the duke had never come with them, so he wouldn’t recognize what this place was—or how painful the memory might be for Dietrich.
The duke didn’t need to be burdened with Dietrich’s grief.
Dietrich had discovered this clearing with his father while exercising horses one day. After sharing it with Eliana and the duchess, and then losing all three of them, he hadn’t been back since.
Now that he had found Ella…it seemed like a good opportunity to revisit the place that held so many memories.
“This is beautiful,” the duke said as they stopped in the field full of wildflowers and let the horses graze for a moment. Dietrich dismounted and walked over to take the duke’s reins so he could also dismount.
“I did not expect how difficult it would be to be back,” the duke said after a moment. “I knew it would be, but I wasn’t expecting this.”
Dietrich nodded. He could have said something that might make a difference, but Ella had asked him not to.
He could only hope that when the duke found out Dietrich had known this whole time, he wouldn’t lose his job. If he were in the duke’s position and learned his stable master had been hiding the truth, he’d be furious.
“It must be a relief to have your family with you,” Dietrich said quietly.
Duke Vaughn smiled. “Yes, they are the greatest blessing in my life. I am so thankful the Creator blessed me with a second chance. I only wish I could have had more time with my first family.”
The words burned on the tip of Dietrich’s tongue, but he held them back.
Ella had asked him not to say anything, and he didn’t want to betray her confidence.
But it took everything in him to keep quiet.
“I seem to recall you went with my wife and Eliana on picnics when you were a boy,” the duke said. “Perhaps you would take Colette and Celeste to the same place. I would love for them to have that connection to their older sister.”
Dietrich nodded gravely. He would bring Colette and Celeste here—and perhaps their older sister too. It might even spark a memory for Ella.
“I would like that very much,” Dietrich said.
“Thank you, Dietrich,” the duke said, turning to him with a smile. “I was very glad when you stepped up to take the role your father held. It was a relief knowing you were taking care of things here, except for when you visited us in Riyel. You know, the girls still claim you’re their favorite person.”
Dietrich grinned. “They are two of mine, Your Grace. I appreciate you allowing me to spend time with them.”
“Of course,” the duke said. “You are an asset to our estate, and I am grateful for your service.”
“And I am grateful for the employment,” Dietrich said, causing the duke to laugh.
“I can imagine,” the duke said, his voice booming across the meadow. “We should return the horses. I’m sure you have other things to do with your time.”
