“Begging your pardon, Your Grace but I know the care of…” the owner began, whipping his cap from his head as he approached.
“You don’t,” Winston said coldly. “Name your price, and I’ll take the animal off your hands.”
“Well, as to that now…I…” the man stammered.
“Take it up with my stable manager. His name is Hannay,” Winston said dismissively, walking towards Adeline.
The smile had gone. His face was a thundercloud once more. He left the farmer he had reprimanded in his wake, scratching his head and consulting his fellows on the subject of how much they should ask for. Adeline emerged from behind the stall.
“That was…magnificent!” she said, in simple awe. “I have never seen the like.”
“A gentleman should always know horses,” Winston said, offering his arm.
Adeline followed, every step trembling with the memory of his arms around her. Of the sight of his calm authority. An authority over her, over the people of the village. Over wild, uncontrollable nature itself. The fair began to reassert itself, the people filling the street once more. But now there were whispers in Winston’s wake. Eyes watched him when they thought he was not looking. Watched Adeline.
How far will that story travel, I wonder? The Duke who tamed a maddened horse and then bought it from the owner to spare it any more incompetent treatment.
A cold sensation in her stomach accompanied the thought that it might reach her father. Might travel that far and through the gin that addled his senses. Might prompt him to reach out for her. Would Winston protect her as he had protected her from the horse? Would he put himself between her and danger?
The idea made her weak at the knees. She tried to put it from her mind, but Winston’s proximity made it difficult. Louisa appeared, holding a toffee apple and Cordelia’s arm.
“What was that commotion?” Cordelia asked.
“Nothing. A horse got loose,” Winston said, flatly.
“His Grace calmed a maddened animal that was about to run amuck,” Adeline fleshed out his bare bones account.
Winston glared at her and she smiled back.
“Gosh, how exciting! I am sorry I missed it. Will you tell me what happened, Papa?” Louisa said.
“There really is nothing to tell. It was an everyday sort of occurrence,” Winston insisted, resuming his walk through the fair.
“Your Papa was very heroic,” Adeline told Louisa. “He took control when the animal’s owner was floundering and saved a great deal of injury and possibly loss of life simply by showing kindness and compassion to the poor creature.”
Winston growled. “It is easy to show kindness to an animal as magnificent as that. And to show contempt for the idiots who had mistreated it. I care about animals. Not people.”
“Yet, the story will go out from here of the heroic Duke who saved his people,” Adeline pointed out.
“Spread by gossip and more idiots.”
“Iwill gladly repeat it.”
“As I said,” Winston said, quite deliberately.
Now Adeline glared at him.
Prickly is not the word. It is as though he realizes he has given something away and tries even harder to push me…to push everyone away. Dash him and his thorns. And his walls.
“Now, now, children. Play nicely,” Cordelia said. “Come along, Louisa. Let us find a stall selling corn dollies. I learned how to make them when I was younger than you. It infuriated my governess.”
“If you dislike me, then simply say so,” Adeline said once Cordelia and Louisa were out of earshot.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Winston walked on.
“I did not ask to come to your house. I was quite happy with my role at Briarwood. Circumstances dictated that…”
“So, you did not set the fire in order to relocate to Greystone and be close to a Duke?” Winston demanded insolently.
