It was hardly satisfying, but Charlotte would have to take it because she knew that nothing more sincere would be offered to her.
“If you would move, Lady Charlotte, I would appreciate the opportunity to rise from the ground,” he said, looking at his surroundings. Charlotte had forgotten for a moment that they were still horizontal.
His strength twitched beneath her as his muscles prepared to lift him from the ground. Charlotte slipped off of him and rose to her feet. The lower part of her dress was caked in mud. He groaned as he stood upright, shaking his head as he examined his condition.
“Is it bad?” he asked, turning around, craning his head to try to look at his back. It was covered in mud.
“You may need to order some clothes to replace these,” Charlotte replied.
Nathaniel then bent down and picked something up. It was a ball. Amid the fall and the tension of being with him, Charlotte had completely forgotten about it. Nathaniel lifted it as a trophy and grinned.
“There, I told you I would find it before you.”
Charlotte stared at him with disbelief etched on her face and shook her head. She turned and headed back up the slope, leaving the gentle pond behind. The ducks continued swimming happily while Nathaniel trudged behind her, tossing the ball in the air.
“You should be careful with that. You might drop it again, and this time, I’m not going to look for it with you.”
“You’re only a hindrance anyway,” he replied.
Charlotte glared at him, everything within her growing tenser, as though she were a toy that was being wound up. The most frustrating thing, however, was that her heart was racing and her thoughts kept flitting back to that moment where their bodies were hurled together.
He should not have this power over me, and yet he does. How can I defend myself against him?
Late in the afternoon, between the game and dinner, Nathaniel invited Alfred to join him for a ride. Nathaniel had changed his clothes since his tumble in the long grass, although there was still an edge to his mood.
In some ways, he believed he had gotten the better of Charlotte, but then he would think of the weight of her body pressed against him, how his hands were naturally tempted to embrace her, how the sweet warmth of her breath was like a summer’s wind, and he was troubled.
She should not have had this effect on him, he thought. There was a strange aura around her that made creatures and peopleenamored of her. He had seen her detailed notebook. Was it possible that she used an herbal concoction to elicit such results?
He had heard tales of such a thing before, although it seemed far-fetched to him. But here, he was faced with something that his usual infallible logic failed to explain, so he was forced to reach for possibilities he would usually dismiss out of hand.
Alfred was waiting for him at the stables. Bastion was ready, shaking his mane and tapping his hoof against the ground. Alfred was riding a dappled horse called Hermes. Alfred grinned.
“I’m surprised you have the energy to ride after that spirited game today, brother,” he said.
Nathaniel grimaced.
“I believe a ride will clear my head. And I wouldn’t want Bastion to become indolent.”
“I’m sure that won’t happen.”
They both mounted their horses and trotted away from the estate. At least there was no chance of running into Charlotte out here, Nathaniel thought.
He and Alfred broke into a faster trot, although they did not race. They rode alongside each other, the path wide enough to accommodate them both. Meadows stretched into the horizon,and the air shimmered as though it too was enjoying the light before it faded.
“Have you got good news for me?” Alfred asked.
“Hm?”
“About the marriage. I hoped you brought me out here to give me your blessing.”
“I have not decided yet.”
Alfred looked visibly deflated. His features became ashen, and then they hardened.
“I must be honest with you, brother. I don’t like this.”
“It is not a matter of whether you like it or not. This is just the way things have to be. It is tradition.”
