Arabella unceremoniously left and finally headed towards her room. This was definitely going to be a bad day, but she was not looking forward to facing it.
* * *
The time came for time, and Arabella learned from her mistakes. She rang for Winnie. This time, she would have her dinner in her room to avoid any more unpleasant conversations. After all, during dinner there were knives involved, and she was only human.
But before she had the chance to ring for food to be brought to her room, she heard a knock on her door. She had been with Winnie for many years and could read her and her moods very well.
“Come in, Winnie, I was just going to ring you.”
The door opened, but instead of her maid, Gerald walked in. She was so surprised to see him that she audibly gasped.
“That is quite an extreme reaction to seeing your husband, Your Grace,” he had a smirk on his face.
Arabella was holding quite a hefty book, and for the second time today, she felt the urge to hit him with something. She resolved that by dinner, there would be ample other opportunities to do so.
“I believe that we concluded all that was to be said and done today, Your Grace,” she returned to her book, “unless there are more things you donotwant to talk to me about.”
Gerald took the innuendo in stride. Quite literally. He took a few steps and stood before her as she was sitting in her armchair. It was clearly an intimidating tactic, since he was so tall that she had to crane her neck in order to look upon him.
“I came to personally invite you,” he said with an infuriating smile, “for a little stroll before dinner. The sun will be down soon.”
She blinked at him slowly to make sure she heard him correctly. His smug smile never left his face.
“A stroll,” Arabella repeated slowly, setting her book aside with deliberate care. “I see. And should I expect that we will speak during this excursion, or merely admire the scenery in silence?”
“Would you join me for a stroll, Arabella?” he asked and extended his hand at her.
Perhaps it was morbid curiosity, perhaps a good opportunity to scout where she could bury his body after she killed him. The result was that she took his hand and decided to ignore the satisfied look on his face.
She didn’t abandon his hand as they walked out of the room, and not long after that, he added another one on her waist as they were going down the stairs. Arabella was quite suspicious because this was clearly not normal behavior for the Duke. She decided to see where this was going, so she said nothing and, with a cold composure, accepted his escort.
They went outside, and the weather was indeed splendid. It was the first time that Arabella in her life felt so angry at such beautiful weather. If it were slightly chilly or overcast, she could have used that as an excuse to get out of his grasp and back into her room.
“It would be a waste to be inside on such a beautiful evening,” Gerald said.
Arabella decided it was prudent not to give him the satisfaction of being right, so she just kept on walking by his side. And yet she felt the cool air on her skin and the smell of fresh grass calming her nerves. She did not exaggerate when she said that she found the Albury estate utterly magnificent.
“Have you had the chance to visit the maze?” Gerald asked out of the blue.
“I only recently had asked our gardeners to take care of this,” Arabella decided to steer the conversation into estate matters. “I was told that it was quite inaccessible and unused for a time.”
“I believe the restoration is concluded,” Gerald responded with that same smile. “It is not that far; we can visit it now.”
Arabella turned and looked at him, squinting in suspicion. Granted, she didn’t know the Duke for many years to know all of his quirks, but she was sure that the Cruel Duke was not one to enjoy serene walks in his gardens and indulge himself wandering into hedge mazes.
“Is there something on my face, Arabella?” he teased her.
“You are smiling.”
“I have been known to do that from time to time.”
“I did not look at the clock, but I could say that you have been smiling for the past ten minutes at least.”
“I was not aware there was some specific timeframe one was to maintain a pleasant disposition,” he smirked at her.
“For other people, there isn’t such a timeframe,” Arabella bit down. “But for you, anything more than a momentary slip into a smile could be cause for concern. I am inclined to call the doctor.”
Gerald threw his head back and let out a laugh, a sight so rare that Arabella was momentarily stunned. It was the first time she had actually seen him laugh loudly.
