Chapter Seventeen
The next morning,William returned from breakfast in high spirits. His father had talked about his schooldays at Eton and his time at King’s College, Cambridge. William grinned. “Father liked cricket, but not Latin. He hated porridge too, so he didn’t make me eat it, Jenny. I could choose from any of the dishes. I had bacon, eggs, and sausages. I didn’t like the kidneys. Jeremy brought me toast and pots of jam. I tried three but liked the strawberry best.”
Too much of a good thing, perhaps. She hoped the large meal wouldn’t make William sick while riding, especially if Mr. Irvine permitted another canter. His usual porridge and toast might be improved on, however. She didn’t approve of a bland diet for active children.
With Barbara skipping beside her, Jenny walked with William to the stables. They entered beneath the great arch bearing the Duke’s coat of arms, into the stable yard where Mr. Irvine waited.
Without a murmur of protest, William was mounted on the small gray mare, and he and Irvine walked their horses out of the yard.
Barbara tugged on Jenny’s hand. “Let’s visit Misty.”
Inside the stables, the gray cat sat atop the loose box wall. Barbara reached up to entice her down, but the cat leaped into the straw. A series of tiny mews rose up.
“Look Jenny! Misty has babies,” Barbara cried. “Can I cuddle one?”
Four tiny kittens, two gray, two ginger, yet to open their eyes, nudged Misty’s belly.
“Not yet, Barbara, they are too new. You know, Carrot might be their father.”
Barbara’s blue eyes widened. “Carrot must be sad.”
“He might be. What shall we do?”
“We must bring Carrot back,” Barbara ordered.
“Very well. We’ll go and fetch him. He can come and visit us anytime.”
As they crossed the cobbles, the duke’s cousin, Mr. Forsythe, rounded the corner. “It’s Miss Harrismith, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hello, Barbara.” He bent down to her. “Where is your brother?”
Barbara smiled up at him. “William’s riding. We are going to get Carrot.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Carrot?”
“Carrot is a cat,” she explained.
“Oh? Of course it is, how silly of me. It sounds like an important mission, so I shall say goodbye.” He paused. “I shall come and see William later.”
He walked away. Tall and dark with deep blue eyes, Mr. Forsythe reminded Jenny of the duke, although in her opinion he lacked the duke’s elegance. He seemed perfectly pleasant, but she was determined not to leave him alone with William.
“Pretty!” Barbara pulled away from Jenny, her attention caught by a bright blue butterfly fluttering over the ground, just as Baroness Elsenberg passed by them with a cool glance.
Outside the stable the baroness stood close to Mr. Forsythe. He briefly touched the lock of golden hair resting on her shoulder. It seemed an intimate gesture, and the baroness made no attempt to rebuff him. Their laughter floated across to where Jenny stood.
The butterfly flew away. Jenny turned to leave and found Herr Von Bremen crossing the cobbles. His attention seemed to have been caught by his sister and Mr. Forsythe. He lowered his gaze to Jenny. “Miss Harrismith. We are forever destined to bump into each other.”
“I beg your pardon, sir.” Jenny attempted to slip past him.
“Lord William has gone riding with that man, Irvine?”
“Yes. Mr. Irvine is instructing Lord William in the finer points.”
“I intend to visit the schoolroom this afternoon. William wishes to know more about the Lippiza horses.”
Jenny gave an inward sigh. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased.”
