Page 25 of Her Wily Duke

Chapter Ten

As Christmas approached, Emme became more and more convinced that she was a fool, for, whilst Adam collected her and took her to Foxridge Park, and then drove her home again, beyond teasing her a little, he showed no real sign that he cared for her. In contrast, her care for him was ever increasing, and she suspected that she was coming to love him.

Nonetheless, she treasured the time that she had with him, especially in contrast to the time she was forced to spend with his brother. The Duke continued to seek her out, to stand and watch her lessons with Lady Caroline, and to all but demand that she take tea with him in his study once the lesson was completed, each time. The conversations she had with him over tea became more and more stilted, as she struggled to find anything to say in response to the things he thought worth talking about.

He was inclined to attempt to take her arm when walking from the Music Room to his study, and to stand far too close for her comfort. She gently and carefully avoided his touch, but did not ever deny his requests for her company, for fear that she might lose her position – and in doing so, be put in a situation where she might never see Adam again, except from a distance, as he went about his business in the local area. She had discussed the problem with her father again, but he had no solution for her.

The ‘Masked Rider’s’ depredations continued, and the now monthly journey to the bank had become a time of fear for the Foxridge Park servants. There were some rumours in the village, which suggested that there had been robberies in other areas, of other people’s carriages, but no one had any real detail. Which meant that a cloud of fear hung over the countryside, like a pall of smoke – insubstantial, and yet affecting everyone. The only positive in it all was that those most in need were still sometimes finding that packages of money would appear, out of nowhere, allowing them to pay their rent, and still put food on the table.

No one discussed it in any detail, almost as if fearing that if they spoke of it, it would cease to happen. But still, every so often, a whisper would go around the village, letting others know that their secret benefactor was still somewhere nearby, and acting to help them.

It made Christmas a subdued season, all the more so because this was the second Christmas since the old Duke’s death, and bid to be even more grim and miserable than the first one, for by now, all viewed their current Duke as a highly unreasonable and unkind man. But, as a gift to herself, Emme allowed herself, on Christmas Day, to dream, to imagine what it would be like, if Adam was Duke, not his brother. Perhaps, if that were true, then there would be baskets from the Duke for the servants, farmers, and villagers, as there had been when she was a child. Everyone had looked forward to those, so very much. She had gone to bed on Christmas night holding that image in her mind, even knowing that there was no possibility that the following day would bring anything of the sort.

Now, as she sat with her father on Boxing Day, the mid-afternoon winter sun bringing just a little brightness through their parlour curtains, she sighed, wondering if things would ever get better whilst this current Duke lived. If it was to be as it seemed to her, then they were all facing many miserable years ahead. She sipped her tea, and went back to reading her book, while her father was making notes on some new music that he had received by mail recently.

After a short while, their peace was disturbed by the unexpected sound of a carriage drawing up outside. They both lifted their heads, meeting each other’s eyes, startled.

Emme stood, intending to go to the window, but almost immediately, there came a knock on the front door. Curious, she went to open it, her father following her.

The sight which greeted her might have come straight out of her dreams.

Adam stood there, a large basket in his arms. Behind him, she could see Wiggins standing by the large carriage, talking to the coachman, and through the open door of the carriage, there were visible many, many, boxes and baskets. But it was Adam who drew her attention. The wintry sun cast his face into bright sharpness, and made it even more obvious just how handsome he was. She swallowed, her heart pounding, suddenly utterly unsure what to say. Her father filled the silence.

“Lord Whitewell! This is most unexpected. Please, do come in.”

Adam shook his head, and pushed the basket forward, so that Emme could do nothing but take it from him. For a moment, as she did, their fingers brushed, and it was as if lightning had struck her in that spot. Heat rushed up her arm, and a blush came to her face.

“Please, take this gift. I know that the Duke was lax in this matter last year, and I wanted to make sure that everyone received what they should this year. I have many others to take baskets to, so I won’t accept your generous invitation today – I must be away, if we are to get everything delivered. I hope that you enjoy this.”

With that, he bowed, and turned to leave.

“Thank you…”

She spoke, finally, but he was already back to the carriage, and most likely didn’t hear her. She stood and watched as they drove away, down the road to the next cluster of houses, then turned, the large basket in her arms, and met her father’s eyes. He gently tugged at her arm, pulling her back into the house, and shut the door.

“Well, my girl, that was a very nice surprise, wasn’t it? Bring that into the parlour, and let’s discover what’s inside. I think that a Christmas treat might be just the thing to cheer us up!”

*****

As they drove away from Emme’s house, Adam smiled to himself, well pleased with how the day was going. He would have liked to stop and speak with her, and her father, for longer, simply to be in her company, but he had not – for he owed it to the people who were dependent on Foxridge Park to make certain that he reached all of them in the day. At almost every house, the people were shocked and pleased that he was doing what the nobility had always done, and being generous to the tenants and villagers on the estate. The fact that, last year while he had been away, Frederick had not bothered to do this, was something which had made Adam overwhelmingly angry.

Now, at least, he was righting that wrong.

Multiple people had said to him that the food in those baskets was what would get them through, without starvation – that, and the Wily Black Fox’s ‘contributions’ as the villagers put it, in conspiratorial and hushed tones. He thought about that, all through the day, and was still mulling it over as he finally returned home after darkness had fallen.

Late that night, when he finally went to his bed, as Walham assisted him into his night attire, he spoke, so softly that it was barely audible.

“I think that I can say that my desperate plan is working, Walham, perhaps far better than I ever expected it to. But it’s not enough.”

“Indeed, my Lord, I think that you are correct, although it’s a pity that it was ever necessary.”

“That’s very true. All we can do is hope that it won’t be necessary much longer. I must find more ways to improve things.”

*****

As December became January, and the bitter weather eased a little, oddly enough, the highwayman was seen less often, and there were less rumours about him robbing in other areas too. The Duke was still furious about it all, and still as completely unable to discover the identity of the man who, as he said, ‘made a fool of him every few weeks’.

He had reduced the frequency of the bank withdrawals, and had begun to use the money from the rents received to send off in small increments to pay his creditors, instead of using it to repair the tenant cottages, as was desperately needed. But still, one in three of the carriages transporting funds were robbed, Including those attempting to take funds to pay off the Duke’s debts.