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After five years at Belgrave, Grace had become, if not accustomed, then at least aware of just what could be accoreat deal of money Nonetheless, even she was amazed at how quickly their travel plans fell into place Within three days a private yacht had been reserved to ferry them fro as necessary, apparently - until they were ready to return to England
One of Thoe for their stay Grace had felt nothing but pity for the poor man as he was forced to listen to - and then repeat, twice - the dowager’s copious and highly detailed instructions She herself was used to the dowager’s ways, but the secretary, accusto with a far more reasonable employer, looked nearly ready to cry
Only the best of inns would do for such a traveling party, and of course they would expect the finest set of rooms in each establishment
If the rooms were already reserved, the innkeepers would have to eer told Grace that she liked to send soive the innkeepers a bit of notice so they could find alternate accoht it would have been ive the boot to people whose only crier, but all she could do was offer the poor secretary a sye her ways, and besides, she’d already launched into her next set of instructions, which pertained to cleanliness, food, and the preferred dimensions of hand towels
Grace spent her days dashing about the castle, preparing for the voyage and passing along ies, since the other three inhabitants seeer was as surly and rude as ever, but now there was an underlying layer of giddiness that Grace found disconcerting The dowager was excited about the upcoh to leave even the er was never excited about anything
Pleased, yes; satisfied, often (although un satisfied was a far more frequent emotion) But excited? Grace had never witnessed it
It was odd, because the dowager did not seem to like Mr Audley very well, and it was clear that she respected him not at all And as for Mr Audley - he returned the sentiard It seeht have been fast friends had they not met under such strained circus with the dowager were frank and direct, Mr Audley was er when in her company, always ready with a co when she caught his secret smile
There was always a secret smile And it was always for her
Even now, just thinking about it, she found herself hugging her arainst her heart When he s to be seen It landed upon her like a kiss, and her body responded in kind - a little flip in her stomach, pink heat on her cheeks She maintained her composure, because that hat she’d been trained to do, and she even ed her own sort of reply - the tiniest of curves at the corners of her aze She knew he saw it, too He saw everything He liked to play at being obtuse, but he had the keenest eye for observation she had ever known
And all through this, the dowager pressed forward, single-minded in her deterive it to Mr Audley When the dowager spoke of their upco journey, it was never if they found proof, it hen they found it Already she had begun to plan how best to announce the change to the rest of society
Grace had noticed that she was not particularly discreet about it, either What was it the dowager had said just the other day - right in front of Tho to redraw endless contracts to reflect the proper ducal naht that anything he’d signed while duke was legally binding
Grace had thought Tho her on the spot Indeed, all he said was,
"It will hardly bebow in the dowager’s direction, he left the room
Grace was not sure why she was so surprised that the dowager did not censor herself in front of Thomas; it wasn’t as if she’d shown a care for anyone else’s feelings before But surely this qualified as extraordinary circuht be hurtful to stand in front of Thoo about his public humiliation
And as for Tho too much, and when he wasn’t closeted in his study, he stalked about the house like a moody lion Grace tried to avoid him, partly because he was in such poor te, so unconscionably disloyal for liking Mr Audley so well
Which left hi too much time with him She knew it but could not seem to help herself And it really wasn’t her fault The dowager kept sending her on errands that put her in his sphere
Liverpool or Holyhead - which port er still refused to call hi Cavendish) would know
What ht they expect from the weather? Find Jack and ask his opinion
Could one obtain a decent pot of tea in Ireland? What about once they’d left the environs of Dublin? And then, after Grace had reported back with Yes and for God’s sake (aain to detere a tea’s quality
It was al to ask him this It should have been, but by that point they were bursting out laughing just at the sight of each other It was like that all the time now He would smile And then she would smile And she was reminded just how much better she liked herself when she had reason to ser had ordered her to find hih Ireland, which Grace found odd, since she would have thought the dowager had worked that out by then
But she was not about to coer’s presence and placed her in Mr Audley’s
" Jack," she whispered to herself He was Jack His na and carefree
John was far too staid, and Mr Audley too forh she had not allowed herself to say it aloud to him, not since their kiss
He had teased her about it - he always teased her about it He’d prodded and cajoled and told her she iven name or he would not respond, but she remained steadfast Because once she did, she was afraid she could never go back And she was already so perilously close to losing her heart forever
It could happen It would happen if she let it She had only to let go She could close her eyes and ihter
But not here Not at Belgrave, with him as the duke
She wanted Sillsby back Not the house, since that could never be, but the feeling of it The coarden that her mother had never been too i roo roo that had to be described with a color or a fabric or a location within the building She wanted to read by the fire with her husband, pointing out bits that a when he did the same
That hat she wanted, and when she had the courage to be honest with herself, she knew that she wanted it with him
But she wasn’t often honest with herself What was the point? He didn’t knoho he was; how could she knohat to drea her heart in armor until she had an answer Because if he was the Duke of Wyndharave was, Jack much preferred to spend time out of doors, and now that his mount had been transferred to the Wyndha in joy over the endless carrots and warm acco
Not that this was so very far from his prior routine; Jack usually found hi The difference was that before he’d been going so from somewhere Noas out and about for sport, for constitutional exercise Strange, the life of a gentleanized behavior, and not, as the rest of society got it, through an honest day’s work
Or a dishonest one, as the case often was
He was returning to the house - it was difficult to call it a castle, even though that’s what it was; it always rave, feeling invigorated by the soft bite of the wind over the fields
As he walked up the steps to thefor a glihly unlikely she’d be out of doors He was always hoping for a gliht of hertickle and fizz within his chest Half the time she did not even see hio about her duties But if he stared long enough - and he always did; there was never any good reason to place his eyes anywhere else - she always sensed hile, or obscured in shadows, she felt his presence, and she’d turn
He always tried to play the seducer then, to gaze at her with s intensity, to see if she’ddesire
But he never did Because all he could do, whenever she looked back at hiusted with himself, except that she always smiled in return, which never failed to turn the tickle and fizz into so even more bubbly and carefree
He pushed open the door to Belgrave’s front hall, pausing for a moment once he was inside It took a few seconds to adjust to the abrupt lack of wind, and indeed, his body gave an unproave hilance about the hall, and indeed, he was rewarded for his diligence
"Miss Eversleigh!" he called out, since she was at the far end of the long space, presuer’s ridiculous errands
"Mr Audley," she said, sed off his coat (presumably purloined fro, as always, at how the servants seemed to materialize from nowhere, always at the exact moment they were needed
Soh to his military days to appreciate this
Grace reached his side before he had even pulled off his gloves "Have you been out for a ride?" she asked
"Indeed It’s a perfect day for it"
"Even with all the wind?"
"It’s best ind"
"I trust you were reunited with your horse?"
"Indeed Lucy and I make a fine tea"
She blinked with curiosity, but not, strangely, surprise "You na a bit of dra in the retelling"
In truth, it involved drink, three separate wagers, and a propensity for the contrary that he was not certain he was proud of
"I ay, just a statement of fact
"By choice or circumstance?"
"A bit of both," she replied, and she looked a bit curious, as if she’d never thought to ask herself that question
"You shall have to join me sometime"
She smiled ruefully "I hardly think that falls within the scope of er"