She nodded. As she let her little sister go. “Exactly, which means I must be on my way now.” She could hear her mother in the background calling for the maid. “You’ll behave yourself while I am gone?”
Groaning, Lacey leaned into her. “I must stay back here all alone in the great big house? How devastatingly dull. Must I stay here forever?”
“I took you on a stroll this morning,” Isla reminded her.
“There isn’t much to do once you’re in a carriage,” Ronan chimed in to her surprise. “We’ll only be talking. Surely you have better things to do than talk?”
“That’s just it. I don’t get to do much of anything. Even though I can hardly see, it’s just awful to never explore any place new. I don’t get to feel the sun on my face or smell new smells or hear the thrilling traffic of the city,” Lacey sighed dramatically.
Oh dear, so that’s what she is doing.
“Now, Lacey, perhaps another time,” she started.
But her sister was throwing her arms around her while giving her the saddest pout possible. “I will never have a chance to live half a normal life all cooped up in here. What is there to be done? Am I lost cause, Isla? Westvale?”
The little runt! I cannot believe she is attempting to wheedle her way into this. Why isn’t Mother stopping this? I actually wish for private time with the duke and now Lacey is trying to finagle her way in. She is transfixed by him. Just because he is handsome and generous doesn’t mean he will… Oh dear.
When Isla looked up, believing he will politely decline and usher Isla right out, she was stunned to find the opposite.
The duke was smiling. He was trying not to, clearly, but the fight wasn’t going according to any sort of plan. Clearing his throat, he fiddled with his hat before meeting her gaze. Warmth spread through her chest as they shared a silent moment. She couldn’t resist returning the smile. Then he shrugged and she knew the plans had to change.
“I suppose you can join us this time,” Isla said at last. Before she could say more, her sister was cheering and racing off for her bonnet. “I’m so sorry, Your Grace.”
“Ronan,” he quietly corrected her. His eyes trailed after Lacey for a moment with a gentle expression she hadn’t seen before. “I don’t mind. She’s a spirited girl and I would hate to break her heart.”
She shook her head. “She would forgive you, believe you me.”
They would merely have to have their serious conversation later. It only took a few minutes for the new lady’s maid, Doreen, to bring her a bonnet and gloves. Then Lacey appeared with her new gloves and soon Ronan was helping them into the carriage.
He sat down beside her facing backwards. For some reason she hadn’t thought this would happen. The carriage was comfortable and a fair size, but Ronan was a large man. Their thighs touching was inevitable.
Swallowing hard, Isla tried to ignore the warmth as Ronan shifted to get comfortable. Then he rapped on the carriage forthem to take off. As they started down the avenue, Lacey was busy squealing so Isla took a moment to admire the carriage.
Very good cushions and fine springs. It was sturdy and simple with a few marks that proved what high quality this carriage had to be made of. She would have thought they would take a barouche or something else open-aired for such a nice day. The limited windows would only allow so much light in. She opened her mouth to ask but Lacey beat her to asking questions.
“How many carriages do you have, Westvale?”
“Two. I find that to be satisfactory.”
Lacey scrunched her nose. “What if you need more? This one has a roof. Do you have any that don’t have a roof? What about a curricle? Have you any of those?”
“No, those are dangerous for the road.” The stern tone he gave surprised Isla as well as Lacey who stared his way for a moment.
But that hardly deterred the girl. “Very well. I can hardly see any shadows here so you must describe everything to me. Please. Will you?”
Ronan glanced at Isla before he said aloud, “Very well. What shall I describe to you?”
“I don’t know. The first stranger you see out there?”
Turning his head from them, Ronan fixed a curtain before looking out. It wasn’t a great angle for Isla to watch him. All she could see was his chin and the way it curved so nicely above his cravat. She could smell him here, that apple scent Lacey had even noticed. Was it truly apples, Isla wondered, or simply something similar?
“There is a fellow who has seen at least three times as many years as I have,” the duke drawled. “He is leading a little dog on a leash and they’re both wearing a violent amount of ruffles around their necks. The dog has more hair than he does. It’s a warm day but they’ve been out too long, I believe, because they’re both panting. I don’t think they’re enjoying their stroll any longer.”
Isla’s eyes widened at his description. She was surprised by the detail and storytelling of it all. He clearly noticed more than he ever said.
“Oho!” Lacey clasped her hands together. “How nicely put. Another if you please! Do describe the nearest carriage.”
“It’s a ghastly shade of orange meant for autumn and yet not meant for anything at all. The rims are a faded gold, which means it was top quality at some point. Judging by the way it bounces, however, it has seen better days. And much better construction,” Ronan added in a low tone. His hands clenched into fists on his lap, a tiny detail Isla caught.
