“That is not a day that I am looking forward to. I want Father to live a long, fruitful life.”
“I am not sure how much longer he will survive after Mother is gone,” Octavia said. “She is his whole world. I have never met two people that have loved each other so fiercely.”
Fredrick looked off into the distance before saying, “It is a rare love, indeed. I just don’t see myself ever settling down.”
Octavia nudged his arm with her elbow. “I have many friends that I could introduce you to—”
He spoke over her. “No, thank you. If I do marry, it will be on my terms.”
The way he said that caused her pause. What terms were those? But before she could ask him what he meant, the server approached with a small cloth bag.
“Here is your bag of dry sweetmeats,” he said.
Fredrick removed a coin from his waistcoat pocket and handed it to the server. “Thank you,” he responded as he accepted the bag.
Octavia held her hand out. “May I hold the bag?”
“Of course,” Fredrick replied.
As she placed the cloth bag in her lap, she untied the string and removed a piece of dry sweetmeat. She then plopped one of the cherry treats into her mouth.
Fredrick chuckled. “I thought those were for Mother,” he teased.
“I just had to make sure they weren’t poisonous,” Octavia replied as she savored the treat. “Luckily, they are not. Now I have no reservations about giving these to Mother.”
Reaching for the reins, Fredrick said, “We better get home before you eat all of those and Mother is left with nothing.”
“That is for the best,” Octavia agreed.
Chapter Two
The fog hung low to the ground as Harred raced his horse in the woodlands of Hyde Park. It was dangerous to do so but he just wanted to feel something. He had spent his life doing precisely what was expected of him, but he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now that his father was gone.
His father had been his constant supporter and he always knew he had someone to fall back on. But that was in the past. Now he had no one. He was all alone. His brother was useless and an utter drain on his finances.
He wondered if he would ever be able to live up to his father’s legacy. Or would he fail? That mere deprecating thought of failure kept him going. He couldn’t give up and lose everything his father had worked so hard to obtain.
His father had been a champion of the poor and fought for them in the House of Lords. Through his influence, he had been able to pass many bills that alleviated their suffering. Harred wanted to continue his father’s work, but no one would throw their support behind him. He may be a peer but there was a hierarchy to these things. And he was at the bottom.
He wasn’t happy right now, but he didn’t know if thatwould ever change. How could it? His entire life was mapped out. People’s livelihoods depended on him and he was so afraid of disappointing everyone, including himself.
As he neared the edge of the woodlands, a rider jumped the hedge and startled his horse, causing it to rear up. He tumbled off the back of his horse and landed on the hard ground.
“This is what my life has become,” he mumbled to himself as he laid on his back, staring up at the sky. Could anything go his way? Or was he destined to have bad luck?
The rider approached on her mare and he was able to make out a young woman with dark hair that was tucked under her riding hat.
“Are you all right, sir?” she asked, reining in her horse near him.
Harred wanted to unleash his sharp tongue and tell her what he was really thinking, but as he opened his mouth, his mind went blank. In front of him was a beautiful lady that had delicate features, a straight nose, and lips that were begging to be kissed. He thought he was the type of man to not be beguiled by a pretty face, but he realized he was wrong in thinking so. He was truly, and utterly, captivated.
Knowing that she was still waiting for a response, he replied, “I will live.”
“Is anything broken?” she asked, concern etched on her features.
“I don’t believe so.” Harred sat up and saw that his horse was a short distance away. At least his stallion hadn’t abandoned him.
The young woman gave him an apologetic look. “I am sorry about startling your horse. My brother and I race through here often and we have never seen another soul before. If I had known we weren’t alone, I would have been more attentive.”
