‘Everyone? Who is everyone?’ he asked, unwittingly mimicking her own question to Sarah.
‘The whole house.’
‘I see.’ He paused. ‘I do not wish to sound conceited, but what is it about this that is worrying you? Most women do not mind their name being linked to a duke.’ He screwed his eyes tightly shut. ‘That sounded far more arrogant than I intended.’ He opened his eyes again, regarding her steadily, a hint of amusement and some other emotion lurking in their depths.
‘They think we are going to get married.’ Grace could not understand why he was taking this calmly.
‘Mrs Jacobs also believes that there are fairies living in the woodland, just beyond the north pond. Someone, I think one of her daughters, claims to have heard laughter on the breeze, which only confirms the claim is the absolute truth.’ He grinned, one of his fleeting smiles that lit up his whole face and which were vanishingly rare and always over quickly. ‘I am not overly concerned about rumours that are flying around my house.’
‘You are not cross that everyone thinks you are about to propose marriage to me?’
A strange look passed over his face, one she couldn’t read.
‘I cannot control what people think, and I would not want to even if I could. Trying to stop people speculating about me would be impossible.’ How different he was from Ichabod, and her parents, all three of whom had wanted to manage every aspect of Grace’s life, including what she thought about. ‘Shall we not worry about it?’
‘Just like that?’
That lovely half-smile was back. ‘Just like that,’ he confirmed.
‘Very well,’ she said, although she would definitely be thinking about the rumours far too much later on. It would be impossible not to. It was one thing for his family to tease her about it, but quite another for it to be the subject of the servants’ gossip.
‘Why not come in and meet Daisy? You can tell me the awful secret about yourself while we do so. I think it will make you feel better to tell me. Or you can put it off a little longer, if you wish. I would not recommend it, however. You turn a light shade of green whenever you mention it.’
He would not speak so lightly when he heard what she had to say, but perhaps that was for the best. It would end this idyll and then she could go back to the life she was meant to have, one that did not include staying in houses that were large enough in which to get lost.
The stables were warm, with the sweet smell of fresh straw and the scuff of hooves on the floor. Tobias led the way to the back. Once they were inside, her eyes adjusted to the dark and she was able to see the outlines of the giant animals.
‘You have a lot of horses,’ she said inanely.
‘Some are for riding; others are for pulling carriages.’
‘Do you race?’
‘I do not. It was impressed on me from a young age that I should not take risks with my body. Although I had four younger brothers, ones who could take my place as the duke should I die, they did not have the same strictures put on them, not even Sebastian. My father would have found it a waste of time and energy to train me in the ways of the dukedom and then lose me to a riding accident.’
His dry tone had to be covering some disquiet about the way he had been treated, like his role was more important than his life. ‘What about your mother?’ she asked.
‘I do not really remember her all that well. She was of the opinion that children should be kept in the nursery and be brought to see her in the afternoon, so I probably did not interact with her all that much before she died. I always looked forward to seeing her, but in hindsight, I do not think the same could be said for her. She was often pregnant; perhaps she was tired, or maybe talking to a young boy was not something she felt comfortable doing.’
Yet another reason Tobias probably did not enjoy talking. If his own mother could not be roused to speak enthusiastically with him, then perhaps he thought that no one else would either. Grace’s parents may not have loved her, but they had given her attention. Sometimes too much. A cold indifference was just a different kind of unpleasantness. But it wasn’t simply Tobias’ parents who had raised them. There was also this aunt, who had been some kind of guardian, although it seemed as if she had been merely placed in the house to ensure the young boys had an adult present. It did not appear as if she had nurtured any of them. ‘And this Miss Dunn you all talk about with such loathing, what role did she play?’
If she kept him talking about himself, perhaps she would not have to meet the horse he believed her capable of riding. It also meant she would not be able to talk about her marriage if they were focusing on Tobias’ upbringing. So she was relieved when he said, ‘Miss Dunn was everything a person left in charge of children should not be. I cannot remember if I was close to my brothers before she came into our lives, but by the end of it, I was not. She kept us as separated as possible, locking us in our rooms for the slightest misdemeanour.’
‘That sounds awful,’ she said softly.
‘I was the oldest one. I should have done more to stop her reign of terror earlier. It haunts me that I did not.’
‘You were only a child.’
‘One who had been raised to lead and who should have done so from the very beginning. Before I came of age, the damage to the boys had already been done. Only now, I think, things are improving, but it is my fault that they need to be improved in the first place.’
They’d been walking slowly, but now they came to a stop. ‘I think you are being too hard on yourself.’
‘Perhaps.’ He shrugged. ‘We will never know, because we cannot change the past. I tell you all this, not for your sympathy, but because I want you to know that whatever you tell me cannot be as bad as all that.’
‘Oh, Tobias, it is a lot worse.’
He paused for a second, ‘It will not matter, Grace.’ All around them horses shuffled and snorted; she could not think of anything else to say. After a while, Tobias said, ‘This is Daisy.’
