Page 44 of Manufacturing a Duchess

She saw the Duke, her Duke, relax and smile. He reached out a hand to touch hers. “With pleasure. As long as you address me as Alec.”

“Alec. I should like that.”

“And, Aurora, I should like that too.” There was a pause. Where his fingers touched her hand, her skin felt as though it was sizzling. All too soon, he withdrew his own hand and cleared his throat. “I see you are dressed for riding. Might I accompany you?”

“With pleasure, Alec. I will show you some of my favorite haunts. There are some beautiful prospects around here. And a few spots where we might let our horses loose into a real gallop.”

“Excellent, Aurora. I shall change to my riding boots and meet you in the stables shortly. That is, after we have finished our breakfasts.”

The two settled down to eating, with only a word here or there, until they had finished, and Aurora rose to head directly to the stables, and Alec to return to his room to change his boots.

* * *

His stallion quickly outpaced Aurora’s more sedate mount when they reached a point where they could let their horses go in a headlong gallop. He did not keep his lead long, however, and pulled up, bringing his horse to a slow walk until Aurora could reach them. She did within minutes, eyes dancing and with a few unladylike whoops of sheer exhilaration at the run. She had not firmly fixed her hair into place, and now it streamed down her back, pins scattered between where they had started and where they ended up. She stopped where his horse was now placidly chewing on some grass and watched him hop down. He crossed over to her, held up his arms, and helped her dismount.

“Riding sidesaddle is a total and complete botheration!” she exclaimed.

“With that I heartily agree. I understand the proprieties and niceties of it all, but it is harder to control your horse in that position. You ride well, Miss—Aurora.”

“As do you, Your Gra—Alec. Practically a centaur.” He responded to the teasing note in her voice with a smile. “Shall we walk over there?” She pointed with her crop at a lovely oak tree. “It is one of my favorite places. Ares is used to this spot and will happily chomp his hunger away for a while.”

“Ares?”

Aurora laughed. “I know. He seems quite docile, doesn’t he? I was feeling adventurous when he was given to me as a colt. I had high hopes for a wild, fierce streak. Sweet lamb,” and she gave his side a good rub. Ares turned to look at her and then resumed his meal of the lush grass.

“After you, Aurora.”

Aurora headed directly to one spot which was well padded with a patch of clover and began to sit. Alec rushed to get behind her, took off his coat, and set it down so she had a covering to sit on.

“Thank you, Sir Walter Raleigh. Years of grief on the part of my mother and my nurse and the maids thank you,” she said. “I have always been careless of my skirts when I am out for a ride.” She leaned back a bit, supporting herself on her arms, and looked up at the branches forming a roof above them. Alec seated himself beside her.

“So, this is one of your places?” he asked.

“Yes, I discovered it soon after we moved here—I must have been about ten or eleven. I had a very docile little pony whom I would trot out on walks, with a careful groom following behind me. After a couple of years, I persuaded my father to allow me to be let off the leash, as it were, so I could come by myself. I would bring an apple and a book and sit here for hours. It was always pure heaven; I found it restored me to myself.”

She turned to look at him. “And what is your country like, Alec? Fields? Woods? Glens? I suppose this is tame to you in comparison.”

He took a moment, looking around him. The air was still fresh with the last dew of early morning. The sun was out, and it would clearly be a warm day. Birds were hopping from branch to branch. The whole scene was a bucolic painting by Constable. “Well, yes, I will be forthright: it is lovely, but tame. The prospects at Selkirk are much wilder. More in the Keatsian vein. Or Byronic.” He accompanied this with a raised eyebrow and a leer, which Aurora responded to with a hearty laugh.

“You are a terrible tease, Alec.”

“As are you, Aurora.”

“Then perhaps we are well matched.” She looked at him directly, unsure whether she was appraising him or beseeching him. He returned her gaze. She wrenched her eyes away, realizing she had thrown propriety to the winds yet again and they had no chaperone. The grooms were so used to her going out riding on her own, no one had noticed anything out of the ordinary when she had the lead groom take her horse out of its stall and get it saddled and bridled so she could ride it out of the stable yard. But she was not on her own this time. While this was a lovely spot, they were far from anyone.

Her mother would be horrified. She shuddered to think what Missie would say if she knew.

She took a deep breath and met his eyes again. “I realize we have no groom in attendance. I, I am no forward hussy, sir. Appearances notwithstanding. I am also quite aware of how little I know of the world. I am not good at flirtation. I prefer to be direct in my dealings with those around me. It sounds so miss-ish to say I trust you to be a gentleman. Because I do not believe you would ever do anything I did not want you to do. Or at least, I tell myself that. My naïveté puts me at a disadvantage. But I do wish to become better acquainted with you, to get to know you, before we take our vows, so that we are at least comfortable in each other’s company.”

In response, Alec reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. He did not release it, however, but leaned back against the tree, still holding on to it. Neither spoke. Aurora leaned back against the tree as well, their bodies and arms touching as each sat there. The quiet was soothing, and the comfortableness grew between the two of them. After a few minutes, Alec let go of her hand and reached his arm around her, pulling her in so that her head rested on his shoulder. Time dropped away.

Then Alec began to speak:

“Therefore am I still

A lover of the meadows and the woods

And mountains; and of all that we behold