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“Is it not challenging to oversee that army, though?”
She asked an astute question, proving to James that she was a deeper thinker than most of her peers.
“It would be if not for a few key employees in whom I can place my almost complete trust.”
Again her lips twitched, but her gaze was serious. “Does it ever feel like too much?”
James found himself blinking in surprise over her question and his reaction to it.
“Do you ever wish your father had been a baron? Or even a farmer?”
He smiled as he considered her question.
“To be perfectly frank, while it is a great deal of work, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Or at least nothing I have yet encountered or considered. Very profitable baronies are even rarer than dukedoms. And while I enjoy mucking around in my stables from time to time, I do not think the life of a farmer would be for me.”
She nodded slightly. “But as you said, you haven’t really considered it.”
Once again, the duke laughed. It seemed as though Lady Rosabel wanted him to contemplate throwing away his service to the Crown for the bucolic joys of the countryside. He had never enjoyed a drive in the park more. Not that he made time for such dalliance often, but it had certainly never been so enjoyable. In fact, James couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so much. Not even with Crossley. It seemed there was always too much weight on the duke’s shoulders for him to be able to enjoy himself. Or he found his companions insipid. Neither was the case that day. His companion was certainly far from insipid. And he had arranged things sufficiently that he needn’t begrudge the time that he was away from his responsibilities.
He hadn’t been lying when he told the lady one must employ reliable people. If not for his secretary and clerks, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep his mind, let alone accomplish anything. He occasionally thought having a mate would be of help, but then he considered it would be just one more responsibility. And then there would be children. He almost shuddered at the thought. Perhaps once he had a little more experience. The thought drifted through his mind only to be dismissed.
He had been training to be duke since birth and had actually been in the role for nearly a decade. If he wasn’t experienced sufficiently by now, he never would be. And he ought not to be out driving with a young lady if he didn’t think to be securing the lineage any time soon. He knew before he had even extended the invitation that this drive would be considered the signal that he was in the market for a duchess. His front foyer was probably already littered with invitations, and they hadn’t even been an hour away from the Sherton townhouse.
He stifled his sigh. He quite liked the lady at his side. But he was nowhere near ready to declare himself. He hoped the pressure she was about to face wasn’t going to be too much for her.Ought he to ask her?
Even though they were on a quieter lane rather than the main thoroughfare of the park, they were attracting a great deal of attention from the other passersby. From the expression on her face, he would almost think Rosabel hadn’t noticed. But she had already proven how very astute she was so, he doubted it was a case of not having noticed.
“Are you comfortable with the level of interest we seem to have attracted?” he finally asked.
“Not in the least,” she answered with a slight smile and a nod of her head.
“Did you not realize this might happen if you were to go driving with me?”
“I was fairly certain it would.” The cheerful expression on her face was belied by the doom-filled tone of her voice as she admitted as much.
“Then why did you not send one of your footmen to decline my invitation?”
“I knew when you invited me what the consequence would be. There are always consequences, Your Grace. Mine were either this or facing my mother.”
“And you would rather face the hordes than your mother?” James was rather surprised that she would decide in his favour if she hadn’t actually wanted to be seen with a duke.
“Youhavemet the Countess of Sherton, have you not?” Her dry tone brought another chuckle from James.
“I see your point.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Well, there’s nothing much for it, then. We might as well enjoy ourselves, since we’re sure to be gossiped about either way.”
A genuine smile split her face, and James felt as though the sun had burst forth upon him even though it had already been a fairly pleasant day. He almost had to blink from its brilliance.
“How do you propose we go about enjoying ourselves even more, Your Grace? I had been quite enjoying your company, I must say. You might be the most reasonable gentleman I’ve conversed with this month.”
James was almost distracted by the latter part of her statement, but he wanted to answer the first part before he basked in the second.
“I say, let’s return to the carriage and then drive through the main thoroughfare nodding to all and sundry while making our own commentary about everyone and what we think they might decide to say about us.”
She actually laughed in response before she turned a serious expression upon him. “But I think I’ve decided that I want to care about others’ feelings. I wouldn’t want to be catty even in jest. Will that take the fun out of it for you?”
“Not in the least. In fact, it might make it even more fun. I look forward to hearing what you can come up with that will be witty without being hurtful.” He suddenly felt as though his heart clenched in sympathy for the young woman, which made him wonder for a moment if his health was failing. It would not do to have a heart attack while escorting a female on the Grand Promenade.
Handing her back up into his high carriage, he again appreciated her slender form. It was a distraction from the lovely person within. James rather suspected that was why the girl was still unattached. No one could see past her beauty.
