AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Had?”
“It burned down. Sadly.” This was said rather cheerfully, truth be told. “Torched nearly that whole line there, but we reacted with speed. We are considering setting up a public house once permission comes down from on high.” He winked.
“And the vicar?”
“The man who had the living died. Not in the fire,” Gambon assured her. “No, old age, Goddes—God rest him.”
Alfred took control. “Will you help me decide how to disburse the role?”
“You would have greater knowledge in that regard than I would,” Miss Templeton said with some asperity. “Finding a man of the cloth who would disregard your upcoming pagan festivities may be easier said than done.”
They had come full circle. Gambon pulled his forelock and legged it away. Good man, Gambon, always knew when to make himself scarce.
“Things are different down the country,” Alfred said, preparing their horses for mounting. Good Goddess, how people enjoyed this pursuit was beyond him. Up and down, up and down, the livelong day.
“I am from down the country, very near to your part of the country,” Felicity said. “And I daresay we did not go about worshipping idols and suchlike.”
“Is that where your imagination has taken you?” Alfred leaned in and tickled her ear with his nose. “Idolatry and revelry and vice?”
“And bonfires,” she replied, fluttering her lashes at him. “And salacious dancing and, and stolen kisses.”
“Magnificent things, kisses,” he murmured. “So satisfying at the moment, and yet the more one shares, the more one yearns for…” He lowered his head even as she raised hers, watched her mouth soften. He slipped his hands around her midriff—never mind the scandalousness of her gentleman’s costume, he could get well used to laying his hands on that gorgeous waist—and without waiting to be given her leg, he flung her up in the saddle, and almost laughed at her peeved expression as she turned up her nose, turned her horse, and cantered away.
* * *
It wasn’t much of a canter. Felicity was back down to a walk in less than twenty strides and slowed even further to allow the duke and poor, old Juventus to catch up.
She needed what little time she had to herself to settle. The letter from Cecil played upon her mind. Why was it written so oddly? Granted, she had never exchanged correspondence with him, but the stilted tone and the strange use of outdated language could not be his common style. And she had yet to hear anything from Jemima, nor had her uncle responded to the duke. She thought Alfred would tell her if he had. No, she knew he would. He had been more than forthcoming about his holdings and his wealth—the ladies’ magazines said that wives never worried their pretty little heads about the solvency of their husbands and not to quiz them indiscriminately about the state of their finances. He had not, apparently, read that article.
From all she had seen, the Lowell family coffers were in rude, good health. What was one to do when faced with such prosperity and fecundity? Who would say no to all this? What would it be like to be the lady of all that she’d surveyed that day? And for all the duke’s formidability, his people adored him. It was as close to utopia as she’d ever thought to see, but something was not right; it had been troubling her as they’d ridden the farms, but once in the village, the notion that something was amiss had taken root.
“You are pensive.”
Felicity turned to him with a weak smile. “I am overwhelmed. By the robustness of your holdings and the warmth of your people.”
“Our people.”
“They are so kind and so easy with you,” she continued. She was excelling at ignoring his statements. “And they asked so graciously after your sister.”
“They are all that is kind. And gracious.”
“Alfred.” Enough was enough. “Tell me about her.”
“She is in America, in the state of New York, on the island of Manhattan. By her account, it is quite sophisticated, considering. Very civilized.”
“Is she married?”
“She has yet to experience that joy.” Juventus skittered, and the duke took him in hand.
“You must miss her.”
“Yes.”
“How adventurous of her, to go off to the wilds of North America. Alone?”
“Yes.” She saw his hands clench the reins. “We have acquaintances there through whom she was introduced into American society. She is well received and goes about often. I expect she is once again the diamond of this season and is much in demand, as my latest letter has been long in answering.”
“I did not intend to cause distress by asking about your sister.” Jupiter started to jig, as though he were awakening from a long sleep, and the duke was silent as they turned up the drive.
