Page 25 of The Dark Duke's Virgin

How had it happened? Why had it happened? Was it an accident? Was it a test? Surely, His Grace did not covet Caroline, for that felt like insanity. Likely, and this was what she chose to focus most on, it was a means to scare her away… a rather strange tactic, she had to admit, but one she would not fall for again.

“I did it!” Isabella finished, spinning about to find Caroline, who was standing behind her. A big grin on her face, eyes dancing, she could not have looked more pleased. “See! It was not luck at all!”

Caroline had not been paying attention, but she smiled nonetheless and nodded her agreement. “Very well done.”

“Shall I fetch father? I would very much like to show him.”

Carline’s chest tightened, and her stomach twisted. “Ah… yes, that is a good idea. I will just…” She looked about as if for an answer.

“Miss Holloway!” Isabella cried suddenly to which one of the manor’s many maids popped her head in to answer. “Fetch father, please. Tell him I have something to show him.”

“I am afraid he is out riding at the moment, Miss,” Miss Holloway answered. “But I shall inform him the moment he is home.”

“Oh…” Isabella’s face scrunched into disappointment. “Yes, will you please.”

“There we go then. On the plus side, it gives you plenty more time to practice.” Caroline breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for His Grace and the horse ride he had gone on, hoping that it extended long into the afternoon, so she might manage at least one more day without having to see him again.

That, she knew, was for the best.

CHAPTER NINE

“Steady on!” the Earl of Fernside, known to Frederick simply as George, called out after Frederick, who was pushing his mount a little harder than usual. “What is the rush!”

“I told you that today was going to be a short ride,” Frederick responded without looking back.

“Yes, but when you said short, I did not think that we would be racing the entire time. I might have skipped that second helping of breakfast if I had known.”

Frederick chuckled. “Perhaps you should have skipped it anyway.”

“I shall pretend I did not hear that! Now—” George kicked his legs into the side of his horse, bringing himself in beside Frederick. “Will you please slow down. It is far too hot to bemoving at such a pace. A leisurely ride was what I expected today.Leisurelybeing the operative word.”

On the horizon, across the meadow that the two men were riding, Frederick could just now see his manor growing into the sky as if rising from the dirt. It brought him some relief to see, knowing he was so close to home which was the only reason that he heeded his best friend’s command.

“Fine…” he sighed, pulling back on the reins and forcing his horse back to a slow trot. “Is that better?”

“Much.” George exhaled and wiped the sweat from his brow, clearly relieved by the new-set pace, one which allowed him to lean back comfortably on the saddle and relax. “Honestly, man, you ride as if you have somewhere you need to be. Which I know for a fact that you do not.”

“Perhaps I am simply growing tired of your company.”

“Ha!” George chuckled. “We all know that is not true. I am a delight. Ask anyone who knows me.”

“I do not need to ask. I am here, bearing witness to it firsthand. And for your information…” Frederick looked to his friend and grinned. “Your company is nowhere near as pleasant as you may think. Even your horse is tiring of you.”

“Oh, you do not mean that…” He reached forward and stroked his horse’s mane. “He loves me.”

“Maybe it is just the extra weight it is forced to bear. Again…” A click of the tongue, and he eyed George’s belly. “You really do need to get that appetite of yours under control. Your seamstress must be beside herself with all the work she has to do every time you tear open the backside of your pants.”

George levelled a glare at Frederick. “Well, somebody is in a mood today. Such that I am willing to overlook these snarky comments about my weight—it is all muscle! You will remember that as a lad, I used to be able to pin you down with an arm tied behind my back.”

“Muscle, of course,” Frederick agreed lightly. “Simply in hibernation. Although winter has long since passed, George. So, I am wondering when said muscle will reappear.”

“It is for you that I remain this way,” George said with a good-hearted chuckle. “If I was to return to my former glory, I fear that the shame you would feel just to be seen beside me would damage your ego beyond compare.”

“Is that right?”

“You are most welcome,” George added with a wink.

Frederick chuckled as he went back to looking ahead, his stare trained on his manor as it came closer and closer. He and George had been out riding for three hours now which was only about half as long as they often rode—Frederick loved riding, and if he had his way, he would spend days doing as such; the freedom it brought was unlike anything else in this world.

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