Page 33 of Surrender Your Grace
“It’s warm today. Shall we take the path by the lake?”she asked as they set out.
“That’s precisely what I planned. Who’s reading whose mind now?”he replied.“I know a shady spot by the water where we can watch the ducks and heron.”
Excitedly, she asked,“Are there swans, by chance?”
“Indeed,”he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled at her fondly.
They’d been riding for about half an hour, the rhythmic clip-clop of hooves as soothing as the peaceful countryside around them, when a sapphire-blue lake appeared. Instead of climbingto the hilltop overlook, Andrew veered off onto a sloped path and led her down to the grassy bank.
“Let’s walk and stretch our legs for a bit,”he suggested.
He helped her down and secured the horses before they strolled hand-in-hand along the water’s edge. Up ahead, she spotted a small boat moored to a dock.“Could we go fishing sometime?”
He glanced at her in surprise.“Do you know how?”
“Oh yes. Papa took me often when we were in the country. He thought I was a boy for ages! You can imagine his disappointment when I matured at thirteen and it became quite clear that I wasn’t.”
“His disappointment that you are not a boy is my joy.”
She smiled up at him, despite a blush that had nothing to do with the warm day. A few weeks of living intimately as husband and wife hadn’t overcome her shyness. Andrew,on the other hand, without a trace of self-consciousness, walked around her completely naked. She wondered if she’d ever be that at ease around him.
“If I had known, I could have made the arrangements. Next time,” he promised. “I’ll want to check the boat’s seaworthiness first.”
“Fishing from the dock is fine,” she replied.
“That’s right. You can’t swim. We really need to see about lessons. Lucky for you, I’m an excellent teacher.”
“Yes. I vividly remember your last lesson.”
He stopped and pulled her into his arms. “It was most effective. I haven’t heard a singlemy lordoryour lordshipfrom your sweet lips since.”
His lips brushed hers in a tender kiss, sparking the now-familiar fires of desire within her. When he pulled back, he mistook the bloom of heat in cheeks for something else.
“Your face is pink. Let’s find you some shade.”
Andrew led her farther down the bank to a stand of silver birch, their elegant branches dipping toward the water. In the shade beneath them stood a stone bench, inviting folks strolling by to linger and enjoy the surrounding natural beauty, and to watch the ducks and, as promised, swans paddling by.
When she sat, he settled beside her, stretched his long legs out before him, and pulled her into his side. When they were together, he wanted her close, which she didn’t mind.
She rested her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the quiet moment. Across the water, she spotted wildflowers, bright red poppies, and white and yellow oxeye daisies swaying in the breeze.And while she couldn’t pinpoint where they were growing, she detected the sweet scent of honeysuckle.
“It’s so peaceful here,”she sighed.“Let’s never go back to London.”
“Hiding away from the hustle and bustle of town is tempting,”he agreed.“But it’s impossible. We both have commitments in town—family, friends, and, with summer recess ending, I have my duties in the Lords.”
“Of course,”she murmured, trying but failing to hide her disappointment.
“Do you dislike living in town so much?”
“Not really. It’s just so...”She searched for a word to describe the artifice of the ton without being rude.
“It is‘just so,’isn’t it?”he replied, understanding, so she didn’t have to say more.
They fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Andrew was the first to speak.“You could stay here.”
Cici glanced at him in surprise.“At Arendale?”
