Page 35 of His Godsent Duchess
Christina frowned. "It is only uncomfortable if her duke is difficult to deal with."
He smirked, his tone teasing. "Difficult, am I?"
"Immensely so," she shot back, her chin lifting despite the smile fighting to break through. "I daresay your very presence creates most of the discomfort in my life."
His smirk deepened into something like amusement. "And yet you seem to tolerate it well enough."
Christina's lips quirked as she looked up at him. "I am nothing if not resilient."
Victor's gaze lingered on her, and for a moment, she thought he might say something more. But then he stepped forward and nodded toward Angelique. "May I?"
She blinked in confusion until she realized what he meant. He was offering to help her mount. The nearness of him, the small, unspoken gestures—it made her pulse quicken. Though she still hated the idea of the side saddle, she nodded.
Victor's hands came around her waist, his touch firm yet gentle. Her breath hitched as he lifted her with surprising ease, settling her atop the mare as though she weighed nothing. He handed her the reins with a quiet, "You look quite the duchess now."
Christina, still catching her breath from the brief contact, glanced down at him. "You may look like a prince, Your Grace, but you are certainly not one. You are far too serious."
To her astonishment, Victor laughed—an easy, genuine laugh that she had never seen from him before. She blinked, momentarily at a loss.
"You rescind my title so quickly?" he teased. "Am I not deserving of such esteem?"
"Not when you've been less than charming this morning," she countered, her lips curling.
Victor mounted Toro with practiced ease, glancing over at her. "And what might I do to regain this charm you speak of?"
Christina gave him a pointed look. "You could start by ridding me of this cursed side saddle."
He shook his head, clearly amused. "Unbelievable."
Christina laughed softly, and together they rode out of the stables and toward the woods. The silence was companionable, peaceful even, though her heart still raced at the thought of being here with him.
After a few moments, Victor broke the quiet. "I noticed Agnes at supper last night, watching Lady Annabelle's every move. She was eating like a lady, mimicking her exact table manners."
Christina smiled, warmth filling her chest. "Annie's influence is good for them. The children are eager to learn, but more than that, they are eager to spend time with you."
Victor's silence suggested that he might have taken her words to heart. He acted more than he spoke—this much she had come to understand about him. Perhaps this ride was his way of acknowledging her efforts, of offering her a quiet thank you for the changes in his daughters.
She glanced over at him, a small smile on her lips. Perhaps this day held more promise than she had first thought.
"When did you learn how to ride?" Victor asked, glancing over at Christina as they rode side by side. His voice was calm, curious, though his gaze held something more—something searching.
Christina straightened in the saddle, adjusting her grip on the reins as she answered. "When I turned four, my father made the arrangements. He said it was time I learned to ride, though I hardly remember being given a choice in the matter."
Victor's eyes flickered with the faintest hint of approval. "You ride elegantly."
Christina laughed, the sound light and teasing. "If this is your way of trying to convince me never to ride stride again, I must say you should reconsider your methods. Compliments will not change my mind."
His mouth twitched slightly at her teasing, a nearly imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Why do you insist on doing things differently?"
She turned to him, her expression softening but filled with a quiet determination. "Because Iamdifferent, an aberration in a world of order." She added playfully, her voice lifting, "And besides, you can't get rid of me now."
To her surprise, Victor's smile deepened, though it remained small. He nodded ever so slightly. "No, I cannot."
A comfortable silence fell between them as they continued riding, the sound of hooves rhythmically breaking the quiet of the morning. Christina watched the trees pass by, the light filtering through the leaves creating shifting patterns of shadows and sunlight on the path before them. After a moment, she realized the path they were taking had begun to wind and meander deeper into the forest.
"Do you ride this path often?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Victor's expression tightened slightly as he looked ahead, his hesitation palpable. Finally, he spoke, his tone softer than before. "My brother Christian discovered this path when he was eight. I was ten. We used to walk it, sometimes ride it, until we discovered where it led."
