Page 46 of His Forsaken Duchess
He helped her onto her horse, his hands steady despite the maelstrom of emotions within him. As he moved to mount his own horse, he hesitated, his gaze drifting toward the distant lake.
Should I call this off?
The thought lingered, heavy and insistent.
Shaking it away, he mounted his horse. It was too late to back down now.
Fourteen
“It looks like a sheet of crystal,” Audrey said as her gaze swept over the expanse of the frozen lake, sunlight spilling across the surface in dazzling patterns.
The ice shimmered, alive with refracted light, and for a moment, it felt as though the entire world had been encased in a delicate, glittering frost.
She waited for Cedric to respond. Surely, he would share her appreciation for the sight. But the only sound that came was the restless shift of his horse’s hooves in the snow. Turning her head, she found her husband still on his horse, his expression unsettlingly tense. His gloved hands were gripping the reins with a force that made the black leather creak, and his face—so often stoic—was unusually pale.
“Cedric?” she called softly, her eyebrows knitting together. His tension felt out of place, like a sour note in a melody. Withoutthinking, she reached over, her gloved fingers brushing against his. “Are you quite all right?”
His head jerked toward her, as though emerging from some dark reverie, and he blinked twice before responding, “I am.” His voice was brusque. Too brusque.
Audrey narrowed her eyes at him, unconvinced, but before she could press him further, he jumped down from his horse with practiced ease. He turned his attention to tethering the animal to a nearby tree, his movements brisk and efficient, and then moved to help her dismount.
For all his earlier distraction, his hands were steady as they gripped her waist, lifting her off the horse with far more care than necessary. She could feel his strength even through the layers of her cloak, his touch both grounding and disarming. Her boots crunched against the snow as she landed, and she looked up at him, her curiosity unabated.
“This way,” he said, his deep voice cutting through the stillness.
Without waiting for a reply, he gestured toward the lake, placing a hand on the small of her back to guide her.
Audrey allowed herself to be led, though she stole a glance at his face. The stiffness in his jaw remained, a reminder of the earlier moment that still hung between them. She resolved to let it pass for now. Cedric, after all, was a man who carried his secrets like armor, and prying at the wrong time would do more harm than good.
By the lake’s edge, a low stone bench sat beneath the bare branches of an old oak tree. Cedric gestured for her to sit, then knelt to open the satchel he had brought with him. From it, he retrieved two pairs of skates, their metal blades gleaming in the winter sunlight.
“Has this bench always been here?” Audrey asked, adjusting her skirts as she took her seat.
“No,” Cedric replied, not looking up from his task. “Cecilia had it placed here. She thought it impractical to lace skates while standing.”
Audrey smiled faintly. “A very practical woman, then.”
“She was,” he said simply.
The warmth in his voice as he spoke of his sister softened his otherwise stern demeanor, and Audrey felt a pang of curiosity. There was so much she wished to know about Cecilia, about the family Cedric kept so carefully guarded. But instinct told her to tread lightly. So, she changed the topic.
“When did you last skate, Your Grace?” she asked, her tone light.
He straightened, extending a hand to help her to her feet. “Eleven winters ago.”
Audrey’s eyes widened. “That’s an age ago. Do you think you’ll remember how?”
A faint smile spread across his lips. “It is said to be like riding a horse. The skill doesn’t leave you.”
“Well then,” she said, lifting her chin with mock confidence, “I trust I am in capable hands.”
“You’d better be,” he replied as he guided her onto the ice.
Cedric stepped forward with ease, his skates gliding over the surface in smooth, confident strokes. Audrey, however, wobbled almost instantly, her arms flailing for balance.
“Lean forward slightly,” Cedric instructed, skating back to steady her. His hands found her waist again, firm and reassuring. “And bend your knees.”
She followed his instructions, her cheeks flushing as she realized how closely he was holding her.
