Page 32 of Secrets of the Marriage Bed
If she wanted to come to a better understanding, she needed to take such opportunities when they arose or they might not come again. Though she wasn’t exactly dressed for clambering about in trees. ‘As long as you promise to catch me should I fall.’
‘I won’t let you fall.’
The intensity in his expression spoke of protectiveness and possession. Her insides gave a little pulse of pleasure. She swallowed a gasp of surprise and hooked up the train of her riding habit to allow for more freedom of movement. ‘I think I might need a ladder to make the first branch.’ After that, he was right, the branches were at easy distances and so thick, the climb wouldn’t test a toddler.
‘Come. I will give you a boost.’
No sooner said then he had her about the waist and lifted her to sit on the lowest branch. Placing the rolled blanket on the branch, he hauled himself up effortlessly and stood up. Holding on to the next branch up, he helped her to her feet. After that, with a bit of careful attention to her skirts and his steadying hand, she was soon a good few feet off the ground. Nestled in a fork at eye level was a structure. A narrow platform she hadn’t noticed from below.
‘A tree house?’
‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘Anyone can see it is a fort. Or a pirate galleon. Or a castle.’
She laughed. ‘But not a house.’
‘Not for this generation.’ An expression crossed his face. Was it sadness?
‘You and your brother played here.’
‘We did. And our father before us.’ His wicked smile made another appearance. ‘I was conceived in this tree, according to my father.’
Startled, she wobbled, her foot slipping. His grip on her arm tightened for a brief moment. She had no fear of falling, but his instinctive action to keep her safe made her want to lean against his strength.
‘Then it must certainly be sturdy enough for two. How do we get up there?’
He grinned. ‘Let me go first. I’ll pull you up.’
Standing close to the trunk, she held on, while he nimbly went down for the blanket, whose purpose she now recognised, and then pulled himself up. He tested the three wooden planks by bouncing up and down. ‘It seems solid enough.’ He reached down.
She took his hand, following his directions of where to put her feet, and was soon seated safely on the blanket, her back against the tree trunk and her feet dangling. At this point in the tree, several branches had been trimmed back. Not only was the tree the oldest in the orchard, it also stood at a high point and gave a vista of some considerable distance. From here, she looked over the treetops to Sackfield Hall nestled in the centre of its park. ‘What an amazing view.’
‘I know.’ He sat beside her, watching her face as she took in the view of rolling meadows and elegant stands of trees.
‘Are there deer in the park?’
‘No.’ He leaned back on his hands. ‘The Duchy has another estate for game.’
‘How many estates do you hold altogether?’
‘Six. Not counting the houses: one in London, one in Edinburgh and one in Manchester. I rent them all out, except the Richmond one.’
‘Your housekeeper at Richmond said you visit each of the estates once a year.’
‘Though I receive regular reports from my estate managers, I like to see things with my own eyes from time to time.’
‘It is a great deal of work, being a duke.’ He certainly spent a great deal of time in his office. She had wondered how he had any time left over to gain his wicked reputation.
He gazed at her thoughtfully. ‘I find it fulfilling. Things were a bit of a shambles when I inherited. Fortunately, I have a good staff who help with much of the work.’
She would like to offer her help, too, but he had kept her at such a distance, she wasn’t sure it would be welcome. ‘Talking of staff, when will Mr Lewis return? You seem to be drowning in paperwork.’
His smiled widened. ‘I expect him tomorrow.’
Silence fell, but for the twitter of birds and the rustle of leaves in a light breeze. A comfortable quiet. A bumble bee buzzed by, investigated them and decided they were not worth his trouble.
She breathed deep, inhaling the scent of new mown grass. ‘I love the countryside.’
‘Me, too. I am not so fond of this bonnet, however. Perhaps we can dispense with it for the moment. It hides your pretty face and the feather keeps tickling my nose.’
