Page 10 of The Duke's Second Bride
The outdoors had always been calming to Ava. So, when hours passed without her being able to shake off that sense of dread and foreboding, the most logical remedy was to go for a ride in Hyde Park.
The cool evening air brushed through her hair as she guided her bay horse, Daisy, into a canter.
One of the benefits of being on horseback, she thought, was the fact that one did not have to stop and linger for conversation if one did not want to. Additionally, the view from up here was excellent. The park was rather peaceful, only studded here and there with occupants.
As she passed by a bench, she saw the boy from the other day. If her memory served, his name was Luke, as his father had addressed him.
This time, Luke was accompanied not by his rude father—thank goodness—but by a maid and a footman. He was bent over a sketchpad in his lap, dragging a charcoal across it in careful motions.
Despite her earlier relief at not having to speak to anyone, Ava angled her horse in their direction. As she grew closer, she saw the boy’s movements grow frustrated. He rubbed at a line, attempted to redraw it, and then balled his small hand into a fist.
Ava hopped off her horse and walked over.
As she approached, Luke looked up, his face immediately lighting up. However, the maid and the footman with him stepped forward to prevent her from coming too close.
“Miss,” the footman said, “I must insist that you step away if?—”
“I-It’s all right, Frederick,” Luke said.
“We have met before,” Ava explained. “Though I don’t believe I ever introduced myself. I am Lady Dunfair. And you?’
“Luke,” he said with a smile. “Luke Adler.” He turned to his maid and his footman. “She saved me from the horse at the hot balloon fair.”
The maid’s face brightened immediately. “Ah! A pleasure to meet you, Lady Dunfair. My name is Mary,” she curtsied.
“Likewise,” Ava said with a smile.
“We have heard quite a bit about you, around the house,” the maid said, giving Luke’s head an affectionate pat as she looked down at him. “How you saved him from that horse!”
Ava laughed. “I don’t know ifsavedis quite right. The horse wasn’t truly dangerous, merely frightened. It is normal for animals to take fright at loud noises like a firecracker. I wouldn’t have brought Daisy here out on a day like that. She is quite a calm horse, and slow to fright, but it still seems unkind to me to put animals through such unnecessary stress.”
“May I …” Luke hesitated. “May I pet this horse?”
Despite his nerves, Ava could see the brightness and eagerness in his eyes as he looked at Daisy.
“Of course.” They walked over towards the horse. “This is Daisy,” she said, and demonstrated how to pet the large creature’s neck, running her hand in long, gentle arcs across. “She is very gentle.”
“Good day to you, Daisy,” Luke said quietly. “I-it is very good to meet y-you.”
After a while, Luke was perfectly comfortable with Daisy. Ava even pulled some carrots out of her pocket and showed him how to offer one up with his hand held completely flat to avoid Daisy’s teeth.
“Thank you,” Mary, Luke’s maid, murmured at one point.
Ava looked at her, confused. “For what?” she asked, matching the maid’s tone so that Luke couldn’t overhear.
Luckily, he was much absorbed. With Ava’s permission, he had allowed himself to be lifted onto the horse, and the footman was now leading them around in a small loop.
“Lord Luke rarely speaks so much outside the house,” the maid said. “Because of his stammer, you understand. He is particularly shy around adults. It is quite … quite a surprise. It seems you have a way with him. You left quite an impression that day at the hot balloon fair, you know. He mentioned ‘the nice lady with the horse’ several times, and how you saved him.”
“He is a sweet boy,” Ava said.
The two watched him smile as he was walked around on the horse, all his earlier shyness gone.
“You are very good with him, my lady. Surely, you and your husband must have children of your own.”
Once again, Ava felt the pang of inadequacy and old scars settle on her heart. “I do not,” she said quietly. “My husband and I were not thus blessed before his passing.”
The nurse’s face went white. “Oh! My Lady, I am so sorry. I did not mean to?—”
