Page 25 of The Duke's Indecent Match
“Ah, I see.”He pondered that for a moment.“What of learning to drive?Have you any objection to that?”
Kalina blinked.“I… have never considered the possibility.”
“I could teach you,” he offered, giving her a sidelong glance.“It is not very difficult.”
“Oh…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to find a way to politely decline without insulting him.But should she decline?It might not be horrible to learn how to do something with horses.The English were certainly mad for them, and if she was going to be going to more house parties, she was likely to have more encounters with the beasts.
It might be nice not to have to rely on a gentleman willing to drive her.
Though she was not sure how driving herself would be viewed.
“You do not have to decide right now,” he assured her cheerfully.“The offer will remain open, regardless, even after the house party is over and we return to London.I would be as happy to teach you there as I am here.”
“That is very kind, thank you.”Even if she never took him up on the offer, she appreciated it.Leaning back against the seat, she watched the horses moving.There was something hypnotic about their bobbing heads and the passing countryside.It was far nicer riding in the curricle than in a carriage, though she knew the carriage was better for longer distances.
She liked the open air and the feel of the breeze against her skin.The sun was warm but not beating down on her.It was a lovely experience.Especially when combined with Montagu’s flirtatiously cheerful presence.
If only he made her heart flutter and her body tingle the way Hereford did…
Kalina shook off the thought.
She needed to focus on the duke in front of her, who had volunteered to drive her to the ruins, not the one who blew hot and cold over and over again.
“Do you visit the country very often?”she asked.
“Oh, no.I am much happier in the capital where there is endless entertainment,” he replied cheerfully.“I grow bored rather quickly in the country.House parties like this can be quite enjoyable because there are many activities to do.I can take care of everything I need to from the city, with occasional visits to the ducal seat, but I return to London as quickly as I can.Fortunately, my steward has things well in hand.”
“Did you grow up in the city?”Kalina could not help but be curious.From the way her father had describedhisfather and Society, she had assumed most noblemen spent their time shuttling back and forth depending on the time of year.It was only once they’d arrived in London that she’d learned some stayed in the city year-round.
She wondered how effective they could truly be with matters of a place they rarely visited.Why they would not be more invested in the lands and people that supported them.This was her first opportunity to question a gentleman who clearly did not deeply involve himself in his estate.
“Oh, no.In the country.My father preferred it there.”Something in his tone of voice changed, but she could not determine what it was.“Ah, look, see the hawk?”
Obligingly, Kalina turned her face in the direction he was pointing.Indeed, there was a bird soaring through the sky, circling without moving its wings as it glided along.
“Beautiful.Oh!”The hawk suddenly dove so fast, she nearly missed it.One moment it was there, another it was gone.
“It must have seen some prey.Ah… it did not catch its breakfast.Poor hawk.”The bird was rising back into the air, flapping its wings to regain height, before circling toward the forest in the distance.
“Well, that is certainly something I have never seen in London.”She shook her head, bemused.
The duke laughed.“Very true.Though I will take the theater and Vauxhall Gardens over a hawk sighting.”He chuckled.“Have you seen the recent exhibit at the museum?”Kalina shook her head, and he began to expound enthusiastically on the recent arrivals.It was clear he enjoyed beautiful things, including art.
Montagu was so engaging, it took her until they reached the ruins to realize how neatly he had turned the conversation from himself and his home.While she had learned a great deal about the museum’s current and previous exhibits, as well as his opinion on the plays and operas available in London, she had not learned anything about the man himself.
She had to wonder if he had deliberately changed the topic or if he was so used to deflecting ladies’ attention from anything personal, he did it automatically.
“Ah, we have arrived at the gothic ruins of London,” he declared in a stentorian voice, making her throw back her head and laugh in surprise.
Kalina had always imagined that dukes would be rather stodgy, the most proper of theton, but Christian was anything but.
The other group was already in front of the church, which she had expected.She would be lying if she said she was not relieved to see Lady Astrid on the Duke of Hereford’s arm rather than one of the marriage-minded young ladies.It was a conundrum how she could so enjoy the Duke of Montagu’s company, yet the moment the Duke of Hereford appeared in front of her, it was as though she could not breathe properly, much less pay attention to the man beside her.
As the Duke of Hereford and Lady Astrid turned away, walking away from where Kalina and the Duke of Montagu were coming down the drive, she let out a long, slow breath.
By the time the curricle came to a halt, she had her jangling nerves under control again.The Duke of Montagu got down from the curricle as the Duke of Ormonde held the horses in place.
“My lady.”Montagu smiled up at her, reaching out his hand for her to take so he could help her down from the carriage.
