Page 35 of A Duke's Wicked Secret
Chapter 14
Theo awoke the Saturday morning much earlier than usual; daybreak was still about an hour away, but he could stay put no longer. Theo and Alexander had spoken at length discussing today’s hunt and after much argument, it had been decided that Theo was to inform the viscount when they met this morning that Alexander had come down with a cold and would not be able to join them on their hunt.
Although Theo had reservations about this, Alexander felt certain that this would give the two gentlemen a chance to really get to know each other without anyone to come between them. So finally, Theo had agreed to the plan, but he still felt nervous about it because so much hung on this hunt.
He had to gain the viscount’s favour so that he could court his dearest Penelope. Theo had had his fill of sneaking around as though she were his mistress as opposed to the woman he longed to make his future duchess. If this did not work, he was not sure what he could do to show the viscount that he was not an insane person.
Theo tried to keep his mind busy with business in his study for the rest of the hour until it was time to get himself ready for the hunt. He had made sure to have his gun cleaned last night and General freshly shoed so that everything was as it should be for when the viscount arrived this morning.
Finally, the hour had passed albeit at a glacial pace, and Theo closed his ledgers and headed out to the stables. Soon after arriving there, he saw the viscount riding his way in the distance. Theo waved in greeting, and when the viscount was close enough for conversation, he bid him good morning.
“It is the perfect day for a hunt, is it not?” Theo declared as he double checked all his gear and General’s tack.
“That it most certainly is! Where is young Mr Davenport? He is not still in his bed, is he?”
“Unfortunately, he is, and that is where he will most likely stay. He came down with a cold last night and sadly will be unable to join us today,” answered Theo.
“Ahh, well that is bad luck. But we shall make a great hunt of the day regardless won’t we, Your Grace?”
“I would say so! I am so glad the weather worked with us this morning; I am done with those rainy days!”
“I know what you mean. A rainy day once in a while is refreshing, but when they drag on day after day, it becomes quite wearisome,” Viscount Ainsworth agreed.
“Well, I am all prepared and ready to set out if you are.” Theo said this and at that exact moment, the viscount’s horse reared up.
“Whoa, girl, whoa, settle down now!” called the viscount as he did his best to settle the mare down. It appeared that when the black stable cat sprinted into the stall nearby, it spooked the horse.
“Are you all, right?” asked Theo.
“Ahh, blast this mare. I hate riding her! My usual stallion threw a shoe at the last minute, and I did not want to be late so I just decided to take this mare … but we should have named her, Nellie instead of Ruby, for she truly is a nervous Nellie, at times,” complained the viscount as he tightened Ruby’s reigns.
“I have had my fair share of experiences with horses like that. Would you prefer to have one of my horses to ride today? I can have one groomed and saddled in just a matter of minutes.”
“No, no need, Your Grace. I will be just fine. I am sure Ruby and I will manage today. Besides the day is passing us by with the best hunting hours in the morning with it. Let us set off!”
“As you wish, then,” Theo said as he swung his leg over General’s side and mounted him easily. The two gentlemen set off down the path and headed toward the forest in search of their prey.
For a long time, they did not encounter anything other than a few small hares and other such creatures not worth shooting at and potentially scaring off the larger kill they hoped to secure. They began talking in low tones as the hours passed by, and Theo was surprised at how much he liked the viscount.
In fact, the man reminded him a lot of his dear father and the many days they had spent doing this very thing together before his mother died and everything changed. They spoke of the hunts they had been on in the past and the great kills they had won, which morphed into the topic of the adventures they had each been on as boys with their friends and laughed at the trouble they had got into on some of those times.
“With all due respect, Your Grace, you really were an adventurous lad in your youth, weren’t you? You must have worried your father something fierce that you would not make it to hold the title of the next Duke of Winchester with all the chances you took as a lad!” the Viscount stated as he continued chuckling at Theo’s last tale. Theo agreed, but his mood turned solemn at the mention of his father.
Before anything else could be said, both Theo and Lord Ainsworth froze where they were at the sight of a huge buck not forty paces away from them. The viscount cocked his musket slowly so that he would not startle the animal that was grazing peacefully.
He took aim and fired, but as he did so, his mare, Ruby, reared up again and caused him to miss his shot. The buck ran off, and so did the viscount’s mare. The viscount fell to the ground and his musket hit his forehead, causing him to bleed quite profusely. Theo jumped down from General and rushed over to where the viscount was laying on the ground.
“My God, are you all, right?”
“Ahhh, yes just a bit dazed. Damn that horse. I should have been less in a hurry to hunt today and taken the time to have my stallion reshod!”
“Here, take my handkerchief and hold it to your head to stop the bleeding.”
“Thank you, Your Grace; that is very kind of you. But there really is no need to fuss. I am sure I will be perfectly fine. Especially after I have a glass of Scotch to warm my blood again.”
“Please have some from my flask. It sadly is not Scotch, but it will warm you a bit!” Theo offered.
“Thank you, kindly,” said the viscount as he helped himself to a long swig of the liquor.
