Page 18 of The Duke of Lies
The third tenant was a farmer, and by now, Kit was heated enough that he accepted the man’s offer of ale. He refused, however, to sit, instead preferring to tour the fields, tankard in hand. The duchess had gone inside with the farmer’s wife, and Kit wondered if they should return to the castle. The afternoon had grown quite warm. Perhaps they could visit just one more tenant. He’d expected to find this tour interesting, but now felt something far deeper—he was invested.
Kit finished his ale and handed the empty tankard to Mr. Dooley. “Thank you for your kind hospitality.”
“Thank you for coming, Your Grace. Are you heading back to the castle now?”
“I think we’ll visit one more tenant.”
Dooley nodded. “I’m on my way to my neighbor to help him repair his roof if you’d care to come along. Not to fix the roof, of course, but I can introduce you. Bricker is a bit brusque, but he possesses a good soul, and he needs help from time to time. He lost his sons in France and Spain.”
Kit’s chest squeezed. It seemed hardly fair for people like his cousin—noblemen with wealth and prestige—to be exempt from such horrors while young country boys gave their lives, often leaving their families much the poorer for it.
“Does he do all right?” Kit asked.
“Well enough. We help each other out, Your Grace. That’s why I’ll go and fix his roof.”
“I’m coming with you—to help,” he said firmly, making his intention clear.
Dooley appeared momentarily aghast, but seemed to accept that Kit’s offer was genuine. It was also not open to negotiation. Although, he was quickly realizing that a duke was never questioned. “That’s too kind of you. I’ll just go and fetch my tools. I’d planned to walk if you want to go on ahead.”
“The duchess and I will meet you there.”
After Dooley provided directions to Bricker’s house, Kit went to the cottage and knocked on the door. Mrs. Dooley answered with a smile, and the duchess appeared behind her.
“Ready?” the duchess asked as she tied her riding hat beneath her chin. It was a jaunty piece with a peacock feather, set at an attractive angle atop her dark locks.
“Yes.” He thanked Mrs. Dooley for her hospitality, and the duchess did the same. Outside, he explained they were going to make one more stop. “I hope that’s all right with you,” he said.
“Certainly.”
“You’re not too warm or too fatigued?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes at him briefly. “I am not the typical duchess.”
Whether she was trying to be charming or not, he was utterly captivated, and he couldn’t keep a chuckle from escaping. “I will remember that.”
She arched a brow at him in the shade of her saucy hat. “How about you? Are you overheated or tired?”
It was a fair question, and he had to revise his earlier sentiment. It seemed there wasoneperson brave enough to question a duke, and, given her behavior, he’d never imagined it would be her. Perhaps he was making a positive impression.Perhapsshe was letting down her guard.
“I’m fine, thank you.” He helped her onto her mount, again with all due haste, and they were quickly on their way to Mr. Bricker’s. They passed Dooley a short way down the track, and he waved as they trotted by.
“Is Mr. Dooley going to Mr. Bricker’s too?” she asked.
“We’re going to fix his roof. If it looks as though it will take a long time, I can see about finding an escort for you back to the house.”
“That won’t be necessary. As I said, I’m not too tired to continue.” She shot him a quick glance as he happened to do the same toward her. “First you say you’ll help build the goat pen and shed, then you catch a goat, and now you mean to fix a roof? Did you learn all these things while you were away?” She sounded rather incredulous, and now Kit wondered what her husband had done to pass his days. Riding, he’d seemed to enjoy riding. How…dull. Unless one had a specific destination or an engaging companion. He sent another glance in her direction.
“Are you aware of Mr. Bricker’s situation?” he asked.
“No. Should I be?”
“He lost his sons in the war and requires help to keep up his home. I plan to assess his circumstances and see what I can do to improve them.”
“I can do that while you repair the roof,” she said as they rode off the track toward his cottage.
He brought his horse to a halt and dismounted. As he went to her horse to help her down, he said, “An excellent idea. We’ll work together to ensure Mr. Bricker’s comfort.”
She set her hands on his shoulders as he swept her to the ground, and since they’d already done this several times, he was aware that this time, they rested upon his coat a fraction of a moment longer than they had previously. “I’m afraid I wasn’t aware he was alone, and I should have been. I allowed Cuddy to keep me out of things. I should have ridden out here myself and done what you’re doing.”
