Page 56 of The Duke of Kisses
Chapter 10
“In my opinion,you’rethe sweetest thing.” David couldn’t believe his good fortune. He’d been on his way to see Fanny, and here she was.
“Are you really there?” she asked. Her voice carried to him across the water.
The pale green ribbons of her bonnet hung loose and dangled against the floral print of her walking dress. A matching ribbon was drawn beneath her breasts, accentuating her curves. Her gown was white with small blue flowers edged with leaves that coordinated with the ribbon. The color scheme perfectly matched her eyes, and he drank the entirety in like a man stranded in the desert.
“Yes.” He moved forward, but the pond was between them. He began to skirt the edge.
“Careful you don’t fall in,” she said.
“Shouldn’t I be cautioning you?”
“Probably.”
He didn’t stop until he was a few feet away from her. “Is that a drawing book?”
She glanced down to the item in her hand. “Yes. There was a pair of common pochards here yesterday.”
“And you were sketching them? May I see?”
A pretty blush bloomed in her cheeks. “It isn’t finished.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
She held the book up and flipped it open. “Here.” She turned it in her hands and showed him the half-drawn sketch.
He peered at the pencil drawing and smiled. “You’re quite good.”
She closed the book with a laugh. “Now you’re just being polite.”
“Polite would be saying it’s a nice picture.”
Her eyes narrowed skeptically, but she didn’t respond.
“Will you draw the pintail and her babies today?”
“I was considering it,” she said. “Until I saw you. David—Lord St. Ives—what on earth are you doing here?”
He took a step toward her. “I saw a golden eagle and couldn’t help but follow it. They’re quite rare.”
“You followed a golden eagle from London?”
“From the road.” He gestured toward the west. “It’s maybe a ten-minute walk that way.”
“I know where the road is,” she said. “I live near here.”
He blinked, taking pleasure in pretending this was a chance meeting. Which it was. Partly. “Do you?”
She flattened her lips. “If you expect me to believe that you don’t know that, I will know you are being more than polite. You’re being downright condescending.”
He was instantly contrite. “Fanny, I was only teasing, never condescending. And please don’t call me Lord St. Ives. I couldn’t bear it.”
“I can’t very well call you David.” There was an edge to her voice, and he wondered if she’d even received his letters. She hadn’t responded, and he’d been afraid she might not welcome him.
“I wrote to you,” he said softly. “Did you get my letters?”
“I did.” She turned from him and appeared to study the ducks, who had swum to the other side of the pond. Her demeanor seemed to indicate that his fears were accurate.
