Page 15 of Masquerading with the Duke
‘He’s just a young lad with energy to burn who needs to learn some discipline. A bit like children really. Give them an inch…’ He grinned at the stallion as it tried to take a lump from the arm of the lad rubbing him down. ‘Anyway, let me know when you want to try him out. If you do.’
‘Oh, I do. Perhaps I can call in the morning, if that would be convenient. I’d like to try him when he’s still fresh. Not after you’ve taken the edge off,’ Jared said, flashing a rueful grin at Harrison.
‘Absolutely.’
‘Come on,’ Lord Amos said, in no apparent hurry to let Jared go. ‘Since you’re here and have expressed an interest in fishing, I’ll show you our trout lake.’
‘That’s remarkably civil of you.’
Jared inwardly cursed the training that made him cynically wonder if Lord Amos had befriended him at Lord Romsey’s request, hoping to discover the real reason for his resignation. But if he dwelt upon that possibility it would detract from the pleasure of his introduction to this magnificent estate and the aristocratic yet down to earth family that shared it, so he resolutely banished the thought.
Instead, he shook Harrison’s hand and the two men wandered off together. Jared stopped walking when the passed enclosures housing magnificent birds of prey. A falcon nodded on a perch but opened its eyes at the sound of the men’s approach and fixed them with a piercing gaze.
‘Another of my brother’s passions,’ Lord Amos said, pausing so that Jared could admire the raptors. ‘Well actually, the expert is Adam Pengelly, my sister Portia’s husband. He used to be in your line of work. He was one of Clarence’s minions too, which is how Portia came to meet him. Perhaps your paths have crossed.’
‘The name isn’t familiar.’
‘Well, I don’t suppose I’ve given away any state secrets by revealing Adam’s previous occupation.’ He chuckled. ‘I say previous but I get the impression that Clarence still calls upon his talents from time to time. He’s a hard man to gainsay, Clarence that is, but then I don’t suppose you need me to tell you that it’s impossible to completely cut all ties with the foreign office.’
Jared again wondered if Lord Amos had prolonged their time together with something other than trout fishing in mind, and made a non-committal answer.
‘Anyway, Adam’s the real expert with birds of prey. He’ll be here soon. All the family will. I dare say he will fly Zach’s birds and it’s a sight I would recommend not missing.’
‘The duke doesn’t fly them himself?’
‘Heavens no! He simply doesn’t have the time. He has a man here with sole responsibility for their care but they respond to Adam much more instinctively.’
‘You have a large family?’
‘We do. There are six of us, plus our five cousins. You’ve already met Max, of course. We’re all married now with children.’ A shadow briefly passed across Lord Amos’s face and Jared knew he must be thinking of his dead wife, the jewellery designer. Jared collected rare pieces of jewellery, which he looked upon as a wise investment, and he had hoped to quiz Lord Amos on anything left in his wife’s portfolio that might be for sale. But he would not broach the subject until he knew the man better, since it was evident to Jared that his pain was still raw. ‘We open the grounds once a year to the villagers and all the family attend. Do you happen to play cricket, by any chance?’
‘Well, I did once. Wasn’t a bad bowler, but I’m horribly out of practise.’
‘Doesn’t matter. You’re likely be roped into Zach’s team to strengthen our defences against the villagers. I have to tell you that it’s a fiercely contested battle. Shawford and Compton are at one another’s throats year round, but they call a temporary halt to hostilities on open day and join forces in an effort to whip us lot.’
‘I can well imagine.’ Jared chuckled, feeling glad to be accepted by this generous family. ‘Count me in if you’re desperate.’
They sauntered on down a narrow pathway that eventually led to a magnificent lake. Jared found himself salivating at the prospect of swimming in it. Before he could mention his passion for aquatic pursuits, they were almost knocked from their feet by what seemed like a dozen small children.
‘Hey, steady there!’ Lord Amos fended off the child in the lead who collided with his legs, almost crashing a jar into them.
‘We’ve been collecting tadpoles, Uncle Amos,’ the child said cheerfully. ‘We’re going to take them inside and watch them grow into frogs. That will be much more interesting than Miranda’s snail. He just lives in a box and doesn’t do anything. Hello,’ the child added, looking up at Jared through curious eyes. ‘I’m Leo Sheridan, and I’ll be a duke one day. Who are you?’
Lord Amos cuffed his nephew around the ear. ‘Precocious brat,’ he muttered.
‘He’s going to be a duke but I’m the oldest, aren’t I, Papa,’ said another child, presumably Lord Amos’s son.
‘Why aren’t you in the school room, boys?’ Lord Amos asked.
‘It was too hot. Ariana and Martina said we could come to the lake and paddle, only we weren’t supposed to tell you that, and then we saw the tadpoles,’ Leo explained. ‘They have back legs already. They’ll be frogs soon and I’m going to put one in Charlotte’s bed and it will make her cry.’
‘I’m not scared of you, Leo Sheridan,’ said a little girl who was presumably Charlotte. ‘And I like frogs better than I like you.’ She backed up her statement by sticking her tongue out at him. Lord Amos, Jared could see, was having trouble holding his amusement in check. It was the first time, Jared realised now, that he had actually seen him laugh spontaneously.
Lord Amos somehow prevented a full-scale argument breaking out between the children, who had split themselves into factions; the boys instinctively herding themselves together. Jared’s attention was now focused on the two young women attempting to encourage the bickering children back in the direction of the house.
With olive skin, dazzling green eyes and rare, untainted beauty, the women took his breath away. They had to be either Latin American or Spanish, Jared thought, and he wondered how they came to be in the duke’s employ.
‘This is Miss Ariana Sanchez-Gomez and her sister Martina,’ Lord Amos said. ‘Ladies, this is our new neighbour, Mr Braden.’
