Page 45 of Defending the Duke (The St. Clairs 4)

Chapter Fourteen

Laurel hadn’t wasteda moment. The second she learned Linfield was behind closed doors with Ross Woodward, she told Mrs. Wallingford where she was off to and headed directly to the stables. She’d only been riding for two months now but she had taken to it as she had dancing. Being atop a horse was the most liberating thing in the world.

The head groom had helped select a mount for her after asking a few questions about her experience. He’d even had two different horses brought out and let her try each one, riding around in a wide loop before returning. They settled on one and he assigned Tam, one of the grooms, to escort her about the estate. Tam led her several places that had the advantage of height so that she could see wide portions of the estate without having to ride so far. Laurel told herself she would travel the entire perimeter tomorrow, seeing more of the land up close.

Now that she had a good idea of what the property consisted of, she told Tam she wished to meet as many tenants as she could during the rest of the afternoon. She assumed Linfield would be tied up the rest of the day with Mr. Woodward and wanted to make the most of her time.

Tam’s parents had resided at Linwood since they were both children and had taken over Tam’s father’s cottage and plot of land.

“Didn’t you have any interest in farming?” she’d asked.

“No, Your Grace. It’s always been animals for me. Horses, in particular. I was lucky to gain a position in the stables. I get to do what I love and still see my parents every week. My sister, too, since she married last year, one of the tenants on the far east side of the property.”

“Where are your parents located?”

“Here to the west.”

“Then I shall call upon them first.”

She regretted not having taken time to go to the kitchen to collect some kind of treat for those she visited but she soon learned her company was as cherished as any gift that she might have brought with her. Laurel met Tam’s parents and a dozen other families. Tam also took her to an area between the tenants’ land and the main house, where he introduced her to the blacksmith and his farrier. She learned the blacksmith shoed horses and made various wrought iron products for the farmers and people at Linwood, while the farrier also shoed horses and acted as a type of horse doctor.

Laurel met the estate’s wheelwright, who built carts and wheels and one of its two gamekeepers. Everyone was interested in her and her marriage to the new, mysterious duke. A few mentioned knowing the former duke and his eldest son. When their names came up, a quietness seem to settle as a blanket. She was smart enough to read between the lines and understand neither man had been fondly looked upon by these farmers and laborers.

“I promise I will bring my husband back with me tomorrow. He is eager to meet everyone. He would have come with me today but he and Mr. Woodward had a great deal to discuss regarding the estate.”

Tam finally told her it grew late and they needed to return to the stables. As they rode in the direction of the house, she saw a horse approaching at a fast clip and recognized the rider as Linfield. Her gut told her he was furious with her and she signaled to Tam to come to a halt.

“His Grace approaches, Tam. Why don’t you return to the stables? My husband will see me home safely.” She smiled sweetly, though her insides quaked.

“Yes, Your Grace. It was a pleasure escorting you today. If you ever need anyone to accompany you again, just ask for me.”

“I certainly will, Tam.”

He kicked his horse and rode off, passing Linfield, who turned and looked at the groom. Laurel feared he would stop Tam and berate him but the duke must have thought better of it, riding toward her instead. She remained in place, waiting for him to arrive.

His horse was reddish-brown, what Luke would have called a bay. Her brother had been the one to teach her to ride and had imparted all kinds of miscellaneous information to her regarding horses. She’d seen this horse attached to the carriage that followed them to Linwood and assumed it was Linfield’s personal favorite. With its great size, she guessed that the animal had been at war with him.

He pulled up alongside her, his eyes flashing with anger.

“You went out on the estate.”

She answered him calmly. “Yes. I wanted to see where my future children would play.”

“Our children.”

“Yes. Our children,” she agreed. “I also wanted to meet some of the tenants. They are most eager to make your acquaintance.”

“I told you the household required your attention.”

“And I told you that I—we—have an excellent staff,” she snapped. “I’ve already spoken to Cook about menus for the remainder of the week we will be here. That’s a very duchess-y thing to do.” She paused. “I had the time and thought I would use it to see Linwood.”

“I would have preferred to show it to you myself.”

She softened. His voice had a catch in it and she realized it might have meant something to him to be the one to show her around. She pictured the little boy he’d been and wished whatever had happened had not affected him the way it had.

“I only saw a few parts of it. Tam, the groom who accompanied me, led me to a couple of high points so I could see for miles. It’s beautiful, Anthony. You are very fortunate to have such an impressive place.”

“It’s ours,” he said, his anger subsiding. “One of many properties but the one I believe we’ll spend the most time at. At least until we have children.”

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