She continued to watch as they were subsequently put through their paces, paying careful attention to the movements of each one as they walked, cantered, trotted and galloped within the enormous enclosure. And while most women of her age might have quickly grown bored with the various demonstrations, Penny was enjoying it immensely.
She’d been standing there for nearly half an hour, perfectly content to watch the proceedings on her own, when she caught a movement from the corner of her eye, alerting her to someone’s approach. Turning her head she saw that it was Michael coming toward her, the darker color of his jacket, which she had noted earlier, the only discernable distinction between him and his twin brother. In time she would learn to tell them apart without the benefit of their clothing, she supposed. Waiting silently as he neared, she offered a small, hesitant smile as he came to stand beside her.
“The earl asked me to inform you that you are more than welcome to return to the house if you are finding the wait tedious.”
“Not at all,” Penny replied truthfully. “I’m quite content to watch, thank you.”
Michael nodded as he turned his gaze back to the horses. “I heard you speaking with McKesson earlier,” he said after a moment. “I take it you are an avid equestrian.”
“I am,” she said, somewhat surprised by the question, for she hadn’t expected him to remain at her side once he’d delivered his message, nor had she expected him to voluntarily engage her in conversation. Nevertheless, if he was extending an olive branch she was more than willing to take it. “It was inevitable I suppose, for much to my mother’s dismay my father had me in the saddle the moment I was out of leading strings.”
Michael motioned to the empty space beside her on the bench. “Would you mind?”
“No, of course not,” Penny replied, moving a few inches to the left as Michael stepped up onto the wooden slab next to her. They stood there for a time, watching the goings on within the paddock in companionable silence.
“So, which of the four do you fancy, Your Grace?” Michael asked, breaking the silence a few minutes later.
Hearing Michael refer to her as Your Grace caused Penny to dart a quick, sidelong glance in his direction, though she detected nothing spiteful or unkind in his expression. “Please, call me Penny,” she said after a brief hesitation, hoping she wasn’t overstepping.
“Alright,” he agreed with a slight nod. “Which of the four do you fancy, Penny.”
“Well, they are certainly all extraordinary animals, but I’m partial to the bay,” she said, her eyes tracking the horse’s movement as he circled the paddock. “His temperament is spirited but not unruly, both the arch of his neck and the slope of his shoulders are impeccable, his legs are exceptionally long and clean and if you’ll note his breathing you will see that his recovery time is quite impressive. In addition, and while the difference isn’t readily discernable upon first glance,” she continued, “the bay’s stride length appears to be slightly superior to each of the blacks and just a fraction longer than the grey’s.”
Michael’s expression reflected no small measure of surprise at her astute assessment as he glanced toward her. Then shifting his gaze back to the paddock he followed the bay’s movements, focusing on his gait. “You’ve a good eye,” he stated after a moment.
“His lines, as well as his coloring make me wonder if he might be descended of the Godolphin Arabian,” Penny mused. “Do you happen to know, perchance?”
Michael blinked. “Er… yes actually, as a matter of fact he is. A direct descendent of his son Cade, according to McKesson’s record keeper.”
Penny was impressed. “That’s quite a bloodline.”
“Yes, it certainly is,” Michael murmured.
They continued to study the horses for several more minutes, commenting now and then on their mutual observations.
Standing slightly apart from where Rafael and McKesson were speaking with the trainer near the paddock gate, Gabriel tried to keep his attention focused upon the horses. It proved a difficult task, however, as his errant gaze strayed time and again to where Michael stood conversing with his new bride farther down the rail. Humph, so much for brotherly loyalty he thought to himself. Although it really shouldn’t have surprised him he supposed, as Michael had always been the most benevolent and tenderhearted member of their family. Even so, he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of annoyance at the apparent ease of his brother’s capitulation.
As such, he allowed the subtle hint of reproach to reflect upon his face when Michael made his way back a short while later.
Noting Gabriel’s expression, Michael shrugged contritely. “She knows horses,” he offered by way of explanation and then hurried to join the others near the gate.
She knows horses. Following Michael with his eyes, he shook his head in disbelief. Damn it all, if they weren’t careful the conniving little chit would soon have his brothers wrapped around her little finger and persuaded to disregard her duplicitous act entirely. Hell, with her remarkable theatrical abilities she might even convince them that it was she who was the victim in all of this instead of him.
With their selections made a short time later, the bay for Michael and the grey for Rafael, they prepared to resume their journey with the earl’s assurance that the horses would be delivered to London within the coming fortnight.
“Your Grace,” the earl said to Penny as they approached the awaiting coach, “it was an absolute delight meeting you. Please give my regards to your father when you see him next.”
“Thank you, Lord McKesson. I shall,” she replied with a warm smile. Then, allowing one of the footmen to assist her into the vehicle, Penny settled once again into her seat against the far wall and waited for the gentlemen to join her.
Minutes later, once everyone was comfortably settled, the step was raised, the door pushed closed and the carriage wheels began rolling forward once again.
Leaving the earl’s property and turning onto the main road it didn’t take long for Penny to realize that the second portion of their journey would be all too similar to the first. For despite her earlier conversation with Michael he made no further overtures and in fact seemed to purposefully avoid making eye contact, nary casting a glance in her direction as he chatted quietly with Rafael on the opposite seat, whilst the duke blatantly ignored her, occupying himself with the latest edition of The Times.
Disheartened, though not particularly surprised, Penny turned to the window with a weary sigh and focused her attention once again upon the passing landscape, knowing that in all likelihood it would be several hours before they reached their next stop.
As she’d learned from her father, the Ainsworth’s ancestral estate in Berkshire had been undergoing renovations for the past several months which had necessitated the duke and his brothers spending the past months in London, rather than retiring to the country like the majority of their peers. Thus, with the start of the Season still weeks away, it was to their London residence that they were now travelling, the added distance requiring them to spend the night at one of the numerous coaching houses along the way. It was going to be a lengthy journey, and seated just inches away from the duke, whose anger and resentment remained a palpable force within the confines of the coach, it wasn’t one that she was looking forward to by any stretch of the imagination.
_____
By the time their coach pulled into the courtyard of the Rose and Thistle, shortly after the sun had dropped below the western horizon, Penny’s neck and back were stiff and her stomach had begun to rumble with hunger. Thus it was with an inordinate sense of relief that she took hold of the footman’s hand and stepped down onto the inn’s pebbled drive a few minutes later.
Clearly having noted the ducal crest emblazoned upon the side of their coach, the innkeeper himself hurried outside to greet them. “My lords, my lady, welcome to the Rose and Thistle. I am Mr. Buckley, the proprietor of this establishment,” he greeted. “How may I be of service this evening?”
&nb
sp; As Gabriel set about apprising Mr. Buckley of their needs, Penny took note of their present surroundings. Fortunately the courtyard appeared neat and orderly, the building’s exterior simple though well-maintained and if the delicious aroma drifting through the open front door was an indication of the inn’s fare, the meals promised to be both appetizing and satiating. And with that last thought in mind, her stomach emitted another discontented rumble.
Mercifully, however, it wasn’t long before she, the duke and his brothers were seated amongst the other patrons of the inn at one of the tables within the main dining room, with steaming plates of stewed beef, boiled potatoes, peas, carrots and oven-fresh biscuits set before them a short while later. They ate in silence for the most part, the men limiting themselves to the occasional remark about the food or drink, whilst Penny focused on her own meal and did her best to ignore the trio of buxom serving maids who flitted about their table like a cluster of enthusiastic bees buzzing around a particularly fragrant patch of heather.
Even so, by the time their dessert had arrived, a tasty lemon-balm cake with custard sauce, Penny had become increasingly annoyed with the sheer multitude of toothy smiles, rapidly-batting eyelashes and bold, come-hither looks being directed toward the duke and his brothers. The men, however, seemed entirely unaffected by the women’s ongoing attempts to garner their attention as they blithely continued to eat their food and drink their wine. No doubt the too-handsome siblings had grown so accustomed to being the recipients of such blatant flirtation that the maids’ audacious behavior scarcely drew their notice, she surmised.
In any event, it wasn’t much longer before the meal was concluded, the last of the dessert plates were removed from the table and the overly solicitous maids were left with scant reason to linger about their table. Unfortunately, however, with the ending of their meal, Penny was faced with an entirely different and far more distressing situation, retiring upstairs to the chamber she was to share with the duke. And while such an occurrence would surely have set her heart racing in delicious anticipation as recent as the night before, the impending circumstance now filled her with naught but stomach-churning dread and a rapidly escalating sense of panic.
“I hope the meal was to your liking, Your Grace,” Mr. Buckley inquired, interrupting Penny’s thoughts as he entered the dining room and approached their table, his sudden presence sending the serving maids scurrying off to attend to the other diners.
“It was indeed, Mr. Buckley,” Gabriel replied. “My compliments to your kitchen staff.”
“Yes, the lemon-balm cake was especially delicious,” Penny asserted.
“My wife, Henrietta, does most of the cooking,” he informed them proudly. “Truth be told, her lemon cake’s one of the reasons I married her,” he added with a grin for Penelope, patting his rounded belly. “Although, the black pudding she’ll be serving with tomorrow’s breakfast is her specialty.”
Penny smiled appreciatively. “I shall look forward to it.”
“May I bring you gentlemen another bottle of wine,” he asked then, glancing around the table, “a pot of tea or sherry for Her Grace perhaps?”
“Yes, let’s have one more bottle of the red wine before we retire,” Rafael suggested.
Gabriel nodded agreeably and then turned to Penelope. “Would you care for sherry or tea?”
“No, I don’t believe so.” If the gentlemen were going to enjoy another bottle of wine, it might afford her a few minutes of privacy before the duke, her husband, joined her upstairs. “In fact, I believe that I shall retire for the evening if that’s alright?”
“Of course,” he replied dispassionately.
All three men pushed back their chairs then, standing politely as Penny rose from her seat and Mr. Buckley hurried off to fetch the wine.
“I’ll escort you upstairs,” the duke offered, but Penny stayed him with her hand. “You needn’t bother, Your Grace. I can see myself up,” she assured him.
He hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “As you wish.”
“Well, goodnight then,” she said, glancing between Michael and Rafael.
“Goodnight,” they each replied, tipping their heads politely in her direction.
“Be sure to lock the door behind you,” the duke instructed as she stepped away from the table; and for one, heart-stopping moment Penny imagined that he might have decided to sleep elsewhere for the night. But regrettably her momentary flicker of hope was abruptly extinguished by his very next sentence.
“I’ll use my key.”
Penny felt her stomach drop, but somehow she managed to maintain a composed expression as she offered a brief nod and then turned to walk away.
Entering into the small, sparsely-furnished chamber a few minutes later, Penny closed and then locked the door behind her as Gabriel had directed and quickly glanced about the room. Aside from the addition of her traveling case and a similar, though slightly smaller piece of luggage that could only belong to him, the room looked just as it had before when she’d stepped inside to briefly refresh herself before dinner. Unfortunately that gave her little comfort, however, as there remained only one, dismayingly-narrow bed set against the wall to her right.
Not knowing how much time she would have before Gabriel made his way upstairs, she turned from the bed, inhaled a slow, deep breath and then hurried to where the hard-sided, leather case she’d packed that morning sat below the room’s solitary window. Briefly she considered calling upon one of the inn’s female servants to assist her in undressing, but unsure how long such a request would take, she decided against it. And so, picking up her case she carried it over to the privacy screen that stood in the nearby corner, opened it and then hastily withdrew her night rail before stepping behind the tall, single-paneled screen.
Removing her shoes and stockings, she then reached for the fastenings of her gown, thankful that she’d thought to wear a dress that buttoned down the front instead of the back as she stepped out of it a moment later, and then swiftly shed her white linen petticoat. Divesting herself of her tightly-laced corset proved a far more difficult task, however, and by the time she’d managed to untie the satin laces interweaved along the length of her back she was panting with exertion, her shoulder muscles were aching and she was lamenting her decision not to call for assistance.
Standing then in her cotton chemise, she turned to fill the washbowl from the ceramic pitcher that sat on the narrow wooden table behind her and set about cleansing herself with a wetted cloth. And although she would have much-preferred to submerse herself in the depths of a warm, scented bath, she was loathe to burden the inn’s busy staff with what would surely prove an arduous and time-consuming task. Thus, she made do as best she could with the contents of the washbowl before removing her shift and slipping the cotton night rail over her head.
Stepping out from behind the screen, Penny quickly folded her discarded clothing, set it aside and then glanced nervously toward the bed. Despite the hours she’d spent staring pensively out the coach window, she’d made a concerted effort to avoid thinking about the night ahead and the impending consummation of her marriage to the duke. Regrettably, however, she knew that she couldn’t put it off any longer. And so, turning down the bedside lamp so that only a faint glimmer lighted the darkened room, she pulled back the quilted coverlet, slipped between the sheets and tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever was to come.
Raised in the country and surrounded by an abundance of natural wildlife, as well as a variety of domestic animals, Penny had been exposed to the fundamentals of procreation from a relatively young age. Even so, her understanding of the particulars involved in human copulation was speculative at best. Certainly if her mother were alive she would have spoken to her about such things in preparation of her wedding night, but regrettably her mother wasn’t alive and her stepmother, the one person who might have offered her some idea as to the particulars that awaited her in the marriage bed, hadn’t spoken more than a few words to her since she’d
ordered her from her chamber earlier that morning.
Of course, considering the duke’s present feelings of animosity, he might not even wish to consummate their marriage that night, she reasoned, or any other night for that matter. But no, surely his desire for an heir would necessitate his joining with her in the marriage bed at some point, even if he did despise her. But even so, she wasn’t foolish enough to believe that their marital relations would be the same as they might have been had they shared a congenial, conventional union. How could they be when her husband felt nothing for her but contempt, bitterness and resentment?
Oh how she hated this, hated not knowing what her future held, not only for the night ahead but for the remaining years of her life. Choking back a sob, she rolled onto her side. The uncertainty was beyond frightening; it was terrifying. Sadly, the only thing she did know for certain was that her dreams of falling in love and having a marriage filled with happiness and joy, idealistic though they may have been, had been effectively shattered. But how? How had this happened, she wondered in despair; the selfsame question she had asked herself at least a hundred times already? Unfortunately, however, the question had remained woefully unanswered, just as it did now. For despite her repeated efforts to remember, she still hadn’t the vaguest notion as to how she had ended up in the duke’s bed; and sadly, she was beginning to fear that she never would.
To Capture a Duke's Heart Page 14