“And what do you think would happen to your own meals if she knew they were making their way to my pockets?” Lenora stepped backward out of the stall and into view. “I won’t take it from you, Jimmy. Not this time.”
“It’s just a roll and a bit of sausage.”
“No.” She turned away from him and her face registered surprise. “Lord Galdhor!”
“Lenora,” he said, “and Jimmy.” Lenora and Jimmy. He hadn’t realized that the two of them were friendly, hadn’t known that they spent any time together. And yet he had heard Jimmy showing concern for her well-being. He had heard Lenora speaking playfully. Teasing him.
Didn’t Lenora say she would never marry, though? Didn’t she say that romance wasn’t destined to be part of her life? Why was she speaking in such a way to Jimmy?
“Lord Galdhor?” Jimmy said. Adrian realized he was staring and forced himself to smile at the two of them, even though it was the last thing he felt like doing. “Would you like me to assist you in choosing a mount for your outing with Lady Katherine?”
“Yes,” Adrian said, “please do. That would be most appreciated.”
“Are you an experienced rider?”
“I have horses at home.” He felt as if he was addressing Lenora, not Jimmy. He felt as if he was trying to start a conversation with her. He waited for her to respond to what he’d said, but of course she didn’t. She fished a carrot out of her apron and held it over the door of one of the stalls for the horses to eat, ignoring Adrian.
She had never ignored Adrian before.
Jimmy moved to the stable to select a mount, and Adrian stepped closer to Lenora. She glanced up at him, then away, but he thought he saw a smile playing about the corners of her lips.
“Lenora,” he said. “Good morning to you.”
“Good morning, Lord Galdhor.”
“Will you not call me Adrian?” he asked quietly.
Her eyebrows shot up. “My Lord, I couldn’t possibly. It would be inappropriate.”
“We’re friends,” he said. “Are we not?”
“I…”
“We are friends.”
“It isn’t that simple,” she said. “You’re a marquess. I’m a chambermaid. If the Duchess were to hear me speak so—”
“Is that why?” he asked. “You won’t call me by my name because you’re afraid the Duchess will hear?”
She hesitated. She was thinking about it.
“Aren’t we friends?”
“We are,” she acquiesced quietly.
“And friends call each other by name.”
“I can’t, Lord Galdhor.”
“Adrian.”
“I can’t. You’re a lord. Don’t you see how—”
She fell silent, eyes going wide. Voices were coming from outside the stable.
“—if you can credit it, and not a single piece of fruit! Well, of course I had to ask the kitchen to start over. You can understand, Henderson. I could hardly bring that meal on my ride with Lord Galdhor.”
“Yes, Lady Katherine.”
She appeared in the doorway, outfitted in a green riding habit and a grey pillbox hat with a feather in it. She looked lovely as ever, but she also looked rather uncomfortable. Adrian got the feeling she was unaccustomed to being in these clothes.
Henderson came behind her bearing a wicker basket. That must be our picnic. Adrian wondered what sorts of changes Lady Katherine had made to the contents of the basket.
“Good morning, Lady Katherine,” he greeted her.
She looked right past him. “Lenora? What on earth are you doing down here?”
“I—I beg your pardon, My Lady,” Lenora said. She sounded frightened now, and Adrian longed to intercede on her behalf, but he knew that his involvement would only make things worse. “I just came down to visit the horses.” She held up the carrot in her hand, the one Jimmy had given her to eat herself.
“We have a stable hand,” Lady Katherine said. “We don’t require two. And we certainly don’t have time for the two of you to be frolicking around when you ought to be working. Get back up to the house at once and clean the breakfast dishes.”
“Yes, My Lady.” Lenora turned and ran from the stable without sparing Adrian even a glance.
“Jimmy,” Lady Katherine said, “I’ve told you before, I don’t want you mixing with the likes of her. If you’re ready to take a wife, perhaps I can ask Father to hire someone to work in the stables with you.”
“That’s not at all necessary,” Jimmy insisted. “Would you like to take Acorn out today, Lady Katherine? And I was just about to saddle up your father’s horse for Lord Galdhor’s use.”
“That’s just perfect,” Lady Katherine said, flashing a smile. “And Henderson can follow us on Gingersnap.”
Jimmy nodded. “Very good,” he said. “I’ll have all three ready in just a moment.”
“Would you like any help?” Adrian asked. Getting three horses ready to go out would be quite a job, he knew, and the work would go more quickly if he lent a hand.
But Lady Katherine pouted. “You’re doing it again, Lord Galdhor,” she said.
“Doing what, Lady Katherine?”
“You’re ignoring me. Avoiding speaking to me. Wouldn’t you rather see what I’ve arranged for our picnic than saddle up those dirty horses?”
Not a bit. “Of course,” he lied, remembering his vow to give her his due attention today.
She placed the basket in his hands, lifted the lid, and showed him fresh fruits, a loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese, and some turkey wrapped in paper. “This will be a wonderful meal,” she said happily.
“I’ve no doubt.”
She cocked her head. “Where are you? You seem as though your thoughts are miles away, Lord Galdhor. Is anything amiss?”
“No,” he assured her. “All is well.” But it wasn’t. He couldn’t stop thinking of the way Lenora had spoken to Jimmy. How easy they were with each other. And then, how quickly Jimmy had turned down Lady Katherine’s offer to help him find a suitable wife.
Had he declined because he already loved another?
Did he harbor feelings for Lenora? And if he did, did she return those feelings?
She acted as if she did. She acted as if the two of them were very close.
And why shouldn’t they be? Why did it bother him so to think that Lenora might have a special friend among the staff of the manor? What was it to him? Didn’t he want her to be happy, to have nice things and people in her life?
What was it to him if they had a romantic attachment?
I want her to prefer me.
The thought came to him unbidden, out of nowhere, and it shocked him to his core. And yet, as soon as it had occurred to him, he knew it was true. All the things he hadn’t managed to feel for Lady Katherine were there in his feelings for Lenora.
He cared for her deeply. Far more than a marquess cares for a member of his staff. He cared for her the way a man cares for a woman.
Dear God. When did this happen? When did I begin to think of her as more than an interesting member of Lady Katherine’s household?
He hadn’t been minding his feelings, he realized belatedly. If he had, he would have noticed how much he looked forward to speaking to her each day. He would have noticed how frequently he went out of his way to run into her, and how hard he tried to coax smiles and laughs from her in the course of their conversations.
I have feelings for Lenora. Real feelings.
But could his feelings even matter? Would anything ever come of them? After all, she was a chambermaid. And not just any chambermaid—she was in service to the lady he was supposed to be courting. He couldn’t very well tell Lady Katherine he had decided not to wed her but that he wished to court her maid instead. It would cause a scandal.
Mother would never show her face in public again.
And besides, Lenora seemed to be enamored of Jimmy the stable hand. If the two of them were already involved in a romance, would she even look tw
ice at Adrian? He was no fool—he did not imagine his title, or his wealth, would matter to someone as smart and generous of spirit as Lenora if she truly loved another.
But maybe she doesn’t love him, he thought. She did say she was never going to marry. Would she have said that if she had a love in her life?
She might have. Especially with Lady Katherine looking over their shoulders, discouraging them from seeing each other. Perhaps she simply knew that her Lady would never permit her to wed Jimmy.
Oh, this was a disaster. Adrian would never be able to think through it all. There was no way to be sure what—if anything—might exist between Lenora and Jimmy without asking one of them about it outright.
Dare he ask her about it outright?
Jimmy led the prepared horses out into the sunlight. Lady Katherine stood beside hers and waited to be helped onto its back. Adrian swung his leg over his own mount with ease and urged it to walk.
“That one is Chester,” Lady Katherine said, pulling even with him. “He’s Father’s favorite.”
“He seems like a very good horse,” Adrian said absently. He couldn’t bring himself to focus on anything Lady Katherine was saying, even though he knew it was important that he do so. She would be taking the measure of him today, and if she suspected his disinterest in her, the consequences could be severe.
I need to be honest with her. I need to tell her this marriage is never going to happen. I need to go home, he thought.
And right on the heels of that—I won’t go home. I won’t leave Lenora to her fate with these people who so clearly despise her.
“Father always buys the finest horses,” Lady Katherine prattled on, clearly unaware of Adrian’s distraction. Adrian was thankful her mother wasn’t present. The Duchess was a much keener observer of what was going on around her than Lady Katherine seemed to be. “Our stables are the envy of the ton.”
“Are they?” Adrian asked. He cared only for keeping the conversation going, keeping Lady Katherine’s attention on herself and what she had to say rather than on him.
“Oh, yes,” she said, and for the first time since he’d met her, he thought he heard eagerness in her voice. “You like horses, don’t you, Lord Galdhor?”
“I do,” he agreed. “I enjoy riding.”
“And do you have many horses of your own at Galdhor Manor?”
“We have a fair number,” he said. “Not as many as you have here, of course. But I have three favorites among my stables.” If she had been another woman, a woman like Lenora, he would have told her all about his horses—how they had come into his possession and why they were his particular favorites.
But Lady Katherine didn’t ask questions because she wanted to know the answers. She merely wanted an excuse to continue talking about herself. “I’ve had horses all my life,” she said. “I’ve never taken an interest. But when we marry and I return to Galdhor Manor with you, I’ll bring my best horses along. They’ll join your stables. Won’t that be fine?”
“Oh, yes,” Adrian said. “Very fine.”
When we marry? How had Lady Katherine developed such a certainty that the marriage would take place? Adrian hadn’t come to Brackhill Manor on the understanding that the marriage was already set in stone. He had come to discuss the possibility.
And, as of yet, there have been no formal discussions. I haven’t even spoken to the Duke, for God’s sake. How could this decision have possibly been made? Lady Katherine must know it hasn’t been. She must know that it’s not guaranteed.
And yet, she seemed to believe all the conversations that had yet to take place and all the contracts that had yet to be signed were mere formalities. She seemed sure that Adrian would decide to wed her.
Well, he thought, I have decided. I’ve decided that there will be no marriage. I know that I must take a wife. I know my mother needs that from me, and I know I have to produce an heir. But Lady Katherine is the wrong match.
She rode ahead a little bit, and Adrian was thankful for the distance she had put between them. He could tell by the way she held herself in the saddle and by the way she glanced back over her shoulder that she was putting on a show for him. She wanted him to admire her.
Any other man might well do just that, he supposed. She was lovely. Her posture on horseback was beyond reproach, and that was impressive for a lady who clearly had no passion for riding.
But as soon as she had pulled ahead of him, Adrian felt as if she might as well not be there anymore at all. His thoughts drifted back to the stables, to Jimmy and Lenora laughing together.
It occurred to him now that he wished he was the stable hand.
What a strange thing to wish for! Adrian had never taken his wealth and station for granted before—he knew exactly how fortunate he was to be born to hold a title, to be a member of the ton. Jimmy probably struggled every day to eke out a comfortable life. Adrian would always have a warm bed and enough to eat.
But Jimmy had the freedom to strike up a friendship with Lenora.
Jimmy had the freedom to pursue a romantic involvement with Lenora, if that was what he wished.
Lady Katherine might have forbidden him to see her, but Adrian was sure that wouldn’t stop a determined stable hand. It would be easy to keep Lady Katherine out of his business if he felt it necessary.
I don’t want Lady Katherine, Adrian thought, his heart twanging. It’s Lenora. I want Lenora. I have since the moment I met her.
But how could he hope to win Lenora? She’s a maid and I’m a marquess. What will Mother say if I return to Galdhor Manor, not with Lady Katherine, but with her chambermaid?
Did he care?
What difference did it make, really, what people might say? Adrian had never been one to worry about idle gossip or the opinions of his fellow nobles. They would find something to chatter about, he knew, no matter what he did.
He supposed he did care a bit more about the prospect of disappointing his mother. But she had said herself that the most important thing was that he produce an heir, and that was something he could do just as well with Lenora as with Lady Katherine.
Any son of mine would still retain my title, he thought. Any son of mine will inherit my manor and my lands and will become the next Marquess of Galdhor. That’s what’s important to Mother, isn’t it?
The thought seemed to take root in his soul, to grow. He could take Lenora away from here. He could help her escape the mistreatment she had suffered at the hands of Lady Katherine and the Duchess.
She would become noble herself if she were to wed me, he thought. She would be treated like the lady she is. She would finally have everything she deserves.
She couldn’t say no to that, could she? Even if she did have feelings for Jimmy the stable hand, surely, she would see how much more Adrian could offer her.
Immediately he was ashamed. That thought was unworthy of him. Of course, he didn’t deserve Lenora any more than anybody else simply because of his title. If that were true, it would mean that he ought to pursue Lady Katherine because of her title.
And speaking of Lady Katherine—
She had wheeled her horse about and was watching him approach. “You ride well,” he said, knowing he ought to say something to her. Once again, he had all but forgotten her presence, thinking only of Lenora.
“Thank you, Lord Galdhor,” she preened. “Father insisted I learn. I felt it a useless endeavor—when would I ever need to ride a horse?—and Mother agreed with me. She says all well-bred ladies travel by carriage. But it is a worthy skill if it gives me the opportunity to spend this time with you.”
“This is a suitable place for our picnic,” Adrian said. “Don’t you agree?” In truth, he no longer cared about the picnic or where it was held. He wanted to get this experience over with as quickly as possible and return to the manor, so that he could let the Duchess know their courtship was over.
And so that he could find Lenora.
Now that he had realized the true nature of his feelings for
her, he didn’t want to wait another moment. He would confess his affections and ask her to come away with him that very day. And once they were away from Brackhill Manor, they would never have to worry about their relationship being found out. There would be nothing Lady Katherine could do to harm Lenora ever again.
Adrian and Lady Katherine dismounted. Adrian took her horse’s reins and tied them to a tree, leaving enough slack that the two horses could crop at the grass. Lady Katherine spread her blanket on the ground and began to unpack their meal.
They ate together in near silence. Adrian couldn’t think what to say to her anymore. Every topic of conversation felt like a lie. It felt like if he opened his mouth, he would be giving her false hope for a future union, and he knew now that such a thing would never come to pass. He had made his choice.
A Game of Chess With the Marquess Page 12