The Outrageous Debutante
Page 31
‘I will accompany you.’ Nicholas still had moments of sheer horror when he recalled in vivid detail the dangers that she had faced, moments when his blood froze at the certain knowledge that she might have met her death here in his own home. He knew that those fears would never leave him, but chose to say nothing, carrying the weight of care close within him. It must not be a burden on her. His lady must be free to fly if that was her wish. Yet he often found excuses to be with his wife, to accompany her when she rode off estate land.
As if she did not know! Thea hid her smile because she understood and valued his care. Knowing his fears, she would never refuse his subtle planning.
‘But before we go—I have something to show you, my lady. Close your eyes.’ He pulled her arm securely through his to aid her steps. ‘No looking, now!’
The stables! She surmised from their direction when they left the house. Newly constructed, Nicholas’s prized horseflesh were once more in residence. They had been brought over from Burford only the previous week and appeared to be well settled into their fine accommodation. Her smile bloomed. ‘Can I guess?’
‘Of course not! No guessing. No peeping.’ He tightened his hold on her arms. ‘Take care here—the pavings are still somewhat uneven.’
But she knew why he had come to find her. What he had brought her to see. Her feet clattered on the cobbles of the courtyard. Then soft darkness, intermittent rays of sunshine, with the sweet scents of hay and horses closed around her—but she remained obedient with her eyes closed. Nicholas led her forward.
‘Now look.’
Of course. The Zephyr stood in the centre of the large stall. At her feet, a foal, newborn, its coat still damp, but determined to manage its long legs and gain its feet. By their side stood Furness with handfuls of straw with which he had been wiping down the little grey’s hot sides. He looked up at Thea with pride and the suspicion of a grin on his lined face.
‘Oh Nick.’ Thea leaned against the half-door to see the new arrival. It was a roan, the dark bay taken from its sire, Nicholas’s recently acquired stallion, but with the arched neck and small head of the Arab mare. Liquid eyes with absurdly long lashes blinked at them as sunshine came through the high windows.
‘A colt, my lady,’ Furness explained. ‘Give him two or three years on his back—he’ll be an asset to our breeding programme here at Aymestry. What do we call him, my lord?’
‘I think Faringdon Pride. He will be the bedrock of our future.’ Nicholas looked at Thea. ‘Do you agree, Thea? You have part-ownership, after all.’
‘Yes. I approve.’
Thea stroked The Zephyr. Admired her baby. Then Lord Nicholas and his wife walked back into the sunlight to sit on the stone balustrade that delineated the formal garden and look out over the home pastures.
‘I feel so happy.’ Thea laughed aloud, eyes sparkling.
‘Even after all of six months?’ Nicholas knew what she meant. Their love was still as new and bright for him too. He stripped a late rose bud from the bush beside them, handing it to her with solemn formality. ‘Even though I only married you to stop your taking The Zephyr away from me?’
Thea raised the unfurling flower to her lips as she slanted an arch glance at her companion. ‘There now! And I thought it was for my own sake.’ Then on a thought, ‘Will they ever return, Henry and Eleanor?’ Thea asked as she leaned back within the shelter of her lord’s arm.
‘No. This was never the life that Hal wanted. And although the title is rightfully his, he would never claim it. It would ruin Eleanor’s reputation, you see. It is better that the world here continue to see Tom as Thomas’s child, rather than Hal’s, born without the sanction of marriage.’
‘The strait-laced Faringdons!’ Her smile was a little sad for all the anguish and scandal of the past.
‘True. But Tom might return. One day. When he is grown and can decide for himself. Burford is his, after all.’ He glanced down at her. ‘Are you content, Thea? Managing acres that are not ours? Perhaps it is no more secure for you than residing in a foreign embassy. You once told me that you had no settled home, had never had one—and that is what you wished for above all else.’
How delightful that he should remember. And was concerned that she should not be dissatisfied with any one part of their life here together. Nicholas’s sensitivity to her emotions was something which still took her by surprise. Thea shook her head, eyes clear, meeting his without shadow.
‘Aymestry is your own. I am here because it is yours, and thus it is mine too. I feel that it has been waiting for me all my life, and I have come home at last. Just as I felt that you and your love had been waiting for me to discover the glory of it. Fate has determined that we be together.’
He could not look away from the love that shone from her face. ‘You can still travel, you know, if you become restless. It was never my intention to chain you to life in rural seclusion. We are not buried here.’
‘I know.’ And was grateful for his promise, although she no longer needed it. ‘But we have a beautiful home here. I predict that Faringdon horses will be famous.’
Lord Nicholas would have risen to his feet, pulling her with him. But Thea detained him with a hand on his arm and a thoughtful expression.
‘What is it, my heart?’
Her fingers tightened on his, to the detriment of the neglected rose bud. ‘It is just that I have been thinking … Perhaps we should consider securing our own inheritance for the future—for Aymestry Manor.’
‘I think it an excellent idea,’ he replied promptly, as solemn as she.
‘Ha! Why do I think that you always manage to get your own way?’
‘How can you say that? Certainly, in my younger days I usually managed to do so.’ His fleeting grin, devastating as ever, melted her bones. ‘Until, that is, I met a certain wayward débutante who challenged all my preconceptions.’
‘I cannot imagine what you might mean, my lord!’ Thea could not repress an answering smile as she tucked her hand cosily into her husband’s arm with satisfaction at her achievement. ‘So we have decided that we need an heir for Aymestry.’
‘I believe, my dear love, that we have.’
Which was exactly what Lord Nicholas Faringdon wanted after all.
IMPRINT: Special Release eBooks
ISBN: 9781460818671
TITLE: THE OUTRAGEOUS DEBUTANTE
First Australian Publication 2012
Copyright © 2012 Anne O’Brien
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