by Abby Ayles
She tilted her head to the side, blinking in confusion, ready to jump to her feet and run to him. She stayed where she was but every nerve in her body lit on fire as she resisted the urge to go to him.
Her heartbeat sped up and she swallowed hard.
As she moved, Julia pushed herself up with one hand and scooted to the side. Her eyes caught movement just on the other side of the hill fountain and she saw the Balfour brothers approaching.
Her eyes moved to Annabelle, who was staring over her shoulder with a look that told her it was Duke Colbourn she was looking at.
She saw the look on her friend’s face and felt a bit of excitement slide through her. Annabelle was finally in love. It made Julia giddy just thinking about it.
The Duke was a handsome man, a true gentleman, and wealthy enough that Annabelle would not have to worry about her future.
He was the kind of man who gave of his wealth to children in another country who needed it more than he did.
Julia sighed. “The Balfour brothers are heading this way, Annabelle.”
Annabelle’s eyes slid to her friend’s face. “Duke Colbourn is coming from the entrance. He looks worried.”
“Do you think he’s concerned that the brothers are wandering around out here when we are so vulnerable?”
“To say so would suggest Duke Colbourn does not favor the Balfour brothers. Why should he not favor them?”
Julia shook her head.
“I am sure you have noticed that he does not look kindly at them. We spent a good amount of time with Lord Gilbert yesterday. He was, for the most part, amiable and considerate. But the duke did not change his initial opinion. It is written on his face.”
Annabelle thought Julia, being a keen observer, had probably noticed something like that, even if she herself did not.
She kept her eyes on Julia’s face while the other girl looked over Annabelle’s shoulder at the approaching brothers.
The Balfour brothers reached the girls first and both bowed from the waist.
“We were expecting to see lovely flowers out here this afternoon,” Lord Gilbert said.
“But we have been blessed with lovely women, as well. I trust you are enjoying your picnic lunch?”
“We are, thank you kindly,” Julia answered. The men came around so they were facing the front of the blanket, looking at both of the women.
They had their hands clasped behind their backs and smiles were plastered on their faces.
No matter how hard she tried, Annabelle could not get rid of the feeling that they were not as amiable as they were attempting to portray.
“I would ask you to join us,” Annabelle said. “But we did not bring enough for more than the two of us.”
“Any more would have been much too heavy,” Julia added with a giggle.
“You should have a maid bring it out to you.”
Julia looked at Annabelle with her eyebrows raised. “I have never thought of it. I suppose we could do that if we wanted to.”
Annabelle turned her head to look at Lord Leonard, who was closer to her. Lord Gilbert was standing so that the sun was in his eyes. He was squinting at her. Lord Leonard’s position gave him some shade from the tree behind the girls.
“My Lord, in the past, we have not needed to pack more than just enough for the two of us.”
She was trying to get him to speak. She knew she was not the only one who had noticed Lord Leonard was a man of few words.
Those he did speak were to the point. She had never met a man so quiet before.
She was not sure what to make of it. Could she trust him? Should she trust him?
There was one thing she knew. If he found out anything secretive about her, he would not tell anyone.
Duke Colbourn was hurrying, seeing that the girls were now talking to the Balfour brothers. She pressed her lips together to keep from giggling.
They would ask her what she thought was funny and she would be forced to lie to keep from humiliating herself.
The Duke was not giving the two lords a friendly look. In fact, he looked somewhat disgusted.
She wondered if he suspected they were no good, the way she did? She was unable to forget the Cribbage game, where he had questioned her honesty.
“Greetings, friends,” the duke said as he got closer. He lifted a hand to them.
Julia turned around to smile at him. Annabelle raised her hand. She wanted to offer the last half of her sandwich to him just to make him stay but she had already told the brothers there was not enough for them.
In reality, there was not enough for them. She and Julia really did not pack enough for anyone but themselves. It was their routine and they never broke from it.
Annabelle surmised that things were changing as the girls grew older. They would eventually have husbands and children; perhaps they would even move away from each other.
She would treasure the time she had with her friend as much as possible before that time came.
“Duke Colbourn, your Grace. It is a lovely day, is it not?” Annabelle said, lifting the volume of her voice. “Is everything all right? You appear worried.”
The Duke sat down on the blanket, to the surprise of everyone around them. He stretched his legs out in front of him and looked at the women with a smile.
“It is a lovely day, as a matter of fact. And I am going to relax for a little bit. Do you mind?”
Annabelle wanted nothing more than for the duke to relax, sitting right next to her on the blanket.
Technically, he was seated next to them both because he was stretched out the way he was. He left no room for the two brothers, if they chose to sit, as well.
The Balfour brothers did not seem bothered.
“You are welcome to relax anywhere you like, your Grace,” Annabelle said.
“Your Grace, you are here to purchase and look at Duke Cartwright’s paintings, am I correct?” Lord Gilbert asked.
“You are, Mr. Balfour,” Duke Colbourn responded with surprise in his voice. “Are you interested in art?”
“I have some schooling on the matter, yes.” This came as a surprise to the rest of them. The women watched him as he spoke.
“I am curious. I overheard you say that your colleague was coming to assess them. Are you under the impression they are not worth what is being asked?”
Duke Colbourn looked uncomfortable. He did not want to discuss business matters with the Reverend’s apprentice. It was not his business to know Duke Colbourn’s assessment of the paintings.
“I had arranged for Mr. Covington to visit prior to seeing the paintings. I always appreciate his input. He is the most knowledgeable artist I know.”
“I see.” Lord Gilbert nodded. “As I said, I was curious. I have seen the artwork on the walls of the mansion and I believe Duke Cartwright has excellent taste.”
“He does,” Duke Colbourn agreed. “Though most of that art was purchased by his ancestors going back a few generations.”
“Perhaps I can accompany you sometime to look at what he is selling?”
Duke Colbournl resisted the urge to look at Annabelle. Although she had no say in the matter, he knew she would have a solid, logical opinion.
The Duke did not trust Lord Gilbert Balfour but it was not his collection that was being asked about.
“Perhaps that is a question you should ask Duke Cartwright. It is his art collection.”
Chapter 12
If Lord Gilbert asked about seeing the paintings, Duke Colbourn heard nothing about it. He did not leave the girls until after the brothers, something that Annabelle questioned as soon as they were gone.
“Your Grace, may I ask you a question?”
He gazed at her lovely face. “You may.”
“You looked terribly concerned when you came out of the house earlier. You claimed there was nothing the matter but I must beg to differ.”
“On the contrary, dear Lady, I did not say there was nothing the matter. In fact, I did not reply to
that particular question.”
“I believe you did.” Annabelle searched her memory but did not remember whether he had answered her or not.
He grinned, shaking his head back and forth. He sat forward and looked at both the women.
“I must confess something to you ladies. There is something about those two I cannot put my finger on. I am curious about who they really are. I suspect they are not all that they seem. It would be a shame to let wolves into the castle, would it not?”
“How do you know they are wolves?” Julia asked.
“I know nothing,” Duke Colbourn replied. “I am merely suggesting they may not be all that they seem. Have you taken notice of Lord Leonard’s quiet demeanor? It is my experience that when you are dealing with someone as quiet as he is, you are assured he is observing everything, taking in all information and storing it for later use.”
“You have dealt with men like him before?”
“I have.” The Duke nodded. “And they are difficult to read. Their intentions may seem good but in reality, they are dangerous individuals.”
Julia looked frightened for a moment. The Duke regretted his words.
“I apologize, Miss Rickman. I do not mean to frighten you. Please do not take my words to heart.”
Julia shook her head. “You are a smart man, your Grace, and if you are suspicious of them, I must say there is good reason.”
“I appreciate the compliment,” Duke Colbourn replied. He sat forward, scanning the sky above. There were clouds in the distance, indicating approaching rain. It was a little disappointing.
“Do you think it is going to rain?”
“I suspect so,” Annabelle replied, moving her eyes to look in the same direction he was.
“That is disappointing. I was hoping to get in a good game of croquet this afternoon.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely. We should set it up before the rain reaches us.”
“It may pass over. We could find the Balfours and get Joanna and we would have an even matchup. But it will have to be ladies against gentleman. I do not want to be matched with one of them for a partner.”
“You never know, my dear,” Duke Colbourn said, pushing himself to his feet. “They might be very good croquet players.”
Julia began to pick up the things around her, placing the napkins and utensils back in the basket. Annabelle stood up and brushed off her dress, relieving it of bread crumbs.
“The sandwiches were so good, Julia. We must remember to thank Cook for them.”
Julia nodded as she moved the picnic basket off of the blanket. She and Annabelle picked up opposing ends of the blanket, stretched it out wide and met together in the middle to fold it.
They continued the process until the blanket was folded eight times and laid comfortably over Julia’s arm.
“I will carry your basket,” the Duke offered, picking up the wicker by its handle before either of the girls could object.
They walked slowly down the pathway to the gate. None of them really wanted to go inside but the croquet game was tempting.
“If I go in,” Duke Colbourn said, stopping at the bottom of the porch. “There is a good chance Duke Cartwright and the reverend will want me to talk to them. I can go set up the game if you like.”
Annabelle smiled. “If you would like to, that would be fine. But do you know where to go for the mallets and balls?”
“I saw the set up on the south lawn a few days ago. That’s what brought it to mind. I have been thinking about it ever since.”
Annabelle felt hurt and amused at the same time. She was hurt that he hadn’t had her on his mind the whole time and amused that she felt hurt by that. She giggled without meaning, too.
Julia and Duke Colbourn looked at her.
She turned her eyes away briefly before looking back at them.
“I apologize, I was thinking about something else. I must ask, my Lord, do you think it a bit odd that Lord Gilbert would ask about the paintings? I had no thought he would have interest in such things.”
“We do not know him well,” Duke Colbournl said, offering an excuse for the man. “But I was also taken aback by his question.”
The girls took the basket from him and went up the steps. “We will meet you on the lawn,” Julia said as they went. He nodded and strolled away from the porch.
Julia pushed open the door, allowing Annabelle to go in first.
They went to the dining hall and left the blanket and basket on the table next to the kitchen door. One of the maids would fetch it at their convenience.
The dining hall had cleared of most people. The maids were cleaning up, taking food back into the kitchen. Mary spotted the girls and nodded. Annabelle nodded back.
“Where do you suppose Joanna has gone?” Julia asked, looking around at the few people left in the room. “I thought she was bringing mother here for lunch.”
“I saw her earlier walking the grounds with the Lady,” Annabelle replied. “She may have taken her home.”
“We should check the parlor. That is where she would take mother if she is still here.”
The two girls left the dining hall, going quickly to the parlor doors. Julia pushed one open and glanced in. She pulled her head back out and shook it at Annabelle. “No one is in there.”
Annabelle raised her eyebrows. “No one? Where are the men?”
“I suppose they went back to do their business.”
“The Balfour brothers have no business to attend to, do they?” Annabelle instantly regretting having said that. It was a good thing no one was around to hear her. She blushed.
“I mean, they are not doing anything important.”
Julia shook her head. “You are only making it worse, Annabelle. Just hush.”
The two women laughed. “The only place they might be is father’s study,” Annabelle said. “But I do not know if the brothers will be there or if Joanna would be with them.”
“It is likely Joanna took mother home. But she will return, I am sure.”
“Oh? How can you be sure?”
“There are men here. The only man at our home is father and that is not interesting to Joanna.”
“I should think not.”
The two women stood in the foyer, looking around them. “Well, I suppose we can go out to the lawn and see if Duke Colbournl wants to play three-person croquet.”
“If he is any good, he has a chance of winning,” Julia said as they went back to the front door. “But you are very good at this game. If he plays poorly, you will beat him soundly.”
Annabelle laughed. “I am good. We shall see.”
They chatted quietly as they walked out onto the porch. Annabelle could smell the oncoming rain. She wanted it to pass. If it rained on Duke Colbourn’s game of croquet, she would be upset that his plans were ruined.
“Look, there they are!” Julia exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the south lawn where the croquet set was. The Balfour brothers were standing with Duke Colbourn, examining the mallets. “I wish Joanna was here. She needs to have fun with us.”
“She will be back.”
“But she will not come looking for us.”
Annabelle smiled at her friend. “No. She will come looking for the men. And here they will be.”
The men greeted the women with bows as they approached. “I do hope you were not looking for us for too long, miss Rickman,” Lord Gilbert said with a smile. “We did not go inside when we left you earlier. We noticed Duke Colbourn setting up the game and decided to help. He told us you were thinking of playing. Would you care if we join?”
Annabelle shook her head. “Not at all, my Lord. That is why we went looking for you. I am afraid we could not find Joanna.”
“That is a shame,” Lord Gilbert said. “I look forward to seeing her again.”
“Shall we play?” Duke Colbourn said, holding his mallet in the air like a scepter. “I will win.”
“Oh, is that so?” Annabelle went to the mallet stand
and chose the only mallet she ever used. It had her name written on it so no one else could use it.
“I see you have a mallet of your own,” Duke Colbourn said, eyeing the one she chose. “Does this mean you are an avid croquet player?”
“You would be right in that assumption,” Annabelle said, grinning. “And we will have a good game today if you are as good as you claim.”
The Duke chuckled. “I may have misspoke.”
They all laughed. Julia chose her mallet and they set about playing the game.
During her down time, Annabelle watched the Duke. She enjoyed how he played the game but truthfully, he was not as good as she was.
She tried not to downplay her skills to appease him. She did not want to humiliate him at the game and have something to boast about. She wanted him to enjoy himself.
He seemed to notice that she was being hesitant with her playing. After the first few rounds, he came to stand next to her, putting his mallet down against the ground and holding it with both hands like a fancy cane. He did not turn to her or look at her when he spoke.
“I noticed that you hesitated on your last shot, Miss Cartwright. I do hope you are not holding back to satisfy my desire to play. I do not care as much about winning as I might have lead you to believe.”
Annabelle giggled, lifting one hand to cover her mouth. “I… I may have been holding back a little, my Lord, but I do not wish to humiliate you.”
He shook his head, now looking down at Annabelle with amusement.
“You will not humiliate me, my dear. I was teasing when I said I would easily win. I enjoy playing the game. Winning is not important to me. Unless it is the heart of a lovely woman. In which case, winning is extremely important to me.”
His words made a pleasant tingle erupt over her body. Her heart skipped a beat and she could not help looking up at him with a grin on her pretty lips.
“You wish for me to unleash my croquet skills? I think you may regret that.”
He shook his head, laughing. “You are an amusing woman, Miss Cartwright. I am glad to have met you.”
Again, chills erupted over her body. He looked in front of him and then back to her. “I believe it is your turn, my Lady.”