by Gill, Tamara
Hallie picked up her tea and took a sip. “Do you think that the duke still likes you in that way? You are friends, you said, could you wish for more and still enjoy this life here in the country? Even as a duchess?”
Ava didn’t think this life would be possible if she became Tate’s wife. A duke was one of the highest of the peerage. Society loved nothing more than to have them at their parties and events. Tate would want her by his side in town every Season, and she would be a nobody, new money perhaps but little else. A woman who had married above her station. Talked to yes, and then talked about behind closed doors.
“I confess that I do still think of him when I'm alone. I think about what it would be like to be taken into his arms once more. Trapped against his hard chest where I might run my hands up over the corded muscles that I know lie beneath his clothing.” To have the touch of his lips against hers, to have him make her his haunted her dreams. Ava opened her eyes and turned back to her friend. “I don't know what's wrong with me. I thought myself past all this silly infatuation.”
“I think,” Hallie said, leaning over and buttering a scone before placing it on a small plate. “That you still like the duke and that maybe you need to find out if he likes you as well.”
Ava sighed seeing the logic behind her friend’s plan, but the nerves that pooled in her belly at the thought of being so bold would make the fruition of it hard to complete. “That is the problem. I know I like him. But it is not what I thought my life would be like and I'm not sure I want him enough to give up everything that I have now. I would have to give up this life if I were to become a duchess. And can you really see me at balls and parties, dressed up in silks and chiffons, wearing the height of fashion and jewels. That is not who I am.”
“I think you would make a wonderful duchess,” Hallie said with some gumption. “Even so, it sounds to me that you have a lot of thinking to do. And you do not need to make any decisions now. I'm assuming the duke’s stables are being rebuilt and he will return home very soon.”
“Yes the stables are coming along very well. In fact, if you want, I could show you tomorrow. We could ride down to the Hall and look them over. It will fill in a little of our time, at least.”
Hallie smiled. “That sounds simply perfect.”
Ava, content for now to talk about other things, pushed her musings about the duke out of her mind. She would dwell on him when she was alone. “You must tell me what you would like to have for dinner. What is your favorite meal? I'll have cook prepare it for you.”
Hallie leaned back in her chair, seemingly a woman without a care in the world. How very wrong everyone would be to make that assumption.
“I would simply delight in having anything that is not a goat or sheep. I don’t think I could stomach another bowl of rice either.”
“Consider it done,” Ava said. “And I will go and organize this now and confirm that your room is ready for you too. I'm sure you're very tired after your travels today.”
“Thank you, Ava.” Hallie leaned over and taking her hand, squeezed it a little. “I'm so thankful that we are friends.”
Ava laid her hand over Hallie’s. “As am I, dearest. As heartbroken as I was, my traveling to France for school was worth it, in the end. You, Evie, Willow, and Molly made it all better again and I am so glad that it was so.”
* * *
The following day Ava and Hallie made their way to the duke’s estate. The sound of hammering and sawing of wood, the gentle hum of male chatter as they worked carried toward them. They stopped atop the small hill that overlooked the estate, watching for a moment and allowing the horses to catch their breath. A highly polished black carriage sat before the front of the estate. Footmen swiftly carried in a siege of traveling trunks.
“Do you think the duke’s back?” Hallie asked, casting a glance in Ava’s direction.
Ava took in the details of the horse that was being led toward a nearby holding yard. “I think he may be, but I do not think he is alone. Dread pooled in Ava’s stomach with the unfortunate thought that his mother had returned with him from town. The woman was the only surviving parent who separated her and the duke all those years ago, and Ava was not the forgiving type. Not for such things as decisions borne out of spite and social pressure.
They walked on, halting not far from where the new stables were being built. A nearby builder tipped his cap at them, greeting them warmly. He spoke to them for a short time, detailing the progress and explained how the new design would differ from the old. It looked marvelous. The new building of red brick construction, and almost all the walls were completed, while some men were on the roof fixing the tiled shingles. The smell of freshly cut pine permeated the air.
“It is coming along well,” the duke said, walking out of the stable and greeting them with a smile. “Do you not agree?”
Ava glanced down from atop her horse, taking in his Hessian boots and the tan breeches that highlighted his form for their visual pleasure. His hair, again, was mussed from travel, but otherwise his bright gaze was warm and inviting. Ava smiled, thrilled to see him again. She bit back a sigh. If she were to remain indifferent, merely friends, she would have to curb her appreciation of his handsomeness.
The week that he’d been gone had dimmed her memory of how very attractive he was. How the sight of him made her long for things, which she had not desired for five years. How was she ever going to continue on with her life as an independent, strong woman who did not need a husband to make her life complete when men like the duke walked about Berkshire?
The clearing of one’s throat reminded Ava of her manners and she gestured toward her friend Hallie who threw amused glances at them both.
“Forgive me, Your Grace, this is my best friend Miss. Hallie Evans. She's newly returned from Egypt. She's a historian.”
The duke bowed. “It's a pleasure to meet you Miss. Evans. Any friend of Miss. Knight’s is a friend of mine.”
“Thank you, Your Grace, how very kind of you.” Again Hallie threw her an amused, knowing smile before sliding down off her horse.
Ava did also, and handing the horses off to a waiting stable boy, started toward the main house.
“I was about to have tea.” Tate caught Ava’s gaze and, for the life of her, she could not look away. Much to her annoyance she would have to admit to having missed him the past week. Even knowing that he’d been in town, meeting with friends and one of which was Lady Clapham, did not lessen that feeling. Was she possibly the reason he’d broken with his lover?
“We would not like to intrude. I wanted to show Hallie the stables, and did not expect to find you home,” Ava said, slowing her steps.
“Thank you for the invitation, Your Grace,” Hallie replied, clasping Ava’s arm and pulling her toward the house. “I, for one, would love a cup of tea.”
“If you have somewhere else that you wish to be, that is fine also,” Tate said, no doubt sensing Ava’s reluctance.
“We have nowhere else to be,” Hallie answered before Ava could get a word in. “I see the carriage is being unloaded with a great deal of luggage. Do you bring company back from town to Berkshire?”
The duke cleared his throat. “Ah, no I have not, but it would seem my mother has returned to stay for a time. I had thought she was traveling to one of my other estates that’s located in Surrey, but I find her here...”
The thought that it was indeed his parent left a sour taste in Ava’s mouth and for a moment, it was almost impossible to look pleased and polite for him that his Mother was back in Berkshire. The woman was a viper, and now knowing she’d separated them via lies and deceit… well, she would be lucky if Ava ever changed her opinion of the woman.
They continued toward the house before Tate turned to her, catching her gaze. “My mother’s arrival will mean that my stay at Knight Stables will have to come to an end. But be assured I’ll leave my best stableman at your disposal and my staff will continue to train my horses, and keep vigilance to ensure th
at what happened here does not occur at your own estate.”
Ava was thankful for his help, but knowing that he would no longer be so close to her sent a pang of melancholy to swamp her. Over the month that he had been at her estate she’d grown used to seeing him about. Working the horses, wearing buckskin breeches and shirt and nothing else. The lovely, delightful glimpses of him had been were pleasing indeed.
With the lack of cravat and his shirt often out of his breeches, he could’ve passed as any one of her stable staff. Except for the fact that he held himself with years of ducal breeding behind him, the perfect straight aristocratic back and broad shoulders and thin waist. The intelligent mind that was always working behind gray eyes, made him stand out from anyone else.
Had always made him stand out…
A woman came to stand outside the front door, and the scowl on the dowager duchess’ face told Ava all she needed to know. If she’d silently prayed that Tate’s mother had mellowed over the years, the hope was eliminated in an instant, along with any hope that she felt even the tiniest fraction of remorse in separating her son from the woman he’d loved.
“Perhaps it is better that we return home, Your Grace,” Ava said quickly. “You and the dowager duchess have traveled quite a way today and we don’t want to intrude.”
“Do not go.” His words were softly spoken, so much so that Hallie continued on unaware of his whispered plea.
“I think it is best. Your mother does not look pleased to see me again.”
Tate took in his mother’s appearance before turning back to Ava. “I never had you down for a woman who cared for what others thought.”
If he was baiting her into going inside…well, it was working. If there was one thing Ava disliked above anything else, that was being beaten by a foe. And the dowager Duchess of Whitstone was certainly that.
* * *
Ushering everyone indoors and toward the back parlor that captured the warm afternoon sun, Tate ordered tea and refreshments and reveled in the fact that he was home. It had only been a week and yet to be back in Berkshire, his main country seat, and only a few short miles from Ava was a pleasure indeed.
He’d missed her while away in town, and having seen her inspecting his stables today along with her friend, had brought a burst of joy unlike any he’d known for many years. He supposed it was somewhat similar to what he’d felt upon stepping foot on English soil after his years away in America.
His decision to remove Lady Clapham from his life had been a decision he was well pleased with too. He hoped, in the weeks to come, he could prove to Ava once more that she would be perfect as his wife and future Duchess of Whitstone. As independent as she had become, to have her beside him in town, to be his duchess, to have her caring, thoughtful, guiding hand within his life was what he wanted most. He’d idled away his time for so long, in a way lost without her. Being a duchess did come with responsibilities, but he was certain Ava was up to those obligations.
They sat before the bank of windows overlooking the outdoors. The silk floral pattern on the settee and other furniture suited the feminine feel of the room and its location overlooking a rose garden.
Choosing to stand, Tate waited for his mother to initiate conversation with their guests, but at her continued silence, her steely gaze as they waited for tea, he stepped in and introduced Ava once more, along with Miss. Evans.
“Miss. Evans has recently returned from Egypt, Mother,” Tate said, trying to dispel the tension in the room.
His mother’s expression remained unimpressed. “Egypt, you say, pray explain what a young woman such as yourself is doing in such a remote and harsh environment. Quite an odd location for you, one would think.”
Hallie smiled all sweetness and yet the look in her eyes told Ava that her friend was not fooled by the dowager and her calculating ways. “I have been in Egypt for the last two years studying tombs, pyramids and some locations along the Nile. I suppose you could say I have been digging in the sand and trying to find ancient graves and artifacts. Although that is probably too simple an explanation for what I do.”
“And you intend to return? Do you not wish to marry?” The dowager looked over Hallie with a studied air. “You are quite on the shelf, if I may say so, Miss. Evans.”
Tate had to give Miss. Evans points for not outwardly showing offence to his mother’s comments. He threw his mother a warning glance which she turned her nose up at and ignored.
“I’m in England for only a short time, to see my friends, Ava included, and to finish some business in London. But I shall return to Egypt or some other place that offers such a rich historical locale, you can be sure.”
“Are you staying long in Berkshire, Your Grace?” Ava asked, smiling a little at his mother and gaining nothing but a cold, calculating stare back.
“I will be staying here for some weeks. There are some friends that I would like to catch up with in the county and, of course, my son.”
Tate didn’t believe that for a moment and he didn’t bother to mention to his parent that they had seen each other only this week in town. Or that she wasn’t supposed to be here but at the dower house.
“I was telling Miss. Knight and Miss. Evans that the stables will be ready soon. It’ll mean my horse stock will not have to impinge on your time any longer, Miss. Knight.” Not that he wanted to bring them back. With his horses at Ava’s home, it gave him the opportunity to see her often, to talk and have privacy.
“That is good news, darling,” his mother said. “A duke should be at his estate if he’s not in town attending to his many duties there.”
Hallie gasped and turned it into a cough. Tate sighed at his mother’s thinly veiled insult.
“Miss. Knight, I can tell you now that I’m back from London, I’m more than happy to allow Titan cover your mare. As soon as she is in heat, we shall try them together.”
His mother mumbled something under her breath, but Ava beamed at him. “You will? Oh, thank you, Your Grace. I’m very happy you’ve changed your mind.”
He smiled at her and could see she wanted to hug him, a trait she’d often partaken in when they were younger and she was excited about something she cared for. He had missed her pretty face and beautiful soul. Her fine features were without fault, her skin like alabaster, except for her nose where a skimming of freckles ran across her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, her dark lashes and perfectly arched brows would be the envy of town when she arrived on his arm. How his mother could think her common was beyond him. She was far superior to him in every way that mattered.
“Do we really need to discuss such things, Tate, my dear? The conversation is not really appropriate, don’t you think?” His mother said, her tone full of censure and aimed at Ava.
“What would you prefer we talk about, Mother? The latest town gossip, or what scandals are going about your set? Neither of which interest me.”
“They interest me and that's all that matters, is it not?” The dowager smirked. “I did hear some gossip about a certain gentleman of the peerage who was being foolish and willing to bring scandal upon his family. Now,” she said, tapping her finger against her chin. “Let me think while I try and remember who it was about.”
Tate glared at his mother who was walking a very fine line.
He turned his attention back to Ava. “Talking of my prized stallion, how is Titan, Miss. Knight? I hope he’s been behaving himself at your stables, not prancing around too much in front of the mares?” The horse as fast and brilliant as he was, was also vain, if horses could have such a trait.
“All your horses are in the best of health, and some of your grooms have had them out on the gallop this morning doing some time trails. I think you’ll be pleased with how some of your yearlings are coming along.”
What a marvelous woman she was, intelligent and passionate. She had a love for the same activities as he. In fact, it was Ava’s father who’d sparked Tate’s passion for racing, and he really owed the direction
of his life outside of the ducal holdings to her father.
“You still enjoy running about and mucking out stables, Miss. Knight. I see the finishing school in France has not cured you of that.” His mother bore a self-satisfied smile and without an ounce of remorse at her inappropriate words, met Ava’s gaze.
Tate glared at his mother. “There is more—”
“I find, Your Grace,” Ava said, interrupting him, “that you are right. Finishing school did not cure me of my passions, any of them, and now that I’m back in Berkshire I’m well pleased with what’s before me.” Ava threw Tate a look of pure devilment, and unable to stop himself he chuckled. His mother’s mouth puckered into a line of displeasure.
“I suppose we should hire your services, Miss. Knight, and have you work in our stables since you’re so fond of such pastimes. What does a stable hand earn these days, Tate dear?” his mother asked him, her voice dripping with innocent sweetness.
“Miss. Knight is a successful businesswoman, Mother. She does not seek employment here.” Tate threw his parent a warning glance, at which she tipped her nose up and ignored. If he had to, he would escort her out of the room before she insulted Ava anymore.
Without missing a beat, Ava said, “You know as well as I, Your Grace, that I inherited my family’s business, property and land. In fact, if I wanted, I could waltz about London and take part in the very same events as you, so unfortunately in this case, you’re unable to afford what it would cost you to have me work here.”
The dowager narrowed her eyes. “You are wrong, Miss. Knight. The spheres in which I circulate do not have young women from trade among their set. Which surprises me as to why I’m having to host you here at all for tea.”