Page 5 of Enslaved to the Seduction of a Lady
“We are friends!” Luke cried. “I—”
“Just be careful,” Jack said, the tease changing to something more serious, more ominous. “Don’t go getting yourself or that young lady into trouble.”
“No,” Luke said, his lips together in a firm line. “I won’t, worry not Jack. Jenny is living in a fantasy world—there is no such thing happening between Alison and me. I should get back to work, check over the stables before the guests arrive.”
“Me too,” Jenny said with a sigh, then she looked over at Jack and her eyes softened. “Although I’d much rather stay here with you.”
Jenny Jones, Luke’s twin sister, worked as a maid for the Salsburys, and an excellent maid she was, too. Luke knew this, because it was always Jenny who they summoned to work during the big events. They knew they could trust in her hard work and her discretion, and Luke was incredibly proud of her.
Her hair, raven black like her brother’s, would hang long and straight down her back were it not for her twisting it up beneath her bonnet. Her brown eyes sparkled with a zest for life and, like Luke, she thought often of how lucky she was to have been rescued by Jack and living a life she could be proud of.
“I’ll be fine,” Jack said, tiredness stretching his words out as though he had said them a hundred times. “Go do your duty. I am perfectly capable of sorting myself out. You don’t get to this age without knowing how to look after yourself.”
“But you’re sick, now, and—”
“Come on, Jenny,” Luke urged, rising from his seat and rubbing his hands on a napkin. “Let’s get going. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind a bit of peace and quiet either.”
Once at the stables, every part of Luke relaxed, his soul sinking into calm. This was his favorite place to be, among the horses, the hay, and the tackle. In truth, he did not have a lot of work to do before the guests arrived, but he wanted to spend a little time brushing down the horses, talking gently to them, almost as though to prepare them for the guests they would soon have.
Like they’re having their own little party.
Luke chuckled at the thought, the horses socializing with others from the horse society.
“Come on, Bess,” he said to one horse—a midnight black mare, a fine beast indeed, “let’s do you first.”
He picked up a brush and began to brush down her flanks, soft but firm enough for her to feel it, to enjoy the sensation. She turned her head and blew her warm breath onto his cheek and he laughed.
“You’re a good girl, Bess,” he said as he moved up to her back and her neck. “You always make me proud out there. Both fast and kind, the best kind of mare.”
The mare was Lady Alison’s favorite, too, the one she liked to ride the best. Luke’s mind wandered to her, watching her mount the horse and ride, the loose strands of her hair flowing out behind her, the laughter on her lips. She always looked so free, so happy when she rode, and Luke loved to watch.
To see her so overjoyed and open, it sent shivers down Luke’s spine. He adored the way she laughed, the tone of her voice. He loved her strength of character, how she knew what she wanted and how she would not let the pressures of society life tell her otherwise. He wanted only to sit with her and talk for hours, as they often did, settled comfortably on piles of hay in the stable, sometimes some ale or some bread between them. It had become something of a habit, and something he dearly looked forward to.
Jenny was right.
Although he loathed to admit it, Jenny was right when she spoke of his attraction to Lady Alison. He knew it could never be—of course it couldn’t, he a groom and she the daughter of a Duke—but that did not stop him dreaming of a future with her, a life together. He long imagined himself as her husband, proud to have her on his arm as they walked hand-in-hand through the streets of London.
He laughed at his folly. Even if they could be a match, he couldn’t be certain she felt the same and he dreaded asking her for fear it would ruin the beautiful friendship they had engendered. To have her as a friend was infinitely preferable to having nothing with her, of that he knew with absolute certainty.
He sighed, reaching over the mare and patting her neck. Her ear twitched and he scratched her behind it, admiring her little gestures, the look in her eye. Horses were intelligent creatures, he was sure of it, and he was convinced Bess admired Lady Alison as much as he did.
“You’ll be ready for next time she comes, Bess. And hopefully we won’t have to wait too long, either.”
