Page 50 of Her Wicked Duke
Elizabeth smiled gracefully, an expression that deepened the lines on her old but elegant face. “See, Alexander? You may hush now.”
Anne met his eyes, stifling her giggles at seeing him reprimanded. He merely rolled his eyes and beckoned her forward discreetly with a curl of two fingers in her direction.
She approached him, tucking herself into his side. She was surprised at how natural it felt to do so.
“Behave yourself during this tea, and you shall find yourself rewarded tonight,” he murmured.
“Tonight?” she asked, surprised.
“I will find a way to see you,” he swore. “But only if you are good.”
She smiled prettily up at him. “Perhaps you can make a good girl out of me, Your Grace.”
His eyes tightened at the title, and he raised an eyebrow at her.
The four of them sat down as the tea stands were loaded with sandwiches and pastries, and teacups were filled. The chatter between the two older women carried on without much input from Anne or Alexander.
Soon, the Duke excused himself, under the pretense of needing to attend to the horses. But he had made his leave as Annette had conveniently asked about how their courtship might one day turn into something more.
Alexander left the room, and Anne watched him go, planning to follow him.
“It appears that Anne has another admirer, proving some competition for His Grace,” Annette said, smiling.
Those women and their love for gossip. Anne could barely hold back an eye roll. But she did not want to think about her stalker, not when she was in a pleasant bubble, thinking about her courtship with Alexander.
“Your Grace, you have a beautiful home,” Anne said. “I would love to look around.”
“Alexander can chaperone you, dear,” Annette suggested. “If Her Grace sees it fit.”
“I don’t see why not,” the Dowager Duchess replied. “In France, men and women go anywhere they please.”
Anne glanced at her mother for approval. Annette’s lips were pinched, as if she thought it wouldn’t be right, but Anne would still be chaperoned, regardless.
Anne stood up anyway. “Thank you for the tea, Your Grace,” she said softly. “We’ll be returning shortly.”
She left the dining room in search of Alexander, exploring the castle as she went. She passed through rooms packed with books and music stands—what she assumed to be a man’s study, as her brother often told her that door remained locked. She bypassed a set of stairs, and while she was nosey and tempted to explore further, she followed the nickering coming from outside. She found the doors to the back garden and wandered outside, where Alexander was saddling up a black stallion in the stables.
“I was wondering when you might follow me out here,” Alexander said without looking back.
How he knew it was her, she didn’t know. He turned toward her a moment later.
“Alexander, I have received more letters these past few days,” she said.
His expression turned from amused to serious. “I promise you that I have people looking into it.”
Anne nodded, biting her lip. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could go on receiving these letters and masking her fear. But she was trusting Alexander more with each day that passed.
As he mounted his horse, he smiled down at her. “Would you like to see the rest of the estate?”
Anne nodded. “I would like that very much.”
After all, her mother had just been talking as if, one day, this might be her estate. But, for now, she was interested in seeing where Alexander had grown up.
She hesitated, thinking of how to cleverly get closer to him. “Although…” Her gaze pointedly flicked to the horse.
Alexander stiffened as if silently chiding himself for not realizing sooner. “Would you like your own horse?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know how to ride, Alexander. A second horse would be wasted on me.” She blinked innocently up at him. “Would I be able to ride with you on your horse?”
