Page 74 of A Bride for the Forbidden Duke
“Yes, butwatergames? I shall be wearing a fine gown.”
“Then you might want to rethink your gown choice. It shall be muddy. Westley is beautiful, but we shall be visiting farmland. A cloak and some good boots should do it.”
Veronica struggled to answer, her mouth opening and closing.
He only laughed. “Surely you did not think you would have a tidy, clean stroll around some village, winding paths, idyllic and quaint, only to retire to a tavern for a glass of wine at the end of the day?”
“Well,” she began, “no, but the countryside is beautiful. Why must we go into muddy farmland?”
“My tenants include farmers,” he said. “And was it not you who wished to save face?”
With that, he finished up his breakfast, wiped his mouth, and nodded curtly at her. “We shall leave within the hour. I will be doing work in my study before we leave… should you require me in any way.”
He walked away, concealing his smile. His wife was not naïve though it was clear she was hoping for a different sort of village fair. She would have quite the shock when they arrived into the village.
“I expected a sweet stall,” Veronica muttered, “and perhaps a balloon that rides in the air, like the one that has recently been advertised as flying in the last month. I even thought there might be animals.”
“There are,” Henry pointed out, nodding at the pens. “Are pigs not animals?”
The animal’s snorts went up as six pigs ambled around the wooden enclosure, rolling in the mud. It was wet, and mud slide threats were abound, but it did not stop the village children fromrunning through the square, laughing. Veronica watched the children as they passed by.
“They are, but I hoped for something… more exotic,” she laughed. “How foolish.”
“I believe they have some zebras down the road.”
She glared at him. “Stop making fun of me.”
“Forgive me, Duchess, but this is village life.”
“And I understand that! I am not a fool. I only heard different tales of villages.” She looked around. “You truly come here most days?”
“Every day if I can,” Henry told her. “The tenants in Westley have been in need of assistance, and I have wanted to make sure they see me being there for them.”
“I am surprised your temper does not rise with them.”
“Why would it? They are hard-working men trying to provide for their families.”
Veronica nodded. She opted for a simple deep green gown, and she indeed wore fine boots, and a cloak covered her hair which was styled as though she was attending a ball. That, at least, had not changed.
They walked past the pig pens until they got to a fountain, where children splashed right through. Mud streaked the water, clearly from where children had washed off. Veronica sat down on the edge of the fountain, mindless of the water splashes.
Henry watched her as she looked around the Westley village square. She was strong-minded, steel-willed, and did not balk despite her earlier surprise.
He had been surprised, really, at how well she was taking to her role as Duchess of Westley. Today, he had a surprise for her.
The town fair included a concert. He had not told her as such, but he remembered the Earl of Grantham mentioning Veronica’s love of music.
“Veronica,” he said as they sat at the fountain. The smell of baked bread rose through the air. “Do you enjoy music?”
“Yes,” she answered, nodding. “I enjoy listening to it. My mama took me to the opera several times when I was younger.”
“Do you play yourself?”
She nodded, biting her lip. “Yes but… well, I have not really found an excuse to play since my father died and… since Robert disappeared. Music has always been joyful to me, and my father enjoyed my playing for him. Once he was not there to listen, the joy was taken out, and it started to feel rather pointless. My brother had less and less time to hear my recitals afterour father’s death, for he was trying to provide for us, and my mother was withering away before my eyes.
“She told me that my music sometimes reminded her too much of her husband.” Veronica’s shoulders lifted. “So, I stopped playing.”
“Is it something you miss?”
