“I can just imagine,” she said.
Val continued leading her down the hall.
“Oh, and just up here to the left is a portrait of me as a boy,” he said. There was a wistfulness in his voice, and Cecily thought she understood why. He knew nothing of accidents or disfigurement or the cruelty of the ton when he was younger. She could relate to that sentiment, and she gently squeezed his arm.
“Will you tell me what you look like?” she asked timidly. She bit her lip, sure that she had pressed her luck too far, so she corrected herself. “What I mean is, I don't even know what colour your hair and eyes are.”
Val, who had tensed beside her when she asked, began to relax.
“I suppose that is a fair question,” he said, trying to keep his tone light. “I have dark brown hair and eyes that are two shades darker.”
Cecily closed her eyes for a moment. She knew that he was tall and wiry from the feel of him as she stood beside him. She imagined that he also had a handsome face, despite his scarring, but she didn’t say as much.
“I think that brown hair and eyes are very nice,” she said truthfully. “I do not think that I ever met anyone with dark hair and eyes before I started losing my sight.”
Val relaxed further, patting her hand again.
“Thank you, Cecily,” he said. “And here we are at the door. Are you ready to head to the stables?”
Footmen and maids stood on the side of the aisle making room for them to pass.
Cecily nodded eagerly.
“I certainly am,” she said.
Val pushed open the door and instantly the breeze hit her skin. She tilted her face up to greet the warm sunlight, smiling softly to herself. She could feel her husband’s eyes on her and she blushed.
“I just love the feel of the sun,” she said bashfully.
Val chuckled softly.
“As do I, Cecily,” he said.
There was a comfortable silence as they walked at a leisurely pace. Cecily thought about the events of the morning and how lucky she was that Val had confided in her. She decided that she should do the same with him, so that they could truly begin building a strong friendship.
“I have dearly missed horses,” she admitted, allowing herself to open up to her husband. “It has been far too long since I was able to visit the stables.”
She could feel Val’s eyes on her. Moreover, she could feel how intently he was listening to her.
“You will have plenty of time to visit them now,” he said.
Cecily nodded.
“I loved going horseback riding as a young girl,” she said. “It was something that I did almost every day, until I started having trouble with my vision.”
Val put her hand in his with their arms still linked. He gave her hand a soft squeeze.
“I cannot imagine how much your life must have changed with your sight fading,” he said. He sounded genuinely sympathetic, which encouraged her to continue.
“It did,” she said. “There are many things I cannot do since I began losing my sight. But there are things that I can still do, and I have tried to focus on enjoying those things. But the hardest was realising that I would never be able to ride horses again.”
She had to pause and control her emotions. She was suddenly overwhelmed with the sadness she had felt the last time she tried to ride a horse. Agnes had been with her and, fortunately, she had been riding their tamest mare.
The horse had been expecting her to pull the reins and turn it away from all obstacles in their path. At the very last minute, the animal had quickly turned away from a large tree that, had they hit it, Cecily could have been paralyzed. The mare’s turn had been so abrupt that Cecily slid and nearly fell off beneath her hooves. Agnes had come to her rescue, but it was painfully clear then that she could never again ride.
She tried to give Val a brave smile, using all her willpower to not burst into tears. The last thing she wanted was her husband’s pity. When he said nothing, however, she feared it was too late. She held her breath and waited to see what he would say. Would he decide it was too risky and take Cecily back to the mansion?
Chapter Twenty-three
