Page 25 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
Miles smiled slightly, staring over the Serpentine River, watching the swans and ducks navigating its waters. Mrs. Nott was hovering just behind them, at a discreet distance.
Thank the Lord the woman is a husband hunter,he thought.If it weren’t for her desire to procure a marriage between them, she would not be so lenient with the rules of chaperonage.
He cleared his throat. He didn’t have much time with Ara. And she was unusually quiet, gazing out over the water, barely glancing at him.
“Are you still delighted with your horse coming to London, Miss Nott?” he asked, smiling. “Has his presence improved your mood at being forced to be in the city?”
Ara glanced at him quickly. “It is wonderful, Your Grace. Every day I visit Pem, and my father even lets me take him for a short ride around Hyde Park, accompanied by the stable master.” She hesitated. “It still is not the same as being with him in Dorset, but beggars cannot be choosers, I feel. It is definitely better than nothing.”
He nodded. “I am so very glad to hear that you are happier, Miss Nott.” He gazed at her steadily. “It is a sad thing to see such a beautiful young lady as yourself miserable.”
She blushed slightly. “You are kind to say so, Your Grace.” Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She pointed excitedly. “Oh, look! It is an Arabian! Do you see it?”
He followed her gaze, seeing a rider emerging along the path, atop a fine Arabian stallion. He smiled. “He is indeed a beauty,” he said slowly. “He reminds me of my own horse, back in Kent.”
Ara’s face was suffused with joy. “I would love to have such a horse,” she declared fiercely. “I have begged Papa, but he says that such a beast would be too spirited for me! He does not realise, even now, how well I ride, and that I would be able to handle it.”
“I have no doubt you would be able to handle it,” he replied, gazing at her. “I have not seen you ride, Miss Nott, but knowing how tenacious and determined you are, I think that you would be fine.”
Ara gazed back at him. “Thank you, Your Grace.” She hesitated. “It is heart-warming to hear thatsomeonehas confidence in me, and does not think that my desires are strange or not befitting a young lady.”
He nodded. “I only speak the truth,” he declared slowly. “You said that your home is in Dorset?”
She smiled, her eyes glazing over a little. “It is, sir. Rudwick House. It is very near the coast, only a few miles from the village of Frasby…”
He nodded again. “My family own a small country home in Dorset,” he said slowly. “We do not go there very often, but I would be willing to frequent it, if I might be able to call on you.”
She stopped walking abruptly, gazing up at him. “You wish tocallon me, at my country home?”
He stopped walking, too, staring down at her. She looked genuinely surprised, as if the idea of a gentleman calling on her was bizarre in some way. As if she had never contemplated the possibility.
His heart beat a little faster. How could such a beautiful woman not realise how attractive she was? And why was she not flirtatious in the slightest? He had already figured out that her mother’s desire for a husband for her wasn’t something that she actively participated in. That, on the contrary, she seemed to be resisting it.
What was the basis of her reluctance? It was almost unheard of in their society. All young ladies desired to be well married. For most young ladies, it was their only goal in life. The push for it consumed them.
But not Ara Nott, it seemed. She was indeed a rare gem among women.
“I do wish to call on you,” he said, in a quiet voice. “I admire you, Miss Nott. I realise that we do not know each other well, but I wish to remedy that…”
He stopped abruptly. Whatwashe doing? Against all his better judgement – and his resolve to leave her alone – he was suddenly asking if he could call on her, at her home. As if he reallydidwant to pursue a future with her, on some level.
The shadow of Lucy Edge fell over him for a moment. Lucy, with her bright golden hair and willowy figure. The image of her had haunted him for such a long time, and he had thought that he would never be free of it.
He gazed down at the woman beside him. Ara Nott was not like Lucy Edge, either physically or in character. Ara was small, and petite, and spoke her mind. She didn’t play games the way that Lucy had played them. She would not flirt with him shamelessly and then spurn him. Ara was just not that type of woman. He knew it instinctively.
But the fact remained thathewas lying to her. Just being with her like this, pretending to be his brother, was a lie. She thought he was a duke. And while he knew that Ara Nott was not overly impressed by that, she would still be hurt when she realised the truth. The truth that would be revealed at his brother’s ball. Her whole family would be introduced to the Duke of Lancaster then, and know that he was a fraud.
He sighed deeply. How could he resolve this situation? But equally, he did not want to spoil this wonderful afternoon with her.
Suddenly, Mrs. Nott descended upon them. “It is getting rather late, I fear. We should return to the house.” She turned to Miles. “Would you like to return with us, Your Grace? I am sure that my daughter would enjoy it if you accompanied her to the stables, to visit her dear horse again.” She gazed at him expectantly.
Miles hesitated. Should he? But the lure of being alone with Ara, if only for a little while, was irresistible.
He bowed slightly. “I would be honoured, madam.”
They turned around, heading back down the path and to the carriage that was waiting for them. Beside him, Ara was very quiet, as if she were deep in a reverie. He gazed down at her. Was she anticipating being alone with him as much as he was anticipating it?
He willed her to look at him. Suddenly, she turned her eyes upwards, searchingly, towards his face.
