Page 46 of A Duke's Sinful Bargain
A.
Anna frowned, looking up at Eliza. “The stables?”
“Yes,” Eliza almost burst into a chuckle, but it was evident she was doing her best to resist doing so.
“Our stables?” Anna asked for more clarification.
“Mmhmm.” Eliza nodded once again. Then she was incapable of remaining calm any longer. She rushed over to Anna and grabbed the embroidery hoop from her lap. “Everything will be clear once you go there, my lady.”
Anna stood up, squinting at Eliza, but it was all done in a playful manner. “What have you gotten yourself up to, Miss Littleton?”
“Oh, nothing,” Eliza replied, pressing her lips tightly together, signaling that she refused to offer any further clarification.
Anna exhaled deeply, straightening her gown. “I suppose in that case I will have to go and see for myself.”
“Yes, you’d best do that right now, my lady,” Eliza urged her again, even going so far as to stand behind Anna and teasingly push her toward the door. “Mustn’t be late now.”
“Late where?” Anna wondered through her amusement.
“I cannot tell,” Eliza confessed. “I promised.”
“Promised who?” Anna asked, still being pushed toward the door.
“The duke,” Eliza replied simply. “Now, off with you, my lady. Quickly.”
“All right, all right.” Anna shook her head, still smiling. “I don’t know what all this is about, but—”
“Please, trust me,” Eliza said softly, taking Anna’s hand into her own.
“I do,” Anna replied. “I don’t know where that will take me, but I do.”
The two ladies burst into a chuckle at those words, and Anna headed toward the stables as the note urged her to do. She felt as if her heart was beating inside her throat. Alexander was there? But why the stables? Suddenly, a naughty thought occupied her mind. Did he wish to indulge in some physical affection there? The idea was intriguing in whatever direction she wished to take it. She hastened her step.
As soon as she stepped into the stables, she saw Alexander standing there patiently, waiting for her. In his hands, he was holding Luna’s reins. Anna’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected sight before her. The memory of her fall came back with a vengeance as cold droplets of sweat started to appear along her temples. Her accident had taken place years ago, yet the memory haunted her as if it happened only months prior.
“Alexander…” she managed to muster, fear gripping her as the final pieces of the puzzle were settling into place and she realized why she had been summoned there. “What is all this? Why are we here?”
Alexander’s smile widened as he gestured toward Luna, who seemed to have taken an instant liking to him, something she was not prone to doing. Anna felt bad, because although she had brought Luna with her when she married, she had not ridden her since that fateful day.
Sometimes, she would wander into the stables, taking a brush and stroking Luna’s silky mane, enjoying the soft neighing she would get in return. She would caress the horse, for it was not her fault. It was all Anna’s. And that knowledge created a gap between her and her equine companion.
“Why, we are here for a horseback ride, my dear Lady Anna,” he said in a voice that was gentle but firm.
“No.” Anna shook her head, instinctively taking a step back, as if it were not Alexander and Luna standing in front of her, but two dark figures that loomed over her, threatening to do her harm. This was not true, of course, but her mind’s eye refused to see it any other way.
Alexander pretended not to have heard her. Instead, he took a step closer to her and Luna did the same. “I thought it might be a wonderful opportunity for us to explore the countryside together.”
“No,” Anna repeated, taking another step back. Her heart fluttered with fear, and a cold sweat washed over her back. The prospect of riding was as frightening now as it was before. Nothing had changed.
“Anna…” Alexander called out her name softly, extending his hand. “I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to. Do you believe that?”
Anna swallowed heavily. “Yes.”
“But deep down, I believe that you want to ride Luna,” he clarified. “I believe you miss that feeling of being on her, riding through the wind and being one with her.”
Anna had to admit that she did. Riding had been one of her favorite things to do… until her fall. Now, it seemed like a distant memory belonging to someone else, not her.
“Your silence tells me more than words ever could.” He smiled tenderly. His hand was still outstretched toward her. “Come,” he urged softly.
