Page 13 of A Duchess Mistaken
“Yes, my lord?” she asked, bemused.
“I was asking you what your interests were, but you seemed to be lost in thought. Is there something on your mind?”
She flushed, avoiding his worried look. She could not very well tell him that she had been thinking about his brother, could she?
“Forgive me, my lord, it is nothing. I enjoy reading. Mostly histories and biographies.”
“Oh heavens, I cannot think of anything more dreadful,” Lord Christopher said. “The last time I tried to read a book, I fell asleep only a few pages in. There is something about the entire task that bores me to no end.”
Agnes quelled her irritation at that. “Yes, well, I am not surprised that?—”
“I do recall one time where I did get one chapter into a book, though I cannot for the life of me remember what it was about. I think it centered around an old king of some sort but I cannot say for certain. All I know is that one minute I was reading about his early life and the next I was waking up with the sun halfway to the horizon.”
Agnes supposed it was a good thing Lord Christopher had cut her off. What she’d almost said would have been a little rude, though she had a feeling he would not have picked up on it. She ignored him entirely and he continued talking about how boring reading was compared to the rush-inducing activities he liked to partake in.
When the walk began to draw to an end, Agnes was itching to leave. They’d looped around the meadow and had made their way back to the castle within an hour. She was tempted to march right into the castle without saying anything to her escort.
“I am really enjoying my time with you, Miss Agnes,” Lord Christopher said and it was all she could do to quell her surprise. How could he have enjoyed himself with her when he hadn’t even given her much of a chance to speak?
She gave him a tight smile, too tired to respond to him. To her left, Caroline and the duke were still speaking and Agnes tried her best not to glance curiously at them.
“Would you like to continue this in the drawing room?—”
“I am feeling quite tired, sir,” Agnes cut in, feeling little remorse after what had happened the past hour. “I only wish to retire to my chambers until dinnertime.”
A look of disappointment crossed his face and Agnes felt a twinge of regret. It felt as if she was kicking a puppy. Yes, she supposed he did ramble on about things she did not care about while paying scant attention to her own interests. But his jovial and boyish nature made it hard to stay mad at him.
Still, she did not break, knowing very well what fate awaited her if she let him cajole her into spending more time together. There would be more than enough of that in the near future. For now, she wanted to be alone.
“If you would excuse me, sir,” she said with a curtsy before she turned and walked away, ensuring she didnotlook at the duke even though every bit of her wanted to.
She made her way indoors and headed straight to her bedchamber. Agnes immediately made her way to the chaise lounge tucked under the bay window and picked up the book she had left there in passing this morning. She kicked her shoes off and tucked them under her as she attempted to immerse herself in its pages and forget about the disappointing walk with the duke’s brother.
That was where Caroline found her nearly ten minutes later. Agnes thought she would have more time.
“What’s the matter?” Caroline asked, resting a hand on Agnes’ knee. “I could tell that you were trying to escape back there.”
Agnes sighed, putting her book aside. “Was it obvious?”
“Not to those who do not know you well,” Caroline assured. “Was Lord Christopher not to your liking?”
Agnes’ lips twitched. “You make him seem like a fish dinner. But no, he was not. Well…I suppose that is a bit harsh for me to say. It is too early to judge him, is it not?”
“A first impression weighs a lot,” Caroline said wisely.
“That much is true.” Agnes sighed again. “During our walk, he went on and on about his love of sports and would not give me a chance to respond. Every time I did, he would cut me off as if I wasn’t talking at all. And then when I finally got the chance to tell him that I am interested in reading, he would notstop talking about how boring he finds it. I cannot find a single common point of interest between us.”
“Oh.”
Agnes laughed, amused at the fact that was all Caroline could think to say. “He is not making much of an impression, isn’t he?”
Caroline nodded, oddly serious despite Agnes’s apparent humor. “Any other lady would find that off-putting. A lady such as yourself, who reads nearly as often as she breathes, he may as well announce that he has no intention of winning her heart.”
“At least he is handsome,” Agnes said after a moment.
“Yes, that much is a relief.”
They were silent for a moment, each contemplating the matter. Then Agnes asked, “What of you and the duke? How was your walk?”
