Page 31 of A Duchess Mistaken
Miss Caroline grinned broadly and waved at her friend. Johnathan, feeling impish, did the same.
Miss Agnes’ response was to scowl and narrow her eyes suspiciously. And then she picked up her skirt and began making her way over to them.
“I think we may have poked the beast a little too hard,” Johnathan commented, inspiring laughter from the lady at his side.
Miss Caroline wasn’t given a chance to respond, however, because Miss Agnes was upon them.
“May I inquire as to why you two are grinning at me like conspirators?” she asked, raising a brow.
“You’ll find no conspiracies here, Agnes,” Miss Caroline told her. “I was only telling His Grace how beautiful the lake is.”
Miss Agnes tilted her head to the side as she regarded her friend. With the ladies’ attentions on each other, Johnathan was left with a few seconds free to admire the manner in which Miss Agnes was capable of stripping someone bare with only one look.
Then that all-knowing gaze was on him. “Any longer with you, Your Grace, and my sweet friend will make a habit of lying to me.”
“Don’t pay her any mind, Your Grace,” Miss Caroline responded with ease, waving her hand. “Agnes likes to pretend she knows it all.”
“Because I do know it all,” Miss Agnes said simply. “Caroline, are you not interested in the tricks Lord Christopher is teaching Paul?”
Miss Caroline looked in the direction of the two men as if she had forgotten that they were there.
“Not entirely,” she admitted after a moment.
“Well, I am.” Miss Agnes stepped between him and Miss Caroline tucking her arm through her friend’s. “Join me while I watch, won’t you? Perhaps we may even learn something.”
Johnathan watched as Miss Agnes led Miss Caroline towards Christopher and Mr. Parsons. She glanced over her shoulder at him for a brief moment, too quick for him to take stock of the emotion in her eyes. The effect, however, was immediate.
He stayed where he was, watching ladies. Anyone looking his way may assume he was staring at his bride-to-be, but the sharp lady by her side was the only person he could see. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to have her on his arm like that.
Focus, Johnathan! Your attention should be on your brother and the lady he loves.
But what did it matter anymore? It was obvious now that he and Miss Caroline would be married, even if only he and Miss Agnes knew that truth. So what did it matter if his eyes strayed tosomeone else? Especially if that someone was as enchanting as Miss Agnes, a lady who could not be ignored. Both in beauty and brains, she was a visionary.
Johnathan shook his head, banishing the thought once more. He only had one goal today. Later, he could think of his own future after securing that of his brother’s. And maybe by the end of it, he would not have to worry about paying his father’s debts after all.
CHAPTER 13
Aday spent outdoors was always a day well spent. Yet this particular afternoon felt far more exhilarating than Agnes could have imagined. They ate, they laughed, and they stood by and watched as Christopher and Paul worked hard to get Paul’s steed to follow his commands. By the time it was time to leave, Agnes had almost forgotten her initial plan to make Christopher and Caroline spend time together.
She returned to the manor on the back of the duke’s horse again, this time in silence. There was not much to be said and yet her mind swam with ways to break the quiet. He’d returned to being the brooding duke that rarely smiled unless he was expected to do so politely and she found herself missing the playful gentleman who had sent her heart to her throat with the race across the meadow.
They arrived at the stables in record time, just as the sun began its descent.
“This was a wonderful day, Your Grace,” said Caroline as soon as they were all dismounted. Ever the polite one, she was. She took every opportunity she could to put herself in the expected position by the duke’s side, engaging him even though Agnes could tell that her heart was not in it.
“It is my brother you should thank,” the duke responded. “He was the one who regaled us with his skill.”
“But it was you who suggested that we make this into a picnic,” Caroline went on. “I do hope we could do it again.”
The duke glanced at Agnes. It was brief, so quick that she would have missed it if she hadn’t been staring at him. But it was enough to send her breathing hitching in her throat, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. She couldn’t tell if it was the look or what she saw in his eyes that flustered her so.
Agnes stepped away. She didn’t want to hear his response. She didn’t even spare Christopher a cursory glance before she turned and headed out of the stables without a word. Caroline was sure to question her about it later. Perhaps she would even say that she was rude. Right now, the only thing Agnes cared about was getting herself under control.
She put a hand to her racing heart as she quickly left the stables and headed into the manor. She was so focused on getting to the safety of her chambers—perhaps to calm herself before Caroline inevitably found her—that she didn’t notice that was someone was in her path until she was nearly upon them.
“Oh!” she gasped, looking up to see her mother staring her down. “Mother, I didn’t see you there.”
“I can see that.” Mary tilted her head to the side, regarding Agnes evenly. “Why the hurry, Agnes? Did something happen?”
