Page 82 of Duke of Emeralds
“Never,” she said. “I am afraid of what I might become. If I let myself.”
Thomas stood then drew her up. Very slowly he touched her face, just once, with the back of his fingers.
“Ye mean that?” he asked.
“I do,” she said and found herself smiling through tears she did not recall summoning.
They stood balanced on the edge of something wild and new.
She did not know what the future held, but for the first time, she believed it could be beautiful.
CHAPTER 34
“If you mean to abandon us, Thomas, I warn you: I have memorized the road and will simply walk home,” Hester said as the carriage stopped before a field of heather in the London countryside.
Thomas grinned as the footman pulled the carriage door wide. “I’ve nae gone to all this trouble just to leave ye in the wilds, Duchess. Come, it’s a surprise.”
Behind them, Arabella blinked awake from her nap and stretched. “Are there sheep here?”
“Only the docile sort, lass. You’re safe,” Thomas replied.
He offered Hester his hand and led her down the step and onto the grass, which was not quite dry but soft underfoot. They’d left the smoke of London behind, and he was feeling unusually lighthearted.
“Is this Richmond Park?” Hester asked, scanning the horizon. “Or have you stolen us to the far side of Surrey?”
“It’s nae the place that matters.” He led her toward the oak, the branches arching overhead as if arranging the shade for them alone. “It’s what’s waiting.”
At the base of the tree was a picnic on two tartan blankets, with baskets, a stack of cushions, and even a small table for the wine. The air smelled of heather and, faintly, of honey from the comb that glistened on one of the platters.
Hester stopped short, her hands on hips. “This is an ambush.”
“It’s a picnic,” Thomas laughed. “I was told it’s what people do in London when the sun shines.”
She considered the tableau then said, “It would be criminal to waste such a day inside. I accept your terms, Duke.”
Bella, wide-eyed and already forgetting her decorum, dashed to the edge of the blankets and squatted to peer at the arrangements. She snatched a grape and popped it in her mouth.
“Careful,” Hester said, sinking to the ground with surprising grace. “Eat slower, my dear.”
The child nodded with solemnity, but her next grape vanished as quickly as the first.
Thomas sat, tucking one knee up to rest his arm on. “You’re nae disappointed, then?”
Hester looked at him then smiled. “Not at all. It is perfect. And besides, the city has grown suffocating. If I had to listen to one more of Nancy’s theories about the Marquess of Ridley’s secret past, I would have drowned myself in the Serpentine.”
Thomas watched as she took her first bite, savoring, as always, every layer of flavor. He admired her appetite, her ability to enjoy the world without apology. He envied it sometimes.
Bella scooted closer to Hester. “May I have the apple, too?”
Hester handed her a slice then said, “You must spell it first.”
The girl wrinkled her brow, stuck out her tongue in concentration, and said, “A… P… P… L… E. Apple!”
Hester rewarded her with a second slice. “Excellent. Now, can you spell grape?”
“Easy. G… R… A… P… E. Grape!”
Thomas leaned in. “And cheese?”
