Page 15 of The Duke and the Widow
The duke said nothing, and she glanced over at him. He was still watching the sky.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace,” she said. “But I did warn you.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Rosina.”
Her body tensed at how he used her given name again. They continued on in silence, and she wondered if he would change his mind about riding alongside her. When the party reached another open field, they took off into a gallop together and raced across the grass. The wind against her face helped to settle her nerves, and the tension in her shoulders eased.
They reached an area where several picnic locations had been set up. There were five large blankets with a basket in the middle of each one that contained their repast. Before she could climb down from her horse, the duke was in front of her, lifting her down.
Her skin heated beneath where his gloved hands gripped her body. Guilt washed over her as the only other man she had such a reaction to had been Ry. It had to be because Ry had been in her thoughts. The duke was handsome, to be sure, and a quick study in the art of pleasure, but it was nothing more than that. Her body was all too aware of the pleasure he could give her, and that was all it was. It was all it could be.
After the awkward conversation about Ry, Rosina thought it best to join one of the blankets where other guests were present. It would help dissuade talk as well if they didn’t sit alone. Lady Eliza sat on the first blanket with Lord Irvine, so Rosina urged the duke there and took a seat on the blanket near Lady Eliza.
The four of them passed a pleasant time enjoying the chicken and cheese that had been prepared, along with lemonade and a bit of wine. The gentlemen spoke of horses and places Lord Irvine thought the duke ought to visit soon, while Rosina chatted with Eliza about each of their plans when they returned home from the house party.
Rosina had the impression that Irvine had intentions for the beautiful Lady Eliza, but she didn’t believe the lady shared his affections. She seemed a bit distracted and didn’t act the part of the woman who hoped that a man might court her.
Rosina believed that to be the best based on what she knew of Irvine. He didn’t have the best reputation, and his intentions were likely to be something untoward.
Catching the duke’s eye, it sent shockwaves through her body, and she fought a tremble. Something about him drew her to him like a child to the window of a sweets shop. He was the perfect confection and as much as she tried to push thoughts of him aside, she wanted more.
A thick blanket of dark clouds was rolling in, and the gentlemen helped the ladies to their feet, then they all hurried to their horses. James lifted her up, doing nothing to ease the ripples of electricity that coursed through her.
“I think we are going to need to make haste, my lady.”
“I should think so,” she said, glancing up at the sky.
They trotted off, the first of the group to depart back to the Ockhams’ stables.
“I am sorry if I upset you earlier,” the duke said.
She flinched, not intending to make him feel poorly over the memory she had of Ry. “It is the way of a widow, Your Grace. Sometimes the memories can’t be helped. There are times when the pain is unbearable, and then there are moments when the pain has subsided. The longer that Ry has been gone, the more days I have where the pain is far more tolerable.” Rosina wasn’t sure why she told him all of that and regretted it the moment the words escaped her lips.
“You were a love match.”
It wasn’t a question. He was acknowledging as much from her words and from the way her voice had caught when she spoke. “Yes.”
“My parents were a love match,” he said. Even only glancing at his profile, she could see the sadness marring his expression. “My father grieved for my mother every day until he passed. He would forget that she had done so, and I had to break his heart all over again when he turned frantic, wanting to go to her.”
“James,” she whispered before she could think better at using his given name. “I’m so sorry. That must have been awful for you to watch.”
His chin jerked in her direction. “I’m sorry you lost your husband.”
The intensity of his gaze and his heartfelt, caring tone heated her skin. Which made her angry at herself for betraying Ry’s memory. She just spoke of her love for Ry, and then every part of her body wanted the man beside her.
There was a crack of lightning, surrounded by an enormous crash of thunder. Rosina shook off her confused reaction. “We must gallop.”
James snapped his head forward, and they both urged their horses to gallop across the field. They raced through the grass and were the first of the guests to reach the stables, only catching a few drops before they were safely within the building. The rain came down in buckets just after the duke had lifted her down from her horse.
The groom handed them an umbrella, and the duke opened it so they could share. He urged her forward and wrapped his arm around her as they hurried across the grass to enter the house as a group of other guests arrived, having been soaked from getting caught in the rain. The feeling of him so close and the scent of sandalwood she would forever associate with him stirred what had been boiling within her.
When they reached the entrance to the house, the duke folded the umbrella and leaned it in the corner near the doorway. She noticed the way his thighs flexed beneath his skin-tight breeches when he leaned over to do so. She was no better than a bitch in heat.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her.
“Rosina…er, Lady Preston?”
“Come with me,” she said.
