Page 57 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“That could not happen, and you know it. But yes, you may know. It is green, the very same one as these trees, actually.”
She darted forward, for she was not carrying anything, and reached up to one of the branches.
“This one!” she called. “It is this color exactly.”
“Beatrice, come away from there!”
His voice had far more urgency than she ever would have expected, and it caused so much panic in her that she stepped away without questioning him. When she returned to him, he noticed her puzzled expression.
“Those trees tend to drop their acorns around this time of year. I would hate for one to land on you, that is all.”
“I do not think that an acorn could hurt me too much.”
“You might be surprised. I have had several run-ins with them, and they can be rather nasty, especially when they fall from the taller branches.”
“Very well.” She shrugged. “I shall keep my distance, then.”
“And, if you would not mind, I would prefer that you were in the house.”
“Oh. Have I done something wrong?”
“Not at all, but this is dangerous work, and I do not want anything to happen to you.”
At last, she remembered that she wanted to know what was happening.
“And what exactly are you both doing?” she asked. “We have an event tonight, and I do not wish to be late.”
“I know what I am doing. I shall not be long. I am helping to bring the wood here, and then the rest will be done for us.”
“Yes, but what exactly is that?”
“I am blocking off the forest,” he said simply.
It should have been the sort of thing that Beatrice did not question; he master of the household, and so anything thathappened should have been his decision, but something felt strange.
“I see, but why did you not tell me when I was changing the household? I asked you if there was anything in particular you wanted.”
“You did, but that would have meant you coming here. I know how involved you were with all of it.”
“I was, indeed, for it is my home too. What is so wrong with me wanting to be in my own garden?”
“It is dangerous,” he snapped. “I have told you not to come here, and I have told you why. I do not want you to be hurt.”
“It is a forest, not a battlefield. I am more than capable of following a path.”
“Beatrice, I do not wish to quarrel when we are to attend a ball, nor do I want this man to continue pacing the length of our estate alone. I cannot discuss this with you.”
“How painfully convenient.”
“Excuse me?”
“Owen, I am trying to be patient. I have told you so much about me and done everything I can to make this household a home forboth of us, but you can never seem to tell me the truth. I may not be the most intelligent lady, but I know when something is being kept from me, and you have done it so many times that I have lost count.”
“It is not my fault that you refuse to listen. I tell you not to push matters, but you cannot help yourself, can you? I have told you that we cannot discuss this, and I have given you perfectly reasonable explanations as to why. Why can you not accept them?”
“Because they are not the truth,” she replied, her eyes not leaving his. “You cannot expect me to accept these excuses forever. You will have to tell me what you are truly thinking eventually.”
“I am not thinking anything. Everyone seems to believe that I have all these issues that they must solve, but you are mistaken. I am perfectly fine. I– I–”
