Page 81 of A Bluestocking for the Wicked Duke

“It will be in a minute sir, let me just hammer this shoe back to its hoof,” the boy replied.

There was no reaction from the horse as the boy hammered the shoe into its hoof. After a few bangs, the boy released the horse. William mounted and rode quickly. He was in a haste to talk to Esther.

When he got to Norfolk, he met Esther outside the gate. She looked like she was just coming from an occasion.

“Good morning, Miss Esther,” he said.

She looked at him and smiled. She walked over to him and stood beside his horse, William did not dismount.

“Good morning, William,” she replied in a low voice that only he could hear.

“Whence do you return?” William asked.

“I went on behalf of my father to make an official visit. I didn’t know that such things are such bores,” she said.

“Well, now you know,” William replied.

William stretched his hand, helping her mount the horse behind him before riding into her compound. When the horse got to the staircase, William dismounted and helped her down. A steward came and collected the reins from William. He started going up the stairs but was stopped by Esther’s voice.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

William looked down from the staircase.

“Aren’t you going in?” he asked her.

“No, William. Let us go and discuss in the garden. The house is always too constricted for me,” she replied him.

William walked back down the stairs, holding Emma from behind as she led the way into the garden. They sat on the first stone chair. William looked back to the other one.

Why did she not go to that one?

“William, you have never been to see me this early. And to be frank, I wasn’t expecting to see you till the ball on Saturday. Is anything the problem?” she asked.

William took a deep breath.

Crunch time.

“You remember that promise you made me make.”

Esther smiled.

“That’s pretty straight forward, I thought you would start with small talk but you struck straight at the belly of the whale. Okay, now you have my full interest,” she said.

William smiled back.

“I do not remember the particular one Will; we have made a lot of promises to ourselves. Which one do you speak of?” she said.

Will? She’s completely free with me now.

“You told me to promise you to help you speak to Andrew if the need arises, to convince him there really isn’t anything going on between us,” he said.

“I remember Will. I do not need your help as of yet.”

“No, you don’t Esther. I need your help.”

Esther’s eyebrows rose as he said that.

“Please explain.”