Page 24

W hen Alicia arrived home, she was restless from her encounter with Bridget and Katie, glaring at the ground as she alighted from the carriage and marched inside.

She was not expecting to encounter Seth as soon as she entered the house and came up short upon seeing him in the entrance hall.

Her heart stuttered as he turned around, an eyebrow rising as he dismissed the butler and walked over to her.

“You are back early. I thought you would return much later.”

“Yes. I… I had a headache on the journey and decided to return.”

His brow creased. “Are you unwell?”

“No, no, it is passing now. Too much sun, perhaps. Where is Dove?”

“She is running about in your bedroom and causing the maids great distraction, according to the butler.”

His gaze was assessing, watching her carefully as she shifted her weight from one foot to another.

“If you are up to it, I have something that I wish to show you.”

A shiver ran down her spine. A chill she had not felt in his presence before.

Blast Katie and Bridget and their stories. I am beginning to suspect my husband of the unthinkable!

“It is just outside.”

He looked like a boy again, excited and practically buzzing with energy.

Alicia shrugged. “I am sure a turn about the grounds would do me good.”

Without hesitation, he took her hand and tugged her out of the house.

Alicia went willingly, watching the play of shadows over his back as they passed beneath a stone arch and headed to the woods.

Her pulse quickened as they neared them, and she was half expecting him to lead her down to the clearing again. But instead, he walked to the little bridge he had shown her before.

There was a quiet plop as they reached the water and a spatter of drops.

“My God, was that a kingfisher? I have not seen one on my lands for an age.”

She watched the light dancing in his eyes, trying to see the darkness her friends were so sure existed within him.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “You look very pale.”

He raised a hand to her cheek, as though to brush the back of it against her skin. Alicia didn’t know what made her move, but suddenly she found herself stepping away from his caress, cursing inwardly as the light in his eyes dimmed.

“I am all right,” she said hastily.

Seth nodded, but he slowly released her hand. He rubbed his fingers together, a crease forming between his eyebrows.

“It is this way,” he said, his voice a little sharper now.

Alicia followed behind him, her hands fisted in her skirts, guilt and fear rising within her as she considered what her friends had said.

Am I seeing the real him or who I want him to be?

“There! That’s the mother.”

Animated again, he leaped across the grass, eagerly beckoning her over. He produced a short brass telescope from his pocket, the end of it glinting in the sunlight.

“Here,” he said, passing it to her. “Take a look there, up in the branches.”

Alicia held the telescope gingerly between her fingers as there was a fluttering of wings in the canopy, and she watched the buzzard landing in the trees ahead of her.

She looked down at the telescope, not knowing how she to use it.

“Here,” Seth said, standing behind her and putting his arms around her.

She sucked in a breath as his fingers closed over hers and he brought the telescope to his eye before lowering it for her.

“Here. Lean back into me, and you should be able to see what I see.”

Alicia moved her head back so one eye was hovering over the end of the telescope and looked through it. She had never used such an instrument before, and she was not expecting the magnification to be so good.

Through the tube, she could see the flapping wings of the parent bird. It had a worm in its beak as it slowly lowered its head over a tiny bundle of fluff, just visible in the nest.

She gave a little cry of surprise and looked back at Seth in amazement.

“They have young?” she asked excitedly.

“They do. I have not seen them here before, but I have always suspected it. Last year, a tree fell; you can see the remainder of the trunk there. It has allowed us a vantage point that did not exist before.”

Alicia grinned, looking through the telescope again before handing it back to him.

Seth took it, looking through it eagerly, but he did not move away from her.

They fell into happy silence as they took turns using it to watch the little bird eating, then watched the mother bird fly away, going out to search for more.

Alicia strained her ears, and she could just make out the cheeping of the baby bird in the distance.

“How amazing,” she breathed. “I never would have been able to see this without you.”

The silence behind her made her pause, and she turned, looking up at him as his expression changed, softening somehow.

“As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to show you.”

Alicia’s body trembled at the intimate tone of his voice. She did not know what to say in response.

“When will your sister arrive?” Seth asked suddenly, breaking the tension in the air.

Alicia stared at him in surprise—she had completely forgotten her sister’s visit that afternoon.

“I think they said just after midday. And now I have something very special to show her! Isn’t it wonderful that new life is beginning on your estate?”

“On our estate, Duchess. You are not rid of me yet, despite your best efforts.”

He held out his arm to take her back to the manor.

“Come, let us find Dove. She is bound to have escaped and ended up stuck upside down somewhere again.”

Alicia was aware of Jane’s eyes on her throughout supper.

The cook had outdone herself with a beautiful roast chicken, perfectly cooked potatoes, and honey-glazed carrots. The sweetness of the vegetables, coupled with the saltiness of the gravy, was exquisite.

Seth sat at the head of the table, with Alicia on his left and Jane on his right. Jane’s husband, the Marquess of Riverton, sat opposite him.

David Sinclair was an unassuming man and very different from Seth. While Seth seemed to dominate any room he walked into, David was more mild-mannered and amicable.

It was part of the reason why Alicia had never been sure of her sister’s happiness.

Jane was quiet too, but passionate and soulful. Alicia had never believed that David could match her spirit. However, the more time she spent with them, the more she understood their dynamic.

Jane and David complemented one another, their personalities fitting together and meeting in the middle.

Alicia glanced at Seth, marveling at how short a time had passed since their wedding day.

Will we ever complement one another in the same way? Would he even want us to?

Seth’s shoulders hunched as he began to slice up a potato, his jaw working, the muscles in his neck moving beneath the candlelight.

Alicia flushed, turning away and sipping her wine. Jane’s sharp gaze met hers, and she raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

“Jane tells me you have a nest of buzzards on your estate, Your Grace,” David prompted in a friendly tone.

“I do,” Seth confirmed. “Did Alicia show you?”

Jane gave him a warm smile. “She did try, but we had some trouble locating them.”

Alicia huffed irritably. “I think we were looking at the wrong tree.”

Seth chuckled. “They are wily things. They know to hide their nests well. I am surprised Alicia could not find it, though. I showed it to her only this morning.”

“It is not as easy as locating Christopher, after all,” Alicia said, forgetting herself. “At least he is there every time I leave the house.”

“Christopher?” Jane echoed, holding her juice glass just below her mouth, which was beginning to twitch at the corners.

Alicia glowered at her. “The robin in the gardens; he visits us daily.”

“A named robin,” David remarked. “My goodness, I shall have to brush up on my knowledge of birds for our future visits.”

“You are welcome whenever you wish, of course,” Seth said with such ease that it took Alicia by surprise.

Where is the brooding giant who whisked me onto the dance floor without so much as a by your leave? He is all grace and wit this evening.

As dessert was served, Jane was looking very tired and pale again, and Alicia wondered if the baby was making her sick.

Jane barely touched her food after the main course was cleared away, and by the time the desserts were removed, there was sweat on her forehead.

David stood up as soon as the servants had left the room and came to help her out of her chair.

“What can I do?” he murmured, holding her against him with such tenderness.

“Oh, nothing, my love. It is the way of things.”

“Would you like to come to the drawing room?” Alicia asked. “I can have some tea brought; that helped a little before.”

Jane smiled. “I would like that.”

Alicia moved around the table, taking Jane’s arm and leading her out of the room, leaving the men to their port.

By the time they reached the drawing room, Jane looked ready to collapse, and Alicia hurriedly put a footstool beneath her feet and rang the bell for tea.

Jane sat, one hand on her swollen belly, breathing deeply as the color returned to her cheeks.

“Are you going to be sick?” Alicia asked.

Jane shook her head. “I do not think so. The first few weeks were the worst. Now, it is more the suggestion of sickness, as though he must remind his mother of his existence from time to time.”

“I shall be having stern words when I meet him,” Alicia said heatedly.

Jane smiled at her. “You and the Duke seem to be getting along very well, considering.”

“Considering what?”

Jane turned to her in surprise. “It was not so very long ago that you were adamant it would never last. And now he looks at you as if you are the sun itself.”

Alicia fidgeted awkwardly. “He does nothing of the sort.”

Jane chuckled, fanning herself with her hand. “And you could hardly take your eyes off him during supper.”

“Nonsense,” Alicia scoffed, walking to the fireplace for want of something to do.

She jabbed at the logs, which spat a rain of hot sparks that caught in the wind and were sucked upward into the chimney.

As the rattling of a tray could be heard, the door opened, and Rose came in. She set the tea tray down, with the usual plates of cake on all sides, before pouring them each a cup and heading to the door.

“Rose, would you please bring my sister a fan? She is feeling a little warm.”

The maid curtsied and left the room.

“Why are you looking so peevish?” Jane asked. “Are you angry with me for noticing that you like your husband?”

“I do not like him,” Alicia said firmly, but the words sounded hollow to her own ears.

When did I begin to care for him? How has this happened, when I know he will only ever see me as a means to an end?

To distract herself, she handed Jane a cup of tea and, on impulse, knelt on the floor, her skirts fanning out around her.

Jane laughed as Alicia rested her cheek against her belly and waited for the baby to move.

“He is sleeping, I think, from too much excitement. Are you bored with my company?”

“Exceedingly. I shall have better conversation with my nephew. And I look forward to corrupting him with books he should not read at a young age.”

Jane moved her hand to Alicia’s hair, idly running her fingers through it, and Alicia closed her eyes.

It had been a long time since they had sat together alone. She rested her head against Jane’s belly and imagined she could hear the faintest thud of a tiny heart inside.

“It will not be long before you experience this yourself, Sister,” Jane said gently.

Alicia swallowed. This time, the thought of carrying Seth’s child was not alarming. Rather, it filled her with anticipation.