Page 26

T he following morning, Seth woke up with a restless energy beneath his skin and a desperate need to see Alicia.

After his valet dressed him, he made his way along the corridor between their rooms and stood outside her door.

Closing his eyes, he placed a hand against the wood, imagining her still abed, her beautiful face relaxed in sleep.

He was wrenched out of his fantasy, however, when the door jerked open and he was forced to leap backward as Alicia appeared, tears on her cheeks, staring wildly ahead of her.

“Dove is missing!” she cried, marching past him into the corridor and looking around frantically.

“What? I thought you kept her in your room?”

“I do, but the door must have opened in the night, and I believe she has escaped! I thought she might have come to you again, but clearly she didn’t! How will we ever find her?”

Alicia was in such a state that she rushed down the stairs before Seth could gather himself. After a helpless glance at the maid, he hurried after her.

“Alicia!” he called as he ran down the staircase.

“I cannot think where she could have gone,” she said, her hair coming loose as she ran a hand through it. “Perhaps she is in the kitchens? She sometimes likes to go there.”

Her breathing was shallow, and it was making Seth’s chest hurt. As she turned to run toward the kitchen, he wrapped his hand loosely around her wrist to stop her.

She whipped around, wiping her eyes.

“Alicia, it is all right, we will find her. She has a habit of putting herself upside down in places she should not be. I am certain she has simply wandered into a room and gotten lost again.”

Her fingers tightened on his hand. “Well, come with me! We must look for her.”

Seth could not help but smile as she pulled him behind her.

The dress she wore was simple today—a white muslin gown with puffed sleeves. But she had added multicolored ribbons to the waist. They fluttered behind her like a disordered rainbow as the two of them hurried down the hallway to the rear of the house.

The kitchen was enormous. Seth’s father had loved his food and spared no expense on the fixtures. Still, it was not common for Seth to walk into it before breakfast had even been served.

Miss Baines, the cook, looked up in alarm. Wiping her hands on her apron, she approached him, curtsying as the maids and other workers scattered to the corners of the room.

“Your Graces,” she greeted. “Is all well?”

“Has Dove come here?” Alicia asked.

Seth expected the cook not to know what his wife was speaking of. But, to his surprise, she shook her head.

“No, Your Grace, I have not seen her today. We found her upside down in the flour on Monday, and we had to throw the whole bag away.”

“I know. I am sorry.”

Seth balked at the idea of apologizing to a servant, but Miss Baines’ gaze was kind as she looked at Alicia.

“Is she missing?” she asked.

“Yes. Would you be so kind as to tell me if you see her? I apologize that breakfast may have to wait for a few minutes. I have to find her; she could be anywhere!”

There was the sound of shuffling feet from behind them, and a young girl appeared in the periphery of Seth’s vision.

She did not speak until Miss Baines put her hands on her hips and fixed her with a hard stare.

“What is it, Gladys?” she asked.

“I saw the kitten, Your Grace,” the girl whispered, staring down at the floor. “She was outside this morning, early like.”

Alicia turned to Seth, fresh tears springing to her eyes.

“It will be all right. As long as she has not gone on the hunt for any of the birds,” he insisted. “Come, we will search for her.”

The relief that passed over Alicia’s face was wonderful to see, and as she took his hand, his heart lurched at the contact. She needed him to help her, and it was a heady feeling.

Taking charge, he walked them out of the kitchens to a rear door that opened out into the gardens and offered a view of the stables in the distance.

Seth grimaced as the sound of pattering rain greeted them. He glanced up, seeing dark clouds above the manor.

“Come, we must go!” Alicia urged, walking outside.

Seth watched her in amazement. “It is raining, Duchess. Do you not wish to put on a cloak?”

“It is barely raining,” she said, not looking back, as Seth tugged at his coat and followed her.

The things I do for that damned kitten.

In a few moments, the stable boy had saddled Seth’s horse, and he was climbing up, ready to begin the search.

When he looked down at Alicia, however, she seemed uncertain.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Is there a horse for me?”

Seth smirked. “Not at the moment. You will just have to sit in the saddle with me.”

Alicia crossed her arms over her chest, frowning up at him. “I can hardly sit with you; there is not enough room.”

“Fear not, Duchess,” he said, offering his hand. “I shall ensure you do not fall.”

Alicia scowled at him as the stable boy brought the block for her to climb into the saddle.

Seth felt a rush of pleasure pulsing through him as she settled into the hard leather between the pommel and his thighs.

Perhaps I do not mind this search, after all.

He swallowed as she sat side saddle, holding her shoulders away from him even as their hips touched.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he clicked his tongue at the horse, which began to move.

The scent of her hair was intoxicating, and he breathed it in as he pulled her closer to his body.

They emerged from the stables into the light rain that fell all around them, creating a hazy softness to the world that seemed unreal in the quiet.

As they crossed the lawn, Seth could see the gardeners and workers going about their business and spotted Langham in the distance.

Spurring the horse onward, he saw the man’s surprise as he looked up from where he was digging into the soil.

“Have you seen a white cat this morning, Langham?” Seth asked.

The gardener squinted around the patch he was tending. “No, Your Grac?—”

“She is a kitten, not a cat,” Alicia interrupted. “Quite tiny. You might not have seen her!”

Her voice broke, and Seth’s arm tightened around her waist. He felt a thrill as she leaned into him, her back finally coming to rest against his torso.

Langham bowed to her reverently. “I am familiar with her, Your Grace. She is a feisty, little thing. She often comes into the gardens during the day and knows these parts well. I am sure she is out exploring. If I see her, I will sound the alarm.”

His crooked grin was rather endearing, and Seth felt Alicia relax.

“Thank you, Langham. I would be most grateful.”

“Of course, Your Grace. Have no fear, I shall alert the other gardeners to keep an eye out for her.”

He winked at Seth, who stifled a grunt as they continued on.

He was not overly worried about Dove. She had gotten herself into all sorts of mischief these days, and he suspected they would find her asleep beside a fireplace somewhere in the manor.

Alicia, on the other hand, was wiping her eyes again.

Seth sighed. “We will find her, do not worry.”

“You told me the house was too big for her,” she insisted. “This is my fault. I should never have allowed her to escape my room.”

“Cats like to explore. She would have been unhappy to be cooped up all night. I imagine she is having the time of her life on the estate—all this wide country to explore.”

Alicia looked around frantically as the horse cantered along the gravel path behind the small walled gardens on the east side of the estate.

The clouds were heavy in the sky, and humidity permeated the air, clinging to Seth’s coat and making him hot and uncomfortable.

The drizzling rain was lighter now, and as he looked out over the lake in the distance, he could not help a fond smile. His lands were truly beautiful in any weather. He had seen them covered with snow and baking in the heat of summer.

The idea of coming here and showing them to Alicia throughout the seasons filled him with strange hope.

Perhaps if I can rid myself of the darkness in my past, I can summon a lighter future.

The lake was sparkling before them as they made their way toward it.

“Do you think she might have drowned?” Alicia asked desperately. “Perhaps a carp in the lake has swallowed her whole.”

Seth sighed as she twisted in the saddle and leaped off the horse, walking across the dewy grass to the edge of the lake.

He dismounted, cursing quietly as he tied the horse to a tree branch before following her.

“Alicia, cats hate water. She would not have willingly gone in the lake.”

“What if she fell?”

“She is a sure-footed little thing.”

“You just said that she is always getting herself into trouble. Stop placating me!”

He pulled her into his arms, her back to his chest, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Calm down. We will find her. I will not have you suffer a loss so grave. I do not want your light dimmed—don’t you become grumpy and old like me.”

“You are not old!” she said vehemently.

Seth’s lips twitched as he waited for her to realize what she had failed to say, and suddenly she stiffened in his arms.

“Or grumpy,” she added.

He laughed softly. “It is all right, Duchess. I know my flaws better than any man.”

Alicia scoffed as they began to walk around the lake, and she intertwined their fingers loosely—an action that was becoming his favorite thing in the world.

“You might be a little brooding at times,” she mused, “but you know by now how little I mind your moods.”

Seth glanced at her. “Are you saying you are no longer trying to repel me, Duchess?”

It had been said in jest, but Alicia’s footsteps slowed. She did not look at him, her eyes still fixed on the water, but her expression was thoughtful.

“I fought with my friends the other day,” she said quietly.

Seth frowned. “You did not say so.”

“No. Well, it was about you, you see.”

Seth hesitated as she turned toward him, fear rising within him like a serpent he could not control.

When did her opinion become so important to me?

“About me?” he asked.

“They still believe you to be someone you are not. Someone the ton has spread unfounded rumors about for years. They were trying to protect me, but I can no longer entertain such assumptions.”

Seth’s blood was rushing between his ears. “Protect you?”

She nodded. “When we first met, they believed you to be dangerous. Something I dismissed the first day of our marriage.”

The wind ruffled her hair, the ripples on the water reflecting the sunlight as it finally penetrated the clouds above their heads.

“I could not tell them the truth.”

“What truth?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“That I no longer wish to annul our marriage. That all my schemes, all my plans, have fallen away now. I just wish to live my life.”

The fear morphed into something else—something that felt suspiciously like joy .

On impulse, he surged forward and spun her around, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.

She moaned, her hand coming up to rest against his upper arm as she welcomed him. He did not deepen the kiss, not wishing to distract from the tenderness of the moment.

Pulling away, her eyes searched his curiously, and he sobered.

“I am glad to hear it, my Duchess,” he said with a gentle smile. “Come, let us find Dove so that we may return to the house.”