Page 165 of Rogue of My Heart

“A missive just arrived for you, sir.”

Michael accepted the neatly folded paper and quickly tore the seal to read the few, hastily scribbled lines. “Damn,” he muttered.

“Bad news, my lord?”

“You could say that.” He blew out a breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Would you be so kind as to tell Lady Beauley that I won’t be able to join her this afternoon?”

“Of course, my lord.”

As the servant bowed and left, Michael grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and shrugged it on as he headed down to the stables.

For every step he was taking forward with Albina, it seemed as if something always occurred to set him back two.

Albina had just finished dressing for her outing with Michael when she looked out her bedroom window and saw him riding away. A frown touched her brow about the same time there was a light knock at her door.

She opened it to reveal the butler on the other side.

Jeffries bowed respectfully. “The viscount asked me to relay his regrets as he is unable to accompany you to the village today.”

“Has something happened? Where is he going?”

“He did not inform me of his whereabouts, my lady.”

Albina’s frown deepened. “Very well, then. Thank you.”

As she shut her door after him, she began to pace the room, her mind racing. What could have possibly called him away on such an urgent matter that he had to cancel our plans? As far as she knew, the tenants weren’t having any problems, but she supposed that could change.

For a brief moment, she entertained the idea of a mistress, but dismissed it almost immediately. Surely if Michael was taking his pleasures away from the house, he would cease such activities while she was in residence.

Wouldn’t he?

Doubts swirled, teasing and taunting, until she gave up and grabbed her bonnet. She was tying it on her head as she marched downstairs.

Whether Chael chose to accompany her or not, she was determined to go ahead on her own.

* * *

Having noticed the day before that her husband had a phaeton in the stables, she asked for it to be brought around. The butler eyed her uncertainly for a moment, until she lifted her chin. Thus, he sent a footman to the stables to alert Mr. Epperson of her demands. While she wouldn’t admit that she hadn’t driven anything more difficult than a London chaise, and that was only because Lydia had one and had let her take the reins in Hyde Park one day, she was determined to set out on her own. It wasn’t as if she required a cumbersome coach, nor a maid to accompany her, to ride a couple miles into the village.

As the black with yellow trim vehicle was brought into view, Albina was delighted to see that another lovely mare had been harnessed to the front. She knew that she would be just as docile as Lulu, and she thanked Mr. Epperson for his thoughtfulness.

She took a moment to coo to the animal, before she climbed into the driver’s seat. As the stable master handed her the reins, she snapped the leather straps and set into motion.

It took Albina a moment to get used to the height of the carriage wheels, but once she did, it didn’t seem that different from Lydia’s open chaise, which also only took one horse to maneuver. Thankfully, it was also another unseasonably sunny and warm day. There were a few clouds building in the distance, which might mean a slight shower later on, but that would likely be well after she was back home.

At this rate, it was turning out to be a rather pleasant trip indeed, so long as she didn’t allow thoughts of Michael to linger.

The village of Yarmouth hadn’t really changed in all the time she’d been away. It was still a bustling seaside resort that relied heavily on their fishing industry. Herring was such a valuable commodity, in essence the town’s foundation, that most of the villagers built their houses right on the water, so that they might be the first out at sea.

Because of this success, money had been raised by the local magnates to build the Norfolk Naval Pillar; the columned statue standing proud and tall right at the edge of town. The lady Brittania stood atop a globe inscribed with the motto from Nelson’s coat of arms, “Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat,” translated to “Let Him Who Has Merited it Take the Palm.” It was a true testament to the determination in battle that the English possessed. If Albina had never felt like a patriot to her country before, as she paused to admire the statue, she certainly felt it now.

* * *

She eventually moved on and stopped at the local stables for her horse to enjoy some hay while she looked through some of the shops in town.

Many of them were just the same as she remembered, some of the local villagers even going so far as to recognize her from nearly a decade ago.

Although none of them seemed as pleased as the modiste, Mrs.