Page 9 of The Duke’s Bride (The Duke’s Alliance #6)

Beau had neglected to send word to the stables so his nameless stallion remained unsaddled. His tack was neatly arranged on the peg outside his stall so he took care of the matter himself.

‘Well, old fellow, I wonder how you came to be at Elveden and what name you go by.’ He pulled the massive animal’s ears affectionately and the horse responded by slobbering down his greatcoat.

He was just tightening the girth when a flustered groom skidded to a halt beside them. ‘I beg your pardon, sir, I didn’t know you wished to leave.’

‘My fault – I forgot to send notice of my departure.’ With the reins hooked over his arm he led his mount out of the stable block and into the yard. Despite the fact that the horse was well over sixteen hands he swung into the saddle without recourse to the mounting block.

This time he would return at a sensible pace and use the lanes rather than the fields. He leaned forward and patted the gleaming black neck of his horse. ‘See there, old fellow, those three men are replacing the divots you kicked up when we arrived half an hour ago.’

Beau squeezed gently and the stallion moved smoothly into a collected canter.

They passed nobody on the journey so he was not obliged to slow his pace until half a mile away, when he instructed the horse to walk.

This would ensure the animal would be cool when he arrived.

He dismounted outside the stables so he could talk to the head groom who had come out to take the reins.

‘As you can see he is not hot so can be fed and watered immediately. Tell me, how does this animal come to be in my stables? When I purchased this estate all I knew was that there were two teams of farm horses, two hunters and a second team to pull a carriage.’

‘The master saw Titus as a colt at a gypsy fair and could not resist him. I broke him in myself and he was never gelded because he is so sweet-natured. I reckon his sire was a thoroughbred for him to be so fine.’

‘He is a splendid animal and I have no need to purchase anything else as he is exactly what I need.’

The remainder of the day was spent preparing both lessons and passages that Thomas could practise for the next day. He dined as before in the breakfast parlour and retired early. He did not miss the responsibilities that came with his heritage but he did miss his siblings and their families.

Silchester Court was a massive barracks of a building with more rooms than he had ever cared to count.

At least when he did return in a few months he would still have Aubrey and Mary living in the wing he had converted for them.

Perry and Sofia would be departing for their new house in Derbyshire as soon as he got back.

He did not consider himself a sociable sort of fellow, but he had not realised how much time he spent in conversation with his brother Bennett and his brother-in-law Grey, who both lived nearby.

Also, he was finding it uncomfortable having to tell Banbury tales in order to maintain the pretence that he was plain Mr Sheldon.

For all the disadvantages he did not regret for one moment having come.

Now he was able to spend as much time as he wished on his passion without feeling one iota of guilt that important matters were being neglected.

The fact that he would become better acquainted with Lady Fenchurch and her children was not something he’d anticipated, but he was looking forward to some lively conversations with all three of them.

The following morning he got up to an eerie whiteness.

There had been heavy snowfall overnight, which would mean the lanes would be impassable – even the high hedges would not prevent them becoming blocked.

He was disappointed that his pupil would not be able to come for his lesson but more for the fact that he would not be able to go to dinner as planned at Fenchurch Manor.

‘Bishop, how long are we likely to be cut off here?’

His valet poked his head into the bedchamber from where he had been busy laying out Beau’s clothes in the dressing room. ‘We’ve not had much snow so far this winter, sir, so I think it might well be here for a week or two, possibly more.’

‘Then the horses will get no exercise and neither shall I. From the look of the sky we are in for more snow later today.’

And so it was – that afternoon he watched morosely as the flakes drifted to the ground, adding to the six inches that were already obliterating the landscape.

* * *

The thaw arrived as suddenly as the snow.

Beau got up two weeks later to find he was no longer cut off.

However, the deluge that had fallen would make the lanes fetlock-deep in mud so he doubted Thomas would be able to come to him, as a carriage would get stuck.

Instead, he would ride across the fields and give him his lesson on the inferior instrument that he owned.

He was well aware his real motive for going was not to teach, but to speak to Viola – she was no longer Lady Fenchurch to him in the intimacy of his head.

Over the past few days he had had ample opportunity to think about this delightful young widow and the more he did so the more he came to believe that perhaps he had at last met the person he was to fall in love with.

* * *

Viola was overjoyed to see the snow had melted at last. Even the children were no longer interested in making snowmen or having snowball fights.

The first candidate that was supposed to arrive for interview had, not surprisingly, failed to come.

The second and third were due this week so no doubt she would find herself involved with three young ladies, who all wanted the position as governess, at the same time.

Thomas, who should know better, burst into her bedchamber in his nightshirt. ‘Mama, the snow has gone so I can start my lessons again.’

‘Unfortunately, the lanes will still be closed. We must wait for it to dry out or the carriage will come to grief.’

‘How long will that be?’

‘I have no idea, darling. You would do better to ask one of the outside men as they seem to be knowledgeable about the weather.’

He was about to ask another question but she stopped him. ‘Go back to your bedchamber and allow me to get dressed in peace. We shall continue the conversation over breakfast.’

One would have thought that after only spending an hour in Mr Sheldon’s company she would have forgotten the details of his appearance, the timbre of his voice, but this was not the case.

His image invaded her every waking moment as well as her dreams. This was not something she wanted and it made her feel vulnerable.

She had never been attracted to a gentleman before.

It was most unsettling, almost unpleasant.

Despite her good intentions to discipline her children – well, to be honest it was only her daughter who needed a firmer hand – she had abandoned her attempts to check Elizabeth’s strong will after a second tantrum that lasted an entire morning.

Her mother was already in the breakfast parlour helping herself from a tasty array of items. ‘Good morning, Viola, I’m sure you are as relieved as I am to see the back of that nasty white stuff. Do you intend to reissue your dinner invitation to Mr Sheldon?’

‘I can hardly do otherwise, Mama. At least I do not have to worry about it until the lanes are safe for a carriage to pass through. I am more concerned about the three would-be governesses who are likely to arrive together. I am not sure how to organise interviews if they are all under my roof at the same time.’

‘If you intend for them to spend a morning with the children before you make a decision then they will be here for three days. I suppose it will not hurt to see how they interact together; a little healthy rivalry never did anyone any harm in my opinion.’

‘I dread to think how Elizabeth will behave by the third day. She does not like to be constrained, and to ask her to be on her best behaviour for so long will be doomed to failure.’

Her mother chuckled. ‘Then so much the better, my dear – whoever you appoint must be able to manage that girl’s tantrums.’

‘I think it more likely they will all turn tail and run away. I would much prefer them to see her when she is being cooperative.’

‘By the by, did you know that Mr Sheldon bought the estate unseen? I have never heard the like. To spend so much money without even a single visit beggars belief.’

‘I am sure he had someone make thorough investigations. He does not seem like a gentleman to do anything without serious consideration beforehand. Anyway, Mama, it is none of our business.’

Her mother looked at her through narrowed eyes. ‘He is not the gentleman for you, daughter, so if you are thinking of him as a possible husband…’

Viola dropped her plate and the ham, coddled eggs and toast landed on the carpet. ‘How can you say such a thing? You know I shall never marry again.’ Her heart was pounding, her hands clammy at the thought. ‘Please, do not say you think he is interested in me in that way.’

‘Good heavens, I am certain he is not. However, you are halfway to falling in love with him yourself even if you are denying it. If you would like my advice, I should find some excuse to cancel the dinner invitation. The less you see of him the better. I can only see it ending in heartbreak.’

The footman who was in attendance had already cleared away the mess but her appetite had deserted her.

She would just have coffee this morning.

Now her panic had subsided she was curious to know why her mother thought Mr Sheldon would not consider her to be a suitable wife for him.

She was shocked to the core by the answer she got to this question.

‘Think about it, Viola. There can be only one reason why a wealthy gentleman of almost five and thirty, who is a fine figure of a man, is not married and that is because he has chosen to remain single. Therefore, he is unlikely to change his mind so late in the day, even for you.’