Chapter Nine
Felicity was both warm and cold at once. She was uncomfortable with the duke’s attention directed completely upon her. What if he were to recognize her? Or if someone else at the inn recognized her? She should have taken his offer of returning back to the estate and allow him to spend some time alone with Adelina. But she had allowed herself to give in to the temptation. She was ridiculous but only hoped she wouldn’t pay a heavy price.
Too, there was the way he was questioning her interest in the mill. It was certainly strange. She knew the gently bred did not consider industry to be something acceptable to be interested in but as far as he knew, she was beneath his notice anyway, so it shouldn’t be anything of note. Unless he was worried she was going to corrupt his daughter with her plebeian ways. She hoped it wasn’t that. She was coming to love Lady Adelina and was quite determined to stay as long as she could possibly manage.
Rathnelly was a comfortable estate, despite the vastness of the building. One could never refer to it as cosy but it wasn’t nearly as repellant as she had first suspected as they had driven up that long, intimidating driveway. Felicity would like to make it her home for years to come. What would be beyond that remained a mystery, but surely by then she would have received her grandmother’s inheritance and could make her own way. Perhaps, she would travel the world as she had always longed to do. But in the meantime, she had a child to help grow up into a confident young woman and to Felicity, it was the most fulfilled she had ever felt in her life.
She just had to make sure that her strange ideas didn’t give the duke a disgust of her and she found herself tossed out on her ear. That would break her heart. And Adelina’s, too, as far as that went. The poor child had suffered enough loss in her young life; Felicity didn’t wish to add to it.
So, she would have to do all in her power to remain on the duke’s good side. But that was going to be a challenge for her, as she wasn’t certain why he was so terribly concerned by her interest in the wool industry. Felicity had sensed that he didn’t want her to pursue the matter, but he had offered that if she were interested she ought to ask in the village. So, she did. She shouldn’t be faulted for doing as he had bade.
Feeling defensive put her on the wrong foot, and she struggled with her discomfort before the handsome man. And that, too, was part of the problem. If only he weren’t quite so handsome and fascinating. Felicity had sworn herself to a different life than was conventional. She couldn’t go and give her heart to the first handsome nobleman she encountered. It would be beyond ridiculous. Besides pointless, considering the tales she had spun to find herself here.
Closing her mind to the attraction, Felicity turned her attention back toward the task at hand. She ought to be engaging Adelina in conversation, not the duke.
“You’ve kept your counsel for a surprisingly long time, my lady, is that a good thing or bad?” Felicity asked the question in as teasing a tone as she could muster, hoping it didn’t sound forced. She could feel the duke’s gaze upon her but kept her face averted.
Adelina’s grin was tinted purple from the berries in her pie.
“I’ve been otherwise engaged,” she answered as seriously as she could manage around her grin.
“I can see that,” Felicity replied with a light laugh. “So, I take it, the treat has met with your approval?”
Adelina’s vigorous nodding threatened to spill her from her seat.
“The only thing is you’d best have room for your dinner or Cook will have words with me.”
“There’s never any fear of me not having room, Jonesy, and well you know it. It’s the seamstress who’ll need to be making room for me soon.”
Felicity laughed. “That will be another source of industry in the village, then. Shall we start upon our way home again? Surely, His Grace has other things he ought to be doing than dancing attendance upon us.”
Heat filled her as Felicity realized that could have sounded like a rebuke, but she still couldn’t look at him to gauge his reaction. Adelina saved the day once more.
“Oh no, Father says there’s nothing more important than me, so you needn’t fear he’s wasting his time.”
The way the girl said it let Felicity know she wasn’t actually as arrogant as the words might seem to indicate. She couldn’t help a small laugh, though, and for the briefest moment her eyes met those of the duke, and her heart stood still.
She tore her gaze away from his, and her heart galloped, leaving her momentarily lightheaded. Felicity was relieved to see that no one else seemed to notice her discomfort, though. Despite Adelina’s words to the contrary, Felicity continued to gather their things and shepherd her young charge out of the inn’s parlour.
Felicity quickly but furtively glanced around at the bustle in the inn yard, hoping she wouldn’t run into anyone that could possibly recognize her. It was highly unlikely, and she reminded herself that she was being ridiculous. But she wasn’t used to prevaricating, and her guilty conscience made her particularly uncomfortable at times. Reminding herself that this wasn’t a well travelled direction and hers was not a recognizable face only helped a little, and she breathed a sigh of relief once they were away from the inn and onto the duke’s own property.
Adelina never noticed Felicity’s discomfort on the rare occasions that they left Rathnelly, but Felicity suspected the watchful duke might realize there was something amiss if she wasn’t more careful. She tried to engage her charge in a stream of conversation. It was far from difficult as the girl was delighted with two adults’ attention as well as being a trifle overexcited from the excess sugar in the pie.
“Will you have to go to collect my brothers, Father? Or will they travel home on their own?” Adelina was asking.
“They will be accompanied by their tutor, and I will send a carriage for them.”
“I wish I could go to collect them.”
“You do?” Felicity could hear genuine surprise in the duke’s voice. “I thought you hate to travel.”
“Well, I certainly don’t enjoy it, but it would mean I’d be that much sooner to see my brothers.”
“Oh, my dear lady Adelina, do not fret, your brothers will be here before you know it.”
“No, Jonesy, they will not. I already know it, and they are not here. I’ve been waiting for days!” The usually sunny-natured child suddenly sounded more petulant than Felicity had ever heard her, and she frowned, wondering what had prompted such a change.
“Adelina, that is not the attitude that is expected of you, and well you know it.” Before Felicity had thought of a way to handle the child, the duke had already stepped in and reprimanded her.