Chapter 16
David rolled his eyes when he saw Gwen topple into the pond and his friend jump in to grab her.
Of course, it would be his youngest sister who fell in.
She refused to admit it, but she was clumsy, and she ended up with plenty of scrapes on her hands and knees that Gwen didn’t want anyone to look at.
David was surprised that she had any skin left and hadn’t gone down to the bone.
Even he hadn’t been that clumsy at the same age.
Caroline and Henrietta put their things aside and stood up, Caroline hurrying ahead and onto the grass as Joseph got Gwen to her feet and led her towards the house.
Gwen was shaking herself like a dog and spluttering.
Shaking his head, David crossed the terrace and waited as the group convened halfway across the lawn.
“Oh, Gwen!” Caroline brushed the wet hair off the girl’s face. “What did you do that for?”
“It wasn’t my fault!” Gwen shot back. “One of the rocks came loose, and I lost my balance!”
“That is what happened,” Joseph confirmed. “Maybe we should stay away from the pond for now.”
“At least it’s cooled me off.” Gwen grinned at him. “I’m feeling better than I was a few minutes ago.”
Even as she said that, David could see that she was shivering. David didn’t think she would be saying that it had cooled her off in a while. He folded his arms.
“Henrietta, can you take Gwen inside? Where’s Nanny Drew?”
“It’s her afternoon off, David,” Henrietta said as she moved to put an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “I don’t think she’s in the house.”
“Well, fetch one of the maids to help get Gwen dried off and changed. She’s going to catch a cold if she stays like that.”
Gwen pouted.
“But I was having fun,” she protested.
“Now, Gwendolyn.”
Joseph sighed and ruffled Gwen’s wet hair.
“Go on inside. I’ve got to return home and change myself.” He looked down at his wet breeches. “These are starting to get uncomfortable, and I don’t want the cloth to be ruined.”
Gwen looked like she would argue further, but instead, she huffed and nodded, allowing Henrietta to lead her towards the house. David watched them, Gwen still looking grumpy, with Henrietta giving him an apologetic look before they went inside.
“It wasn’t her fault, David,” Joseph said as he and Caroline came onto the terrace, shaking water out of his hair. “We were just having fun, and it got out of hand.”
David couldn’t stop the smile as he looked his friend over. He did look rather soggy.
“What is it with you and that pond? Every time you’re near it, something happens.”
“What can I say? I’m attracted to just about everything.”
Caroline giggled, turning away with a hand over her mouth, but not before David saw the mirth in her eyes. He had to admit that it was quite amusing, although he did think Joseph had been a little irresponsible.
“I’ll just go and … well, get changed.” Joseph turned to Caroline and took her hand, bowing over her fingers. “Good day, Lady Caroline. Let me know how Gwen is tomorrow.”
“Good day, Joseph. It’s good to see you again.”
David watched as Joseph squeezed Caroline’s hand before releasing. Then he turned and gave David a knowing look before he walked towards the house. David bit back a laugh seeing how ruined his friend’s cream-coloured breeches were. Served him right.
Turning back to Caroline, he saw her look up at him with a smile that made him smile back before he knew what he was doing.
“Are things getting out of control, or did I return home at the wrong moment?”
“The latter.” Caroline gestured at her chair, which had a parasol secured to it by twine and another parasol on the ground beside a blanket and cushions. “It was far too hot to work, so we decided to make the most of the sun and relax before we try again later. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, of course not.” David went over to the chair Caroline had been sitting in and inspected the contraption. “I suppose this is one way to keep the sun out of your face.”
“I needed both hands and can’t hold a parasol with my teeth.”
“Why not just go into the shade?”
“What shade?” Caroline indicated the garden. “We’re lucky to make shade today. It’s been really hot.”
David could see that. He had been rather hot himself, but he had been able to focus his attention elsewhere. And, he had to admit, that part had been a success. Hopefully, it would carry on like that.
“Shall we sit?” Caroline asked. “Or do you want to go inside? I will warn you that it’s warmer inside than it is out here.”
“Then let’s sit here.” David patted the chair. “Come and take a seat, My Lady.”
“What about you?”
“I’m fine sitting on the ground. It’s nothing new.”
Caroline wagged a finger at him.
“You’re the duke. You should be the one taking the chair, especially in this heat.”
“And as the lady, you should be sitting down on a proper seat.”
“I think we’ve established that I’m not a lady anymore, David.”
David shook his head with a smile.
“We’re just going to be squabbling over this, and it’s too warm to do that.” He held out an arm. “How about we go for a walk, then? I’m sure we can find some shade elsewhere.”
Caroline hesitated. Walking alone with David? She knew that wasn’t a good idea. No matter their current status to each other, they were still a man and a woman alone with no chaperone.
“Don’t worry,” David spoke as if he could see her thoughts. “I’ll make sure we stay in sight of the house. You trust me, don’t you?”
“Of course!” Caroline had no doubt about her trust in David. “It’s just …”
“I’ll be a proper gentleman.”
Caroline swatted his arm and headed towards the steps.
“I don’t think you’ve known how to be a gentleman in all the time I’ve known you,” she said as she stepped onto the grass. “You’re not known for doing as you’re told.”
“You know how to crush me, Caroline.” David pressed his hands to his chest in mock shock. “You believe that I’m some sort of mongrel?”
“Mongrel? Why that word?”
“I couldn’t think of the proper word, and that came to mind.”
Caroline burst out laughing as David fell into step beside her.
“I think you’re looking for ‘cad.’”
“I thought cad meant something else.”
“Well, there are ways to describe what you’re thinking, but even in private, they would make ears burn.”
The tension seemed to be easing now, making Caroline feel a little better.
She didn’t want to go back and forth with David around her.
It was uncomfortable. Caroline just wanted to feel good about herself.
Treating David as she used to in private was something she wanted to hold onto.
It was going to be hard when they ended up in public and had to address each other formally.
Maybe she should have set a precedent when she started. No calling her friend by his Christian name. But that was her own fault; she would have to take the mistakes as and when they happened.
They reached a tree in sight of the house, its branches spreading low and providing shelter from the sun.
Ducking under them, Caroline caught her hat before it got snagged on a twig and moved into the relieving shade.
She turned to see David follow her, catching the shoulder of his jacket on a branch. Growling, he unhooked himself.
“Stupid place for a branch,” he muttered.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have grown so much,” Caroline teased.
“And if I had control over that, I could control when the sun comes up and goes down.” David brushed down his jacket and used his handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “That feels like a relief. This is probably the coolest place on the entire estate.”
Caroline had to agree with that. She could just about see the house through the branches, and it looked like it was baking in the sunshine.
Much as she loved summer, this time of year was probably the worst for her.
Walking around in a dress that stuck to her because her body was sticky was uncomfortable.
She turned to David, holding onto a branch above his head as he shoved his handkerchief haphazardly into his pocket.
“How was your lunch meeting?” she asked.
“Lunch meeting?”
“Didn’t you say you were going to see someone? I assumed it was a business lunch, although Joseph had no idea about it.”
“I was wondering why he was here. He didn’t say anything about coming over.”
“He comes over regularly, remember? And you’re avoiding the question.” Caroline put her hands on her hips as she peered at him. “Are you hiding something from me?”
“Why would I be hiding something from you?”
“How long did we know each other, David?”
David snorted.
“That was a long time ago. And while I don’t want to point out our current positions …”
“Alright!” Caroline winced as she recalled who she was compared to him. “Forgive me, I forgot myself. I was just wondering where a friend went and not an employer.”
David didn’t look cross. If anything, he looked uncomfortable. He looked away as if putting his words into a sentence that would make sense.
“I was actually having lunch with Lady Mary Chadwick. I was at her home with her mother.”
#
David had found himself unsure about how he would tell Caroline about Mary. He knew that, as his governess, she didn’t need to know where he went all the time and what he was up to, but she was, first and foremost, his friend. She deserved to know what was going on.
It just felt difficult to tell her. And from the stunned look on her face, there was a reason why.
David knew Caroline and Mary were acquainted, but they were not friends.
Mary was part of a social circle that Caroline would never want to be a part of, and their attitudes would have clashed.
David understood that this would not be taken well.
But this had to be done. His future depended on it, and he couldn’t do much about it. Not without having people whisper about him and have that affect his sisters. They were his priority.