Chapter 3
Three
Alexander laughed as Esther hit the cricket ball with her bat with enough energy to send it across the field.
The ball arched high into the sky in a perfect curved trajectory. He wasn’t passionate about cricket, but even he could tell that delivery was a work of art.
The small crowd gathered to follow the game erupted in cheers, and she flushed. Her blonde curls were in disarray over her reddened face, but she had an air of genuine happiness that warmed his heart.
No happiness showed on the faces of his teammates; they watched Esther exulting with sour expressions. Instead, he shared every ounce of joy with her. She was fast, clever, and funny. He was more than happy to lose against her.
She dropped the bat on the field and rushed towards him. “I don’t mean to brag, but my team won!”
He bowed. “You’re an excellent batswoman. I’m impressed by your skills.”
“Thank you.” She leapt as if wanting to hug him but came to an abrupt halt awkwardly and tottered on her feet.
He steadied her by taking her elbow as the other losers begrudgingly congratulated the winners. She shook hands with her teammates, beaming at the well-deserved compliments. He liked that about her as well. She could take a compliment without feigning modesty and without being too proud, either.
“Congratulations.” His friend, Benedict, stretched out his arm towards her. “Excellent game.”
Esther’s smile dropped as she eyed Benedict from head to toe and swallowed before exchanging a glance with him.
Blond hair and a green suit. She believed Benedict was the duke.
“Thank you.” She collected herself.
Benedict held her hand for a little too long. “I’m thoroughly impressed, my lady. I’m not a cricket expert. Like Alexander, I enjoy fencing, but I watched the game with interest.”
She shifted her weight from one foot to another.
“A glass of lemonade to celebrate?” He angled towards Benedict. “Apologies, but I promised a lemonade to the lady.”
Her good humour returned.
“By all means.” Benedict bowed. “I will see you later.”
She took Alexander’s arm. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure I wanted to meet the duke just yet.”
About that. “I understand, and—”
“I really want my lemonade before my mother orders me to spend time with the duke. He’s your rival at fencing, I gather.”
“He is. Good footwork and fast wrist.” He led her to the table with the drinks and offered her a lemonade.
She took a long sip and sighed. “Thank you.” Her tone suddenly turned serious. “I’m not talking about the drink only. Without you, I wouldn’t have played today.”
“It would have been a shame. You’re a good player.”
“But apparently gentlemen don’t like ladies who are good players.”
“That’s not true. Not all of them. I certainly—”
A woman let out a squeal of delight, stopping in front of them. “There you are. You found the duke!”
Esther jolted when Mother cried out. Duke? What duke?
She gazed around. “No, I…” She parted her lips, angling towards Alexander. “You?”
He drew in a breath. “That’s what I wanted to tell you.”
“Your Grace.” Mother bowed her head. “I was searching for you. How lovely to see you again. The last time we met, you were no older than thirteen. This is my daughter, Esther, but I can see you’re already acquainted.” She flashed a wide smile at Esther.
She wanted to be swallowed by the ground and spat out in the Colonies. Had she said something horrible about the duke? She couldn’t remember. But then again, he should have told her the truth.
“My lady,” the duke said, “I had the pleasure of meeting Lady Esther earlier.”
“Isn’t that wonderful?” Mother kept smiling. “Why don’t we have a cup of tea together?”
She stepped away from Alexander. “Your Grace, would you mind if I have a very, very quick word with my mother?”
He clasped his hands behind his back, looking every inch the duke in his stiff posture. “By all means.”
Her shock vanished the moment she was a few yards away from the duke and was replaced with…confusion? She didn’t know.
“Well done, darling.” Mother patted her cheek. “Why are you upset? Please smile.”
She frowned. “Does he look blond and in a green suit?”
Mother blinked and took out her lorgnette from her purse. “He’s slightly different, yes, but the distance played a trick on me.”
“Mother!”
“Lower your voice.” Mother put the glasses in her purse.
“Why don’t you wear lorgnettes all the time?”
“They make my eyes look odd. Why all this fuss? Does it matter what the colour of his hair is?”
“When I met him, I didn’t think he was the duke,” she said, trying to control her voice. “And you said everyone called him The Great.”
“Yes, Alexander the Great. Didn’t I mention that? Oh, it doesn’t matter now. Don’t leave him on his own for too long before Minnie sees him.”
“But, I—”
Mother took her hand and returned to the duke. “Duke, perhaps we could take a stroll.”
“Of course.” His tone sounded flat, but his obsidian eyes flickered towards Esther for a moment.
They barely took a couple of steps before Mother sighed dramatically.
“Forgive me. I have to…talk to…” She gazed around. “My husband is over there. Please, do go on. I’ll join you in a moment.” She trotted away towards the vicar.
“That’s not Father.” Wasted breath. Mother had already gone. And she was alone with Alexander the Great, which was Mother’s not-so-subtle plan.
He cleared his throat. “So you’re the daughter of the Earl of Ponsonby.”
“So you’re the Duke of Richmond.” A note of annoyance crept into her voice. “You should have told me. Instead, I made a fool out of myself.”
He raised a dark eyebrow. “Who asked me not to break the spell?”
She feigned a confidence she didn’t feel. “Well, it was something I said because I didn’t think you were the Duke of Richmond.”
“Does it matter?” he asked in a low tone as they walked through the daisy bushes.
“I don’t know. It depends. Did I make a fool out of myself?”
He flashed a charming smile. “Not in my opinion. Quite the opposite. It was nice to have a normal conversation with a lady who wasn’t after my title.”
“But your title is why my mother wanted to introduce us. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“No.” He stared at her with so much sincerity she felt it on her skin. “Because it was obvious you didn’t like being forced. I appreciated that.”
“I didn’t expect you to be so understanding.” She sipped the lemonade.
“Why?”
She touched a drop of dew trapped in a primrose and let it slide down a petal. “I thought a duke, who’s used to doing everything he wants, wouldn’t understand.”
“I can’t do everything I want. Quite the opposite.
” He lowered his gaze for a moment as if hurt.
“I’ve always had to put my duties as the future duke before everything else.
And now, my day is full of meetings with politicians, talks with my stewards, and documents to sign.
I don’t think I can keep practising fencing.
I need to travel often through the kingdom, and fencing needs dedication and discipline. ”
“Doesn’t fencing make you happy?”
“I feel free only when I’m in the salle d’armes. I’m sure you can understand me.”
She did, and his sorrow echoed hers. “I’m sorry I made assumptions about your life. We’re more similar than I thought.”
“That’s sad because you share my lack of freedom, but I’m glad to have met you.”
A flutter warmed her chest. It was the first time a gentleman had told her those words, and they made her ridiculously proud of herself.
“Well.” She raised her glass of lemonade. “To following our passions.”
He raised his glass, too. “And to winning. I want you on my team every time I play cricket from now on.”
“Your Grace, that’s a deal.”
Right then, the Dowager Countess of Devon walked over to them with Minnie at her side. She cast a disinterested glance at Esther and focused her attention on Alexander.
“Richmond,” the dowager said without preamble, “I believe you know my granddaughter Minnie.”
Alexander narrowed his eyes and offered a stiff bow. “I do, my lady.”
Minnie returned the frosty attitude. “Your Grace. It’s been a long time.”
“Not that long,” he said in a low voice.
Esther shifted her gaze from him to Minnie as the air between them charged with hostility.
“I heard you’ll be in Brighton soon,” the dowager said.
“For a fencing competition.” Alexander’s eyes gleamed as he mentioned fencing.
“How fascinating.” Minnie made fascinating sound like a hiss.
“We’ll spend a few days in Brighton as well.” The dowager seemed oblivious to the tension between Minnie and Alexander. “I hope you’ll join us for dinner.”
He opened his mouth, but Minnie was faster. “Grandmama, perhaps the duke will be too busy to dine with us.”
The dowager scowled at Minnie so hard Esther was surprised Minnie didn’t cry out in pain.
“I might just find the time,” he said through his teeth.
Minnie’s expression softened when she smiled at Esther. “Well, we didn’t mean to intrude on your pleasant walk. I’ll see you later, Esther.”
The dowager’s scowl deepened, but Minnie was already walking away.
As Minnie and her grandmother left, Esther was surprised to learn her mother had been wrong. Minnie wasn’t interested in the duke at all.
“May I ask you something personal?” she asked.
His charming smile made an appearance again. “I asked you many personal questions. Go ahead.”
“Don’t you like Minnie? She’s pretty, elegant, and charming.”
“But she doesn’t play cricket as well as you do.”
She laughed. “That’s the best compliment I’ve ever received.”
“Good to hear, because I want a re-match.”
“Challenge accepted, Your Grace.”
All the happiness and sense of freedom Esther had experienced during the cricket game and the promenade with Alexander vanished the moment she climbed into the carriage with her mother.
Not because Mother was disappointed. But because she was too excited.
“Excellent strategy.” Mother patted her hand as the carriage rocked right and left. “Playing cricket with the duke was a stroke of genius. You fooled him so well.”
That hurt. “I didn’t fool him. I was simply being myself, and he was impressed by my skills. He told me he wants me in his cricket team every time we play. It wasn’t a plan, but a genuine bout of happiness. I didn’t manipulate him.”
“That’s even better. Now, we must think about our next move.”
“I refuse to talk about that.” Alexander wasn’t a ‘plan’ or a ‘good match.’ He’d seemed lonely to her, which she hadn’t expected. Selfishly, she’d thought she was more lonely than he was.
“You can’t stop the pursuit now.” Mother released a long breath. “Do you want Minnie to win?”
She tensed. “What does the duke have to do with Minnie?”
“Minnie’s grandmother learnt His Grace will be in Brighton next week for a competition.”
“And?”
“Minnie’s father has a house in Brighton, right next to the duke’s. Do you see what that means?”
“That Minnie will spend a few days with the duke.” She wished she didn’t sound upset.
“Away from London, which isn’t to be underestimated.”
She touched a little blister on her palm. After she’d used the cricket bat, her skin had cracked, but the pain didn’t bother her because she’d laughed too much with Alexander. “If he prefers Minnie, there’s nothing I can do.”
“You must be joking.” Mother’s eyes were ablaze with determination.
“You have the same wild light in your eyes as when you started chasing the wrong gentleman, and I don’t like it.”
The carriage gave a jolt, but Mother didn’t lose her composure.
“When you play cricket, do you admit defeat easily?” Mother asked.
“No. A losing team can recover with the right strategy.”
“Exactly!” Mother said. “That’s why we’re going to Brighton with Minnie.”
“What?” She should be outraged by Mother’s machinations. If Alexander hadn’t been involved, she might have been. But the idea of seeing him again wasn’t bad at all.
“I had a long chat with Minnie’s grandmother.” Mother leant closer and whispered, “She’s a whist fanatic.”
She didn’t understand what Mother implied. “Is it a secret?”
“I challenged her to a whist tournament. One thing led to another, and she fell into my trap, asking me to go with her and Minnie to Brighton to start our tournament.” Mother smirked. “I was very subtle.”
She doubted that.
“Once you’re there, you’ll do exactly what Minnie does, the way she does it, as she does it, and you’ll make sure she stays away from the duke.”
Esther sagged on the seat. How to ruin a lovely day.
“You’ll use that time to study Minnie.” Mother gave her a sharp nod. “When you return home, you’ll be as refined and demure as she is, and the duke will be your suitor.”
“It’s more likely for me to win the next cricket cup.”
“Don’t joke. I want you to discover Minnie’s secret, and you’re going to do precisely what she does.”