Chapter 3
“Ithink I’ve figured it out, Ava. I spent all night working on it. Listen to this,” Lucinda said, pacing around the room.
Ava felt a twinge of unease and exchanged a glance with Culver. She had spent all evening listening to Lucinda work on her latest poem, inspired by the events of the day before.
Lucinda drew a deep breath and then adopted the posture she always did when she orated a poem.
She arched her back slightly, pushing her chest out, and lifted her chin so that her words ascended into the air from her lips.
Thankfully, the preamble to this was quite lengthy, so Ava had the opportunity to interrupt.
“Perhaps it might be better to read your poem to Molly,” Ava said, referring to the housekeeper. “After all, I was there as the situation unfolded. You need to see if someone who wasn’t there understands the context of the poem.”
Lucinda closed her gaping lips and tilted her head, a thoughtful look coming upon her face.
“Yes, you’re right. I need to know that I am painting an immersive picture with my words. Molly!” Lucinda turned in one breath, her voice rising through the house as she glided out of the room. Ava breathed a sigh of relief. “Molly, come here, please. I need you for something important!”
“We avoided something there, Culver, at least this time,” Ava whispered.
It would be impossible to avoid hearing Lucinda’s poetry all the time, but on occasion, Ava was given a respite.
She supposed that hearing some middling poetry was a small price to pay for the kindness that Lucinda had shown her.
If it wasn’t for Lucinda, Ava would have been stuck in London. While she missed her family, life was far more relaxing in the countryside, and there weren’t as many impertinent people. And by people, she mostly meant men.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Since Lucinda and Molly were otherwise occupied, Ava took it upon herself to greet the guest. Culver was faithfully at her heels.
There was a smile upon her face, which quickly faded when she realized who stood before her. It was the Duke of Northmere, her neighbor, and she thought to herself that she would much rather be listening to Lucinda’s poetry.
“May I help you?” Ava asked, folding her arms across her chest and adopting a cold expression.
Culver settled beside her, looking up at the Duke of Northmere with wide brown eyes.
It was hardly the menacing look she might have wanted Culver to display, but Culver did not have a mean bone in his body.
The Duke looked striking in the morning light. Sunlight spilled into shadow across his face, lending his eyes a mysterious allure. He set his feet together and clasped his hands behind his back, offering a brief, firm bow.
“I thought that I should introduce myself properly since we are neighbors. I am Gabriel Sutton, Duke of Northmere, and this is my son, Jamie.
Ava looked down and noticed Jamie peering from beyond his father’s leg. As their eyes met, Jamie’s face darted back, but it was as if he was hiding behind a tree. There was no way he was going to go unnoticed completely.
“We are here to apologize,” he said.
Ava waited patiently. Gabriel cleared his throat and shifted his weight between his feet, glancing down at Jamie as if hoping the boy would take it upon himself to lead the apology.
“You must understand that it is difficult to raise boys. It’s harder than people assume. They do not take easily to discipline, and I do not wish to mollycoddle him.”
Ava arched an eyebrow and bristled at the notion that raising a boy was harder than anything else.
“I do not think it would be too hard to teach him about boundaries.”
“That is one of the lessons we are learning, and after yesterday, we will not make the same mistake again.”
“I should hope not. So, are you here to apologize for all the future mistakes that are going to occur?”
Gabriel inclined his head, taken aback by her words.
“I—”
“Because something being hard is no excuse. We all have challenges in life, and forgive me for saying so, but parenting one boy is not like commanding an army.”
“You would be surprised, besides, I do happen to run a dukedom as well,” Gabriel murmured, glancing down at Jamie. The boy was making faces at Culver, amusing himself. Culver’s tongue lolled out, and his head twitched.
“And perhaps you would be surprised at what other people have to deal with.”
A trace of a smile passed over Gabriel’s lips. He glanced down at Culver.
“I hardly think it’s reasonable to compare a dog to a boy. It is in their nature to obey.”
“I wasn’t talking about Culver!” Ava glared at him.
She unfolded her arms and began to count off using her fingers.
“I spend my mornings organizing food baskets, negotiating funding for local widows, and managing three different charitable committees. If you think raising a single boy is too much trouble, I dread to think how you would cope with all that.”
Ava drew her arms back to her body and glanced to the side, shaking her head a little.
Gabriel scoffed. What began as an apology was turning into something quite different. And she noticed that although he said he had come to apologize, no apology had actually left his lips. The intent might have been present, but intent by itself was not enough to count for anything substantial.
“Forgive me, but this charity work sounds rather like playing hostess over tea and cakes. I’m sure it must be very challenging to choose which trays of food will be delivered and to order out the empty ones.” He rolled his eyes and did not make any attempt to mask his disparaging tone.
Ava barked a laugh and arched her eyebrows sharply. She planted one hand on her hip and leaned toward him. He had one thing going for him, she thought: at least he was upfront about his priggishness. There was no attempt at deceit, and that was more than some other men offered.
“Oh, do believe me. Managing grown women is far more difficult than managing a child with a stick. Each of them has their own opinions, their own way of doing things. Sometimes it’s like trying to herd a gaggle of geese when they’re all trying to fly in different directions.”
“But they do fly away, and at least they know how to protect themselves from danger. You have no idea what kind of bumps and scrapes Jamie has suffered simply because he doesn’t know any better.”
“And you don’t have to act as a diplomat between women who feel insulted by each other.”
“But your women do not come to you in the middle of the night because of bad dreams, or because they heard a noise, or because they simply can’t bear to be alone.”
By this point, Jamie had stepped away from Gabriel and lured Culver into a game.
The dog was a curious sort and so followed the boy.
He dipped his head and allowed Jamie to stroke his fur.
Jamie crouched down and murmured his plans for world domination in a low voice, not paying attention to what Gabriel and Ava were talking about at all.
“And I’m sure your son does not come to you with a list of quibbling troubles that require your full attention so as to make them happy, or to console grieving widows who aren’t sure of their future, or any number of other things.”
“Yet you don’t have to explain the world to them, either simple things that might be self-evident to some people, or more abstract things that have no answer, or at least no answer that I know.”
“Then perhaps you should attend one of my ‘tea parties’. You might learn something,” Ava said in a biting tone.
“If I had time, I would, but Jamie requires my full attention. And that is one thing you can’t understand, because at least all of your women can help each other. You might feel like you are alone, but I really am alone,” he said, his eyes flashing with emotion.
For a moment, she held his gaze. Then his expression flickered, and he drew back. His jaw tightened, and a faint flush rose to his cheeks—born more of self-consciousness than anger. He broke eye contact, and she sensed he had revealed more than he intended.
Although their bickering had reached a point of mutual animosity, Ava was not devoid of pity for the man.
After all, she had seen her sisters raise children who could be handfuls, and it was sometimes hard for them even with husbands.
Ava did not know the details of why he was alone, but she was intrigued.
Before she could think of anything else to say, either by attacking him and claiming that she did most of this work alone as well, or by asking him more about his situation in the hope of understanding things better, Lucinda entered the scene.
“I thought I heard some commotion. The sound carries inside and makes it quite difficult to concentrate. I wasn’t able to get through my poem,” she said in a breezy tone.
Gabriel quickly introduced himself, although his body was so tense it looked as though he wanted to retreat immediately. Ava wondered if he believed he had made a mistake by coming to her door.
“I do have an idea, however, to resolve this little disagreement,” Lucinda continued.
There was a playful look in her eyes, and Ava’s heart sank.
Lucinda prided herself on her creativity, and when she was seized by an idea, it was usually one that she thought would bring her much amusement.
She continued speaking before Ava had a chance to interrupt.
“I believe the only sensible thing to do is have Ava look after young Master Jamie here from morning to evening,” Lucinda bent down, smiling and waving at Jamie as she spoke. Jamie waved back and giggled. Most children took a liking to Lucinda. She just had a way about her.
“And at the same time, Your Grace, you could take over Ava’s duties. I think two weeks should be enough time to decide which of you truly has it hardest. I’m sure you won’t be averse to writing a few letters and attending sessions, would you?” Lucinda fluttered her eyelashes at Gabriel.
Gabriel was so stunned that he looked like a statue. He stared at Lucinda for a while before spluttering out some words.
“This is absurd. It’s preposterous!” he said.
“Does that mean you’re forfeiting before we’ve even begun? It looks as though I’ve proven my point,” Ava said, wearing a smug smile and jutting out her chin toward him. Gabriel visibly bristled at this, and she glimpsed some kind of feral intensity in his eyes.
“I am not forfeiting anything,” he said through gritted teeth.
Lucinda, seemingly unaware of the tension in the air, clapped her hands and giggled.
“Then it’s settled! We have a wager,” she squealed.
“It seems we do,” Ava said, unable to stop herself from challenging him.
Gabriel muttered something unintelligible before turning to Jamie. “I shall bring him by tomorrow morning, and the two weeks shall begin,” he said. He was about to turn on his heels and leave, without uttering the intended apology, Ava again noticed. This matter did not drift far from her mind.
“We have yet to decide what the winner shall receive, aside from the right to victory,” Ava said.
“Do you have anything in mind?” Gabriel asked.
Ava grinned. “Something simple. A personal favor.”
Gabriel considered this for a moment and then gave a firm nod. “I shall think about what I am going to ask of you.”
“And I shall do the same,” Ava replied.
He extended his hand. It was the first time Ava truly noticed it.
It was larger than she’d imagined, his long fingers perfectly proportioned, the base of his palm flecked with dark hair escaping the confines of his sleeve.
As his hand closed over hers, an inescapable warmth spread through her.
It began where their skin met and rippled swiftly up her arm, dancing and tingling as it went.
It was an odd sensation, but one that she brushed off immediately, for it disappeared as soon as she took her hand away.
“I shall see you bright and early in the morning, and we’ll see how long you last when Jamie runs you ragged,” Gabriel said with a glint in his eyes.
“And I shall let all the women know that they shall be dealing with you for the following two weeks. I’m sure they will all be most thrilled,” Ava replied, barely able to stop herself from laughing.
“Come, Jamie,” Gabriel commanded. Jamie rushed after his father, but not before giving the others an enthusiastic wave.
“Farewell, General Barksworth!” he cried out. Culver yapped in return.
“What fun!” Lucinda said when Gabriel and Jamie had moved out of earshot.
“Fun indeed,” Ava said. She wasn’t entirely sure whether she should be grateful to Lucinda or not. “Although I don’t think he’ll even last the two weeks. I’m sure by the time the first week is over, he’ll have had enough.”
“Do you think?”
“Oh yes, he has no idea what lies in store for him. He’s probably some entitled duke who is used to having everything else handled for him. Without his staff, he is utterly useless, and he’ll soon be overwhelmed. This will be the easiest wager that anyone has ever won.”
“There is never any shortage of confidence with you, is there, Ava?”
“Not in this matter. I’m sure Jamie is just like any other boy, and I have experience in dealing with boys. I have twin nephews after all. I doubt His Grace has any similar experience in dealing with my women.”
“No, I shouldn’t think so. I suppose you will have to think of what favor to ask of him. Being in a duke’s debt is no small thing. You could ask for something that could set you up for life.”
“I already know what I’m going to ask,” Ava said, a smile curling on her lips. “I’m going to ask him to leave. He’ll stay away from Cumbria and visit one of his other estates, and we won’t have to deal with him any longer.”
Her heart thrummed with excitement. It was a worthy prize indeed, and one she felt certain she would claim. Lucinda, however, seemed disappointed.
“Oh, I rather like having neighbors. It adds a bit of life to things. Now then, now that I have you, I’ve been thinking about another verse to the poem.
I think it could use another verse. A poem can never be too long, can it?
Let me try it out on you.” Lucinda looped her arm around Ava’s and guided her back into the house, preventing Ava from escaping.
Ava was about to say that she needed to walk Culver, but Culver had abandoned her and run to the garden. It seemed as though Ava wasn’t about to escape Lucinda’s poetry after all, although she found that her thoughts lingered on the troublesome neighbor and his warm, strong hands.
Ava told herself that he was just like every other man, although there was a nagging whisper at the back of her mind that told her she was wrong.
She ignored this as best she could.