Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“I’ve arranged a picnic,” Hector announced over breakfast one day.
Alexandra stared at him. “A picnic? I didn’t know that was the sort of thing you were interested in.”
He chuckled. “Ye thought I dinnae like food? Or the outdoors, perhaps?”
She kept her gaze fixed on his. “Not exactly. I thought you didn’t care for being social. You’re not exactly fond of people, from what I can see.”
“Perhaps, but me wife is.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Or do ye mean to tell me that ye don’t wish to have a picnic? To see yer sisters and their husbands—who after all are me own friends as well?”
“Oh, no, I’d like it.” It sounded lovely to Alexandra, truth be told. “When is the picnic to be held?”
“This very afternoon. Our guests should begin to arrive in no more than an hour, in fact, so you may like to go and get dressed.”
“Oh—” She looked down at the simple dress she was wearing.
She’d chosen it thinking that today would be an ordinary day spent doing nothing remarkable, but he was right.
If there was to be a party—even a simple picnic with only her family in attendance—she’d want to wear something a bit nicer. “I’m not sure what to wear.”
“Daenae fear. I’ve had some dresses sent over. Ye should find them in your room. Margot will help ye,” Hector said. “If ye’d like to go now, feel free. I’m sure ye want to be ready for when our guests arrive.”
Alexandra had had enough to eat, so she rose from the table.
She hesitated for a moment. “Hector…this is wonderful, that you’d do this,” she said.
“I’m truly so excited. To see my sisters, to spend the day with family, and enjoy the fine weather—I don’t know how you guessed that this was exactly the sort of thing that would make me happy. ”
He smiled at her. “Ye’re not the only one who can be surprisin’, lass.”
She was so touched by his behavior that she didn’t even bother to tell him not to call her that. She hurried up the stairs to her room and found her lady’s maid standing in front of the open wardrobe.”
“Well,” Margot said, “it will be nice to see you looking the part of a duchess, for once.” She pulled out a yellow dress and held it up. “I suggest this one for today.”
“Oh, Margot, I’d hardly be able to move in that!” The skirt was full, and the bodice was so structured that she could tell by looking at it how it would pinch at her every time she tried to sit down. “Isn’t there anything a little less…”
“Less what? Less appropriate for your station? Did you think His Grace would send you something like that?”
“Oh, just let me look.” She went to the wardrobe and began to look through the new dresses. “Well, here, what about this one?” She held up a pale pink. “This is lovely, and doesn’t look at all uncomfortable.” The fit would be loose, and the skirt was simple.
Margot folded her arms across her chest. “I can’t see why you always have to make everything so difficult, Your Grace.”
“Well, for pity’s sake—I don’t mean to make things difficult,” Alexandra said. “But he wouldn’t have sent this one if he didn’t think it was appropriate. Help me dress, will you?”
Margot did so, but not without considerable sighing. Alexandra could tell she didn’t approve. But that was all right. If Hector had chosen these dresses, that meant he would be happy to see her in any of them, and that was what was really important.
She hurried back downstairs and found Hector in the foyer.
“How do I look?” she asked, turning in a slow circle to give him ample opportunity to admire the dress she had chosen—and at the same time, wondering what she was thinking.
Did she really need his approval? Wasn’t she wearing the dress because it was what she had wanted for today?
It was hard to explain why she was growing warm at the awareness of his eyes on her, why she turned an extra circle to make sure he had gotten a chance to look at her from every possible angle.
She didn’t understand it. She just knew that the idea of him admiring her was something that took her breath away.
“The first carriage is pullin’ up,” he said, clearing his throat. “Ye better go out and greet them, and then bring them around to the lawn. I’ll go on ahead and get things ready for us.”
“Hector,” she said, and to her surprise, she reached out and caught his hand in hers.
He looked at her, eyebrows raised.
“Thank you again for this,” she said. “I can’t tell you what it means to me. I think this is going to be a wonderful day.”
“It’s your turn, Evelina,” Alexandra said.
Evelina laughed. “Since when do you take Pall Mall so seriously, Alexandra? I never even realized you enjoyed the game! When we were growing up, it was all I could do to get you to put down whatever book you were reading and join us at all.”
“That was then,” Alexandra said, doing her best to remain dignified. “I’ve always liked Pall Mall. Certainly since I came of age.”
“It’s true that you did begin to play more as you grew older,” Margaret agreed.
“And she’s very good at it,” Penelope said loyally. “She beats me every time. You had better watch out, Your Grace,” she added to Hector. “She’ll beat you too if you’re not careful.”
“I wouldnae worry about that,” Hector smirked. “We had a similar game when I was growin’ up in Scotland. I’m rather skilled at this meself.” As if to prove his point, he nodded toward his ball, which currently blocked Evelina’s. “Try to best me if ye will, lass.”
“My sisters are telling the truth,” Alexandra said fiercely. “I’m quite accomplished at the game. I wouldn’t plan on getting the better of me if I were you, husband. I think you’ll find me a worthy adversary.”
“How fortunate that it’s your turn, then.” Hector extended a hand to the lawn and inclined his head. “Please, let us see what you’re capable of.
Holding her chin high, Alexandra stepped up and took her shot.
The ball sailed perfectly through the hoop. Alexandra stepped back and held her mallet up in triumph. “You see? I have the skill required to win this game.”
“Honestly, Your Grace, I’ve never seen her like this,” Evelina said with a laugh. “Something has really brought out her competitive side today.”
Something or someone, Alexandra did not add. If she had been here alone with her sisters, she would have been happy to play a fun game for no stakes. But she found herself wanting to do well in order to compete with Hector. For some reason, she wanted to beat him at this game.
He stepped up to his ball and hit it, sending it through the hoop after hers. “Ye see?” he said, smiling triumphantly. “Ye’re not the only one with skill here.”
“You’re holding that mallet wrong,” she told him.
“It doesnae seem to be a problem.”
“Perhaps not, but you’ll have even more success if you do it like this.” She showed him her own swing.
He raised his eyebrows. “I’m surprised ye’d offer me any help at all—or don’t ye want to win this little game?”
“I’ll beat you even when you’re holding your mallet properly,” she informed him.
He laughed. “Quite the spitfire today, aren’t ye?”
“I suppose this dress has brought it out in me.” She gave a little twirl. She did feel especially bold in it. “Thank you, by the way,” she said. “I liked everything you picked out for me, but this one is especially lovely.”
“I had a feelin’ ye would choose that one to wear today,” he told her.
“Did you?”
“Ye may have noticed it’s not quite the same as all the others.”
“They all seemed a bit more…formal, yes.”
“Aye. I wanted ye to have them, but I thought ye would be drawn to this one…and to be truthful, it’s the one I pictured ye in today. I’m glad you saw it the same way I did.”
She looked up into his eyes, shivering a little at the closeness between the two of them, glad to be near him but made nervous by it at the same time.
“It looks good on ye,” he said under his breath.
And then he reached up and caught a loose curl of her hair between his thumb and forefinger, and Alexandra forgot how to breathe altogether.
Maddening! She ought to pull away, but she couldn’t. Not with him looking at her as if she were something he wanted to devour. Shivers broke out all over her body, and she couldn’t decide whether this was something she even wanted to be rid of.
And then she remembered that she was surrounded by her sisters and their husbands, and the spell broke just enough. She took a step back and forced her gaze down to the ground. “Let me go see to our guests,” she murmured.
“As ye wish, lass,” he said softly.
She turned and hurried off before he could summon her back, her heart still pounding.
“Alexandra!” Evelina stepped into her path, stopping her flight. “You look as if you’d seen a ghost. Is something the matter?”
“I…”Alexandra let out a heavy sigh. “Everything is all right, Evelina. I don’t want you to worry.”
“No, you’ve not been yourself at all today,” Evelina said firmly. “You’ve been enjoying this picnic, and I’m glad of that, but then to see your mood turn sour so quickly…”
“Not sour.”
“No, that’s right. This isn’t a sour mood. It’s something else. Did the duke say something to trouble you?”
“No, no. Nothing like that. Or rather…yes, he did…” Alexandra glanced over her shoulder to make sure that no one else was near enough to hear what she was saying. “Alexandra, I worry that I may be starting to have feelings for him.”
“For your husband?”
“It sounds harmless, but you know it’s nothing I ever intended!”
“I do know,” Evelina said gently. “And I know how you fear a gentleman. But, Alexandra, you know…allowing yourself to put your trust in the man by your side…it can be wonderful. It can be a gift. They aren’t all like Father.”
“No, of course not, and I know your husband isn’t.” She did not know that at all. She still struggled to put trust in her sisters’ husbands, much as she knew they wanted her to try to do so. Much as they had told her that their men were good and could be relied upon.
“Has he done anything to make you doubt him?”
“Not a thing,” Alexandra said. “He’s done everything right.”
“Then I have to ask—what hasn’t been enough? What evidence of his quality are you waiting for?”
“It’s the fact that he’s done everything right that worries me,” Alexandra said.
“He stepped up to wed me when he didn’t have to.
He has been generous and kind, and he has never forced my hand into anything I didn’t want.
How could I do anything but doubt him? How am I supposed to feel sure of a man’s intentions when he gives no clue as to what he’s thinking?
He’s supposed to be a beast. A brute. And he is ill-mannered sometimes—but he’s kind and humorous and…
and I like him, Evelina. How can I trust something like that? ”
“You simply have to make the decision to trust it,” Evelina said.
“I know that it will be frightening at first, Alexandra. But I promise you, if you have a little faith, it will all be worth it. Put your trust in your husband. Allow yourself to feel whatever it is that you feel. You won’t be sorry you did. ”