Chapter Five
The cove had seemed perfect. You had to walk round the rocks to get to it, so it seemed unlikely that anyone would stumble across them.
And unless one happened to be at a certain point of the coastal path, heading away from the beach, he didn’t think the cove could be seen.
And so he and Darty swam through the still waters, floating on their backs one minute, and cutting a competitive front crawl through the water the next.
All in all, it was more fun than he had had in years, and it made him question why he didn’t do things like this more often.
Why he spent so long in the city, when this was so freeing.
Of course, there was no real society out in the countryside like this, save house parties like the duchess’s.
The ladies and gentlemen she would have invited to the ball at the end of the week would be lesser-ranking peers, or perhaps those visiting for a brief sojourn in the countryside.
It wasn’t lively like London. But there was certainly something charming about it.
When the sun began to dip in the sky, Freddie swam back to the shore.
After all, he had promised the duchess they would be back for dinner, and he didn’t want to let her down.
Darty had swum out to see if he could reach a rock further out to sea, and so Freddie took the opportunity to get out and dry off without being watched.
But as he reached his clothes, he did indeed sense eyes upon him.
He turned to see if Darty had swum back faster than he anticipated, but he was still bobbing out at sea.
And then he glanced up at the coastal path, and that was when he saw her.
At first it was just the parasol he spotted, silhouetted against the sun.
He probably ought to have grabbed his towel, but although he did not wish to cause a scandal, he was too intrigued by who was there to do anything about it.
As his eyes grew accustomed to the bright light, he recognized Miss Trowbridge, and a smile spread across his face.
It was probably wrong of him, but he was just imagining how deeply she would be blushing right now. She really was rather enticing.
He wasn’t sure how much of his face she could see, but he couldn’t resist turning to her and winking, the grin not disappearing from his lips.
Before he could reach for his towel, she dropped the parasol, and turned and ran in the direction of the house. As he wrapped the towel around his waist, allowing the sun to dry off the rest of him, he couldn’t help but chuckle as he imagined just how shocked poor, quiet Miss Trowbridge would be.
*
“Elizabeth!” Mama exclaimed, for she was rather unfortunately walking in the gardens when Elizabeth arrived back, out of breath. “Where on earth is your parasol?”
Elizabeth looked down at her hands, only then realizing that she did not have it. “I must have dropped it,” she said, struggling to catch her breath. “I did take it, I promise, Mama.”
Her mother frowned. “And what is wrong with you? Why are you so red? Did you catch the sun? Goodness me, you’re not sickening for something, are you?” She reached up and put her hand to Elizabeth’s forehead, and Elizabeth stepped back.
“I’m not ill,” she said, willing her cheeks to return to their normal color. Although, after what she had just witnessed, she wasn’t sure they ever would.
“Oh, Elizabeth. You know it’s not appropriate for a young lady to run. What if somebody had seen you? What if you’d stumbled through here huffing and puffing in front of the duchess? Or one of the gentlemen staying?”
At the mention of gentlemen, Elizabeth felt her cheeks burn even hotter. She hoped they were already so red that her mother would not notice this change. Because were they really gentlemen, if they would strip off all their clothes like that, where anyone might see?
“And you are nowhere near being late. So there was no need to panic. Come, you must rest a little before you change, so that you don’t look like you have a fever.”
Elizabeth nodded mutely, and followed her mother into the house. She couldn’t quite believe what she had seen, and yet she also could not get the image from her mind. The duke—the exquisitely dressed, perfectly mannered, handsome duke—naked in the sea, and then out of it…
Winking at her, without a stitch on his body.
It made her feel funny. Like her whole body was tingling, like it needed something – something she did not know how to satisfy.
Her mother had wanted her to practice talking with the duke.
Well, that would be impossible now. She didn’t know how she was going to look at him, let alone speak to him.
She only hoped that he had not recognized her.
That he had winked just because someone had seen him, and not because he knew who it was.
Because she wasn’t sure how she would be able to stay in the same house with him for another five days if he knew she had seen him naked.
*
Freddie and Darty walked back leisurely, feeling cooler for having swum in the sea, their hair still drying, saltwater clinging to it.
He supposed he ought to have a bath before getting dressed for dinner, although he didn’t really want to.
He quite liked feeling the salt upon his skin, the knowledge that he had done something so frivolous and freeing, without a care in the world.
A smile played on his lips as he thought of Miss Trowbridge, and the fact that she had seen him.
Been spying on him, perhaps. She had certainly been staring a while before she realized he recognized her, and ran off.
He hadn’t told Darty of the encounter. He didn’t want to embarrass the man, and besides—it was more fun this way. A little secret between he and Miss Trowbridge, something to laugh about over dinner without anyone else knowing.
Although he supposed, as a well-brought-up lady, she probably wouldn’t find it funny. No, she would probably be rather scandalized. Horrified. Perhaps she would tell everyone of his terrible behavior, and not wish to be associated with him.
But he didn’t think so. And besides, he was a man, and a duke.
His behavior might be a little shocking, but it certainly wouldn’t cut him off from people wanting to socialize with him.
And it certainly wouldn’t deter the right marriage candidate.
No, he thought his little trip to the sea had been well worth it—and Miss Trowbridge seeing rather added to the thrill of it all.