Chapter 20
Five days had passed since the incident in the woods.
Each day had blurred quietly into the next as Roderick buried himself into estate matters he was not particularly excited about, if only to avoid thinking too much about Miss Lavinia.
A knock came at the door as he looked over one of the ledgers. Roderick leaned back in his seat.
“Come in,” he said. The valet arrived holding a bundle of letters. Roderick took them and looked through them casually. His eyes widened as he recognized Oswin’s handwriting and quickly opened the wax seal.
Dear Roderick,
It was wonderful to hear from you, finally. My mother sends her love in return, and I am sure you can imagine she is most eager to see you again as well.
The horses have been well cared for in your absence. There have been no more sicknesses, and I imagine they will be delighted to be out in those fields you mentioned.
Now, I do have to ask about this duchess.
For you see, while you may believe you have tempered your writing, your passion for her defense caught me off guard.
If I did not know any better, I would be under the impression that you quite enjoy her company.
More than that, I would imagine that if you are struggling on what decisions to make about her, then perhaps it is because you are not listening to yourself regarding what you wish to do about her.
However, as I do believe you would still be delighted by our presence, and likely will continue to ignore yourself, Mother and I shall be visiting in a fortnight.
I wish to see this woman for myself. Mother, truthfully, has been curious about it.
I believe she would also like to see the cottage where your mother stayed, if that would be possible.
We shall be seeing you shortly.
With all of our love,
Oswin
Roderick read the letter twice. He was unsure if he should feel elated or anxious. On one hand, he had explicitly asked them to come. On the other, he could hear Oswin’s teasing tone coming through every part of the letter. He sighed and picked up his quill, his hand hovering over the parchment.
Dear Oswin,
Thank you for your letter. In truth, the situation with Miss Lavinia is more complicated.
He immediately scratched it out and threw the parchment into the fire.
Dear Oswin,
I am unsure what you are referring to when you speak of listening to myself. If I did that, then I would have kissed…
He threw that into the fire as well and put his head into his hands.
Kissed! I nearly wrote kissed!
He had not even permitted himself to think the word plainly since it happened, and yet his own hand had betrayed him the moment he picked up a quill.
He stared at the small curl of smoke rising from the grate, half convinced that if he watched it long enough, the memory of writing that word would burn away with the parchment.
It did not, of course. In fact, watching the fire only sharpened it. The feeling of the cool air in the woods, the warmth of her breath against his jaw, and the stillness of the moment before those blasted birds startled them both back to their senses.
There was nothing he could write in reply that Oswin either would not see as a deflection or as fuel for his teasing. Roderick groaned and pressed his head into the wood of his desk. Finally, he pulled himself up again.
Dear Oswin,
I look forward to seeing you and Lady Harcourt. We can discuss everything else in person. Thank you.
Warm regards,
Roderick
He looked at the page for another few moments before nodding to himself.
Soon, a knock came at the door, accompanied by the voice of one of the maids. “Your Grace, Lord Fenwick is asking for your presence post haste. He is claiming that you will all be late to the garden party at the Fitzwilliam estate.”
I almost forgot about the party with that rake. .
Roderick took a long, deep breath.
This man and his obsession with punctuality.
“Inform him I will be there momentarily,” he said, standing up and picking up his coat from the back of his chair.
As he descended the stairs, he could already hear Lord Fenwick chattering loudly over his daughters.
“I am sure he will make us all late!” Lord Fenwick cried out.
“I shall do no such thing,” Roderick said as he sped past the man and out the door to where his horse had been waiting for him.
“Wh—” Lord Fenwick stuttered. Cecily giggled as she watched Roderick speed past them, quickly putting a hand over her mouth. Roderick pulled himself onto his horse and looked back at them all.
“Are you ready to leave?” Roderick asked.
Lord Fenwick blinked in surprise and grumbled as he made his way over to the carriage.
.Cecily climbed in next, after their father, followed by Lavinia..
She glanced at Roderick before the carriage door shut.
His heart stuttered as he watched her get in.
He had not stopped thinking about the incident in the woods He could not help but wonder if she had been doing the same.
***
Roderick stopped his horse beside the carriage in front of the Fitzwilliam estate before dismounting to help the women out.
The garden was beautiful. Roses were blooming in the manicured topiaries.
The grass was a vibrant shade of green. In the distance there was a fountain playfully bubbling.
Servants moved between the guests with trays of lemonade and small iced cakes.
Somewhere beyond the hedges a string quartet was tuning their instruments for the afternoon.
Cecily let out a small, delighted gasp at the sight of it all, already tugging at her sister’s sleeve to point out a particularly elaborate hat two ladies over.
Even their father, for once, appeared too distracted by the grandeur of the place to offer his usual commentary.
“It is wonderful to see you all again,” Lord Casterleigh said as he held his arm out for Miss Lavinia to take. She accepted it gently. Mr. Bell arrived at Roderick’s side not a moment later.
“You do not have to let him be the one to take her arm,” Mr. Bell muttered.
“It is only right that I do,” Roderick said as they stepped into the gardens.
“I do not agree.”
“Everyone! Attention please!” Lord Fitzwilliam said, stepping into the middle of the garden. “I think a game of Pall-Mall is in order! Everyone split into teams of two!”
“Your Grace,” Lord Casterleigh said, turning to Miss Lavinia. “Would you like to pair with me?”
“Actually,” Mr. Bell interrupted.
“Mr. Bell, what are you doing?” Roderick hissed.
“I believe the duchess should play with Mr. Vale, and Lord Casterleigh should play with Miss Cecily,” Mr. Bell beamed. “I hear that Miss—Her Grace is rather good at playing Pall-Mall,” he continued, almost letting slip a ‘Miss Lavinia.’
“And Lord Casterleigh is rather good at most games he plays. Miss Cecily is one of our younger players today. It would be good for her to have some assistance with the game. Mr. Vale has not played much Pall-Mall before. It would be better for him to pair with a lady who has.”
A few of the other guests around them watched, whispering or giggling behind fans. Roderick opened and closed his mouth, trying to decide what to say.
He has left me no room to gracefully decline.
Roderick looked over at Miss Lavinia. Her eyes were wild, facing the same dilemma.
“I… suppose we could,” Roderick said reluctantly.
Mis Lavinia nodded.
As they collected their mallets and ball, walking to the spot where the hoops had been pressed into the earth, Miss Lavinia leaned in close to him.
“Allow me to make the difficult shots, you focus on the easier ones,” she said.
“You are that confident?” he asked.
“Of course,” she nodded.
“I will do my best to assist in your victory then.”
She smiled and took her place. He watched as she lined up the first shot, her eyes full of the same intensity as when they had been firing arrows at Briarwood Hall.
Roderick could not help the way his heart jumped at the realization.
Between rounds, he and Miss Lavinia would lean in close, strategizing, pointing out where their opponents were likely aiming and ways to potentially cut them off or get there first. Occasionally, their shoulders almost touched, and Roderick had to pull himself away, or else he knew he would not be able to think of anything other than her.
Roderick looked over at Cecily and Lord Casterleigh. The lord was being kind and charming as he often was, but less competitive than Lavinia. Cecily would roll her eyes occasionally, but it was clear even she seemed to be warming to him.
The lord, however, was much more concerned about looking over at Miss Lavinia.
They were not the eyes of a sweet or concerned man.
More like a predator eyeing up his prey.
It sent a shiver down Roderick’s spine. Something in his mind was shouting that there was a problem. Even so, he tried to push it away.
The sun must be in my eyes… I am just seeing things.
Yes, the man had made poor comments in the past, but Roderick had watched how Lord Casterleigh behaved around Miss Lavinia and he had thought it had been a lapse in judgment.
“Excellent start everyone!” Lord Fitzwilliam cried out. “The sun is getting warmer, let us all take some refreshments! We shall continue after.”
“Shall I go get you a drink?” Roderick asked Miss Lavinia.
“Thank you,” she nodded.
He smiled at her and walked toward the crowd.
At the refreshments table, discussions floated freely between the guests. Roderick did his best to ignore them all, reaching over to the glasses.
“Are the rumors true?” one gentleman asked. Lord Casterleigh laughed.
“Who on earth knows what the reality is? Whatever the truth of the matter, she is a woman with spirit. Those sorts of women are only worth pursuing if a man is brave enough to handle her.”
Nausea rolled through Roderick.
That is what he thinks of her?