A Lady And Her Magic (8 page)

“You don’t like embroidery, Miss Thorne?” Ashley asked of her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it quickly. So, she did have some filters. “I’m certain your grandmother has a good reason for teaching you to embroider.” She cast Ashley a smile that made his heart do that little fluttery thing again. Damn her. “And I do like to look at beautiful embroidery. I’ve seen artistry in some pieces my grandmother’s friends have made.” She shrugged.

“I’ve just never had enough patience to sit and do it myself. Pushing and pulling a piece of string through a piece of cloth and forming designs? It’s not for me. But I have a great deal of respect for people who can do it. Perhaps you’ll be someone who excels at it, Lady Anne.” She laughed. “Or perhaps you’ll find it as tedious as I do. We shall see.” She raised her eyebrows playfully at Anne. Her gaze roamed over his daughter’s face. “That’s a lovely pink ribbon you have in your hair. Did the tooth faerie leave it?”

Anne preened under her appraisal. “Yes.”

“How did you know about the tooth faerie?” Ashley couldn’t help but ask. It wasn’t a legend in England, and very few people he knew had heard of such a myth.

Sophia pointed at his daughter’s mouth. “The missing tooth gave it away,” she said with a grin. His daughter sorted through her hair until she could run the silky ribbon through her fingertips. “You’re a fortunate girl,” Sophia went on to say.

There was nothing fortunate about his daughter’s life thus far. But Ashley would love to change that.

“I wish I had a ribbon like that,” Sophia said with a tiny sigh.

He’d buy her a boatload of ribbons if it would make her smile. “How unfortunate that you’ve lost all your baby teeth,” Ashley said to her. “Or perhaps the tooth faerie would leave one for you.”

“Oh, I sincerely doubt that. They hate my kind.” Then she bit her lip as though she’d just said something she’d intended to keep to herself.

“Your kind?” he asked.

Sophia smiled at his daughter. “What do you plan to do today, Lady Anne? Aside from learning to embroider?”

Anne looked toward him with a questioning glance.

“The reason I ask is that I considered walking to the village today,” Sophia rushed on to say. “I was going to ask if you’d like to join me.” She glanced quickly at Ashley. “If it’s all right with your father, of course.”

“If you need something from the village, we can send a servant,” Ashley interjected. There was no reason for her to walk all that way.

“I like to walk,” Sophia said with a smile.

“People are not always kind,” Ashley said quietly. In fact, they could be downright mean. To both him and to his daughter. Ashley did all he could to spare her from that. When they took walks to the park, people were respectful, if reserved. But even then children said cruel things behind their hands.

“Then we shall have to teach them a thing or two about kindness,” Sophia said with a grin. Then she waggled her eyebrows playfully. “Or else we can invade your father’s garden and race around in the sunshine.”

“The sun is bad for the skin,” Anne said as she patted her porcelain face.

“Oh, posh,” Sophia said with a breezy wave of her hand. “Nothing feels better than the sun on your skin.” She laid her head back and gazed up at the ceiling, as though the sun’s rays already danced across her face.

“I’ll get freckles,” Anne complained.

“One can certainly hope so,” Sophia said, lifting her head to look at Anne. “But if you’d rather embroider,” she said slowly, watching Anne’s face.

“I’d rather take in the sun,” Anne declared.

“You’ll need to ask for your grandmother’s leave,” Sophia said. She looked at Ashley with a questioning glance. “Do you think she’ll mind?”

Something told him she wouldn’t. She would probably be glad to be rid of Anne for the day. “We can certainly ask.” He laid his napkin beside his plate and said, “A morning frolicking in the garden. I can’t think of anything I’d enjoy more.” Aside from undressing Sophia piece by piece. But he doubted that would come to pass.

“Did we invite your father?” Sophia whispered loudly to Anne.

Anne giggled. “I don’t recall inviting him.”

“Regrettably, Your Grace, you will be unable to attend unless you can secure a formal invitation to our party.”

“A formal invitation, you say?” Why did that sound like a challenge?

“I heard the hostess accepts bribes,” she said with a grin.

Which hostess? His daughter or Sophia? For some reason, he relished the idea of finding a bribe that would favor Sophia. She may as well have waved a red flag before a bull as to offer such a challenge to him. He never backed down from a challenge. And he certainly wouldn’t start now.

Sophia brushed her hand across the small tabletop and then instructed the servant to leave the tray in the sunshine. Perfect. It was perfect. She glanced around the garden. His Grace’s sanctuary truly was beautiful, and she could understand why he valued it the way he did. It overflowed with peace and harmony. It reminded her of home, only there was no magic at play. Or at least none that she could see.

“You should not be here,” a voice called out from the nearby shrubbery. Sophia groaned to herself. Ronald. Of course, Ronald would show up, right when Lady Anne was supposed to arrive. Sophia only wanted a few moments alone with her. Why was it so blasted difficult to get some time with the child? She’d never unlock her secrets if she couldn’t talk with the girl, would she?

Ronald shoved some shrubbery to the side and stuck his bald little head through the opening. Well, not completely bald. He had a tiny tuft of red hair on the top of his head that stood at an odd angle. It always made Sophia want to brush it flat with the palm of her hand. But heaven forbid she should touch him. He would never allow that. He liked to judge from afar and not be judged back.

“Gorgeous day, isn’t it?” she chimed at him as she settled onto a bench. The servant had already exited the garden, and Anne wasn’t due to arrive for a few more minutes.

Ronald climbed through the hole in the shrubbery until he was fully on her side, out in the open. Then he began to pace and wring his hands. “Given a lot of thought to your situation,” he began. Then he repeated himself. “Given a lot of thought to it. Yes, I did.” He paced back and forth, shaking his head as he did so. “Lots and lots of thought.”

Sophia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. But he just continued to pace. Then he turned and shook his forefinger at her. “Wings. Wings. You need pure-colored wings, I tell you,” he said.

Sophia sighed heavily. “My wings are still the color of my skin, Ronald. I promise.” She made an X over her heart. “Cross my heart.”

“They won’t be for long. Mark my words. He lusts for you.”

“Why are you here, Ronald?” Sophia leaned forward so she could look into his face.

Ronald held his hands out to his sides as though the answer was all around them. “Who else would take care of you? You left without a word to anyone. Without even waiting for the full moon.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “What did it take for you to bribe the fish?”

That was neither here nor there. She’d gotten through the portal. That was what mattered. “That’s not your concern.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Not my concern?
Not
my
concern?
” His voice got louder and louder.

She hushed him by placing a finger over her lips. “Someone will hear you.”

“Not my concern?” he mouthed at her.

“I didn’t ask you to follow me.” In fact, she’d left with her grandmother in the dead of night just to prevent him from following.

“I can’t believe your grandmother allowed this.” He continued to shake his head.

Encouraged it, was more like it.

“She has always been tied to this world in a way she shouldn’t be,” he said.

“What does that mean?” Sophia gasped. But then she heard the door to the garden open behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Lady Anne headed her way. And she towed her father by the hand. So much for speaking to the girl alone. “Go,” Sophia whispered to Ronald.

He slipped back into the foliage as though he’d never been there. But not before shooting her a look that said how displeased he was with her. And how much more he’d love to say. She’d ask him to explain his comments about her grandmother the next time he came to berate her for the duke’s lustiness, which she’d seen not a hint of. Not yet.

“Good morning, Miss Thorne,” Lady Anne said with a quick curtsy.

“I see you brought your father.” The duke took Sophia’s hand and raised it to his lips, which made her heart flip over in her chest. His eyes twinkled at her, as though he knew how he made her feel. Did he?

His lips were soft and firm against her skin. His breath brushed across her knuckles like a warm wind that made her want to shiver. Then he lifted his head and said, “Brilliant deduction, Miss Thorne.”

She inclined her head at him. “I suppose you were able to secure an invitation.” She glanced quickly at Anne, who danced in place.

“I invited him,” the girl chirped.

“What did he do to deserve the invitation?” Sophia asked.

“He asked me very nicely,” the girl said. Then she turned and dashed down the garden path out of sight.

***

Miss Thorne turned to him with her eyebrows raised, and Ashley couldn’t help but think about how much he wanted to kiss her. “Where is she going?” she asked.

“I sent her on a treasure hunt,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders.
I
wanted
to
be
alone
with
you
more
than
I
wanted
my
next
breath.

“A treasure hunt?” She looked up at him with the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. “Do I get to play?”

“Do you want to play?” He hadn’t hidden anything for her. Should he have? “I came out earlier and hid some things for her to find.”

Sophia’s face fell. “Oh,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea you’d be interested in hunting for treasure.” He’d never make that mistake again.

“Doesn’t everyone love looking for treasure?” She looked perplexed.

He motioned toward a nearby bench. “Sit with me for a moment?” he asked.

Sophia reached for the strings of her bonnet and gave them a tug. The silk made a slow whisper as she tugged, soft as the wind. She stopped. “Do you mind if I get comfortable?” she asked.

She could disrobe if she wanted. “Allow me to help?” he asked as he brushed her hands to the side and ran his fingertip beneath her chin, then tugged the strings free. He lifted the bonnet from atop her head and laid it on the table nearby.

“Much better,” she sighed as she shook her curls slightly and turned her face up toward the sun.

“Lovely,” he murmured.

“It is a beautiful day, isn’t it?” she asked as she sat down on the bench. He settled beside her. He wasn’t referring to the pretty day. Not at all.

“You’re not concerned about the sun?”

She suddenly looked startled. “Should I be?” She pointed to her nose. “You don’t like my freckles?” Then she grinned. A grin that nearly split his heart in two.

Impulsively, he learned forward and placed a quick kiss to the tip of her nose. “I think your freckles are lovely.”

“They’re not normal in your society, are they?” she said with a grimace.

“Neither are you, Miss Thorne,” he replied gently. Thank God she wasn’t the stereotypical society lady.

“I regret that I can’t be more socially acceptable.”

He thought she was perfect just the way she was. “I’m a bit of a pariah, myself. So, I certainly can’t judge your acceptability.” He took a deep breath for fortification. Then rushed on. “In fact, your reputation could be torn to shreds just by being in my company.”

Her face softened and she reached for his hand. She couldn’t have surprised him more if she’d grown two heads. He turned his hand over and gripped hers. Probably too tightly. But she didn’t draw back. “I’ll take my chances,” she said. She looked up toward the sun and inhaled deeply. Then she faced him. “Tell me your story, Ashley,” she said.

He tried to draw his hand back, but she squeezed it tightly. He looked deeply into her eyes. Was she real? Was she a figment of his imagination? His dreams? His wants? Was she an apparition? Would she disappear just as soon as he got used to having her around? Probably.

“I don’t want to know the rumors. I want to know about you,” she said. “You’re known for being a recluse.”

“I appreciate my privacy.”

“Your daughter is delightful.”

“You’re the only one who thinks so,” he said with a laugh. “Aside from me, that is.”

“You were never formally accused of killing your wife.” She looked up at him from beneath her heavy lashes.

“No, I wasn’t.” This time he did draw his hand back. He used it to smooth his trousers.

“But you may as well have been.”

“Probably,” he said cryptically. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t you want to ask if I did it?”

“No.” That’s all she said. Just no? He didn’t expound upon it.

She jumped to her feet and started down the garden path. “Where are you going?” he called to her retreating back.

She spun to face him and spun back all in one big breath. “To see how Anne fares on her treasure hunt,” she said mid-spin.

She brought up the subject of his dead wife and wanted to know nothing about it? Everyone wanted to know about it. It was all people talked about. Ashley jumped to his feet and rushed after her. He caught her hand. “Will you come and visit me tonight?” he asked anxiously as he drew her hand up to his mouth. He probably looked like an overeager puppy. But he didn’t care.

“Will you be playing?” she asked, her mouth lifting in a grin that was absolutely adorable.

A smile tugged at his own lips. He’d done without a smile for so many years; it seemed foreign to feel so lighthearted all of a sudden. “Does it matter?” he asked. How did his playing of the pianoforte figure into her decision?

“If you’re playing, I’ll have little choice in the matter,” she said. Then she darted in the direction Anne had gone, and he had to run to keep up with her.

He’d be playing. For damn certain, he’d be playing.