“His Grace is going to show me around his stables.” She was unlacing her bodice before Eugenia could set the gown aside and help her. “I want to wear my gold dress, you know the one with the seed pearls sewn into it. And the diamond and ruby necklace.”
Eugenia arched her brows. “Is that not a bit formal for going to a stable?”
“Perhaps. But I want to look my best for him. Oh, and Mother is too weary from the journey to chaperone so you will accompany me.”
Now Eugenia shared Lady Helena's excitement. The Dukeanda tour of the stables. She garbed her mistress in the gold dress, clasped the necklace around her neck, then changed her own clothes into a pale yellow gown with full sleeves and tucked her pendant down inside her bodice. As the dim sunlight outside indicated a cooler day, she threw light cloaks over both their shoulders.
The Duke awaited them near the primary doors that led from the castle into the bailey and smiled as they approached. “I am honored to escort such a beautiful pair of ladies,” he said, offering Lady Helena a short bow. The two curtseyed, and feeling her own face grow hot, Eugenia noticed Lady Helena blush.
“First, I wish to show you the horses stabled here at the castle.” He walked with them through the wide plank doors. “I keep a few stallions in the old stables built when this pile of rock was.”
Fascinated by both the Duke and the stunning horses the grooms trotted out for His Grace’s inspection, Eugenia did not know which to stare at the most. As she witnessed from the window, she saw again the endless work of the grooms – exercising, grooming, feeding, mucking stalls, and cleaning the stable. Lady Helena, while excited to be out with the Duke, seemed not to notice the horses. Instead, she asked him questions about his holdings, his closeness with the Prince Regent, his status at court.
Though admittedly, she knew nothing about the Duke, Eugenia noticed he seemed less than enthusiastic about the turn the conversation went into. His mouth smiled less, and he constantly shifted back to bloodlines and conformation, breeding and foaling, only to have Lady Helena nod, then fire yet another horseless question at him.
“Let us return to the castle.” He gestured for Lady Helena to walk with him as Eugenia followed. “It is the quickest way to the stable. I am certain you have no desire to walk all the way around the castle.”
“No, Your Grace,” Lady Helena replied, beaming up into his face.
Walking behind them, Eugenia continued to watch the grooms handle a fiery red stallion who tried to rear as they trotted him up and down the cobbled stable yard. Stunningly beautiful, she could not tear her eyes from him, his magnificence enthralled her, and made her wonder what riding him across the moors might be like.
Turning to face front again, she discovered the Duke and Lady Helena had paused and watched her as she gawked. “My apologies,” she said, blushing.
“You like him?” the Duke asked, bemused and smiling a little.
“Yes, Your Grace,” she answered. “He is so beautiful. May I ask, do you ride him?”
“I do,” he replied. “He is a fractious beast, however, and more often than not has tried to toss me headlong into the shrubbery.”
Eugenia giggled at his words and the image they brought, then covered her mouth with embarrassment. “Perhaps I should not laugh.”
“Please do.” His smile widening into a grin. “Hecertainly thought it was amusing when I picked twigs from my teeth.”
Chuckling, she followed them as they returned to the castle, and walked across its vast expanse to the rear postern doors. From there, it was a relatively short walk to the huge stables. Eugenia wrapped her cloak tightly around her as the stiff breeze off the moors dug its claws into her flesh.
“Does the wind here ever stop?” Lady Helena asked, shivering a little.
“Once in a while.” The Duke answered, tossed a smile over his shoulder at Eugenia. “When that happens, we get drunk in celebration.”
While Lady Helena did not find that comment amusing, Eugenia forced herself to cough to cover her burst of laughter. The Duke seemed to know, however, that she smothered her humor, and sent her another grin. With a small huff, Lady Helena continued on, rudely forcing the Duke to catch up with her.
Once inside the structure the Duke called the foaling stable, and with no wind and the horses’ body heat raising the interior temperature, Eugenia cast her cloak back. If she found delight in the stallions, she discovered sheer joy in the small foals who gazed at her from their stalls. With their dark eyes and ears too big for their little skulls, both pointed toward her, Eugenia tried to linger to observe them. But the Duke and her mistress had walked on, making her hurry to catch up.
“Your Grace,” she said, garnering his attention as Lady Helena stood by, frowning slightly and trying to pretend she was not.
“Miss Betham?”
“Why do these babies have such big ears?” she asked.
The Duke smiled and pointed to the nearest foal, a near black creature with legs that seemed to go on forever. “Two pieces of a horse’s anatomy are the size they will be when the foal has grown up – ears and cannon bones. They are the same size as young as when they are grown.”
“I did not know that,” she said, staring at the foal. “Thank you.”
“You like horses, Miss Betham?” he asked, standing beside her as she watched the foal grow bored with them and tried to nurse on its mother.
“I love horses,” she replied, smiling, captivated by his nearness, his masculinity. “I often wished I could ride.” She glanced down, blushing. “But riding is not for one such as I.”
“Hmm.” He seemed on the verge of saying something else, but Lady Helena spoke from further up the aisle.
