“I don’t own a watch, but I’m certain we have been conquering stars for far longer than ten minutes now.”
She smiled as he scrambled to pick up his pocket watch from off the grass. He gasped when he saw the time, “It’s now ten minutes to two, Miss Meyer!”
Meredith groaned, “Oh dear, tomorrow’s lesson will undoubtedly be quite painful to teach.”
“Before we go back inside, Miss Meyer. Might I ask what you intend to do with the stars you have claimed?”
She took a moment to carefully consider her response. Maybe it was the sheer lateness of the hour or the effect of the moonlight, but at the moment they were both prone to wishful thinking.
“I would sail to my stars and select the best one of all. Then I would build a cottage on it. What about you, Your Grace?”
“I believe you have the right sort of idea, Miss Meyer. A cottage with a view and positively overflowing with books. I wouldn’t say this around many other people, you know, but I think I would rather favor that sort of life to this one.” He gestured to the house with a sweep of his arm.
Meredith recalled what Jenny had said as they cooked together in the kitchen—Jenny had claimed that she believed the Duke felt out of place despite owning the dukedom. And his words just now revealed that if left to his own devices, His Grace would very much prefer to live quietly.
Together, they discussed the star owners, spent a considerable amount of time discussing in detail their construction plans for their cottages and various amenities for quiet living. The Duke eagerly shared his plans for an exceptionally large pantry with the capacity to store a ridiculous amount of food for one individual.
While Meredith dreamt of keeping a collection of gardening implements, “I am afraid that I know absolutely nothing about gardening, but that could surely be remedied with enough practice.”
They got themselves lost in the stars. Their plans were growing so elaborate that at one point, the Duke began contriving routes between the stars so that the postman could continue bringing him the newspaper.
Indeed, the Duke was clearly enjoying escaping into these make-believe worlds as much as Meredith was. Meredith began to realize that just as she did not ask to be orphaned, neither did His Grace ask to have such a burden of responsibility thrust onto his shoulders.
“But I cannot let my family down. Everyone is counting on me to step up and take the lead as the head of this family. Everyone, including Fletcher, Mrs. Oakley, the rest of the staff, and Cecilia. I also couldn’t bear to let my parents down.”
Meredith wanted to tell him that she thought he was quite admirable. She felt like telling him that he was amongst the kindest and best-natured men anyone could have the fortune to meet. And that if his parents were here, they would have been proud to see their son carry out his duties with such a self-sacrificing spirit.
But Meredith remembered her place. So all she allowed herself to say was, “If I may say, Your Grace, I believe you are doing a fantastic job of it so far. Lady Cecilia is, indeed, very fortunate to have a brother like you to rely upon.”
“Thank you, Miss Meyer. Cecilia is fortunate to have you as her governess. You have been quite good to her, especially considering that the adjustment to living here could not have been easy for you.”
Meredith expressed her surprise, “How did you know, Your Grace? Is it so obvious?”
“No, not at all, Miss Meyer. It is but a logical assumption. I, too, know how strange it feels to leave the only home you have ever known behind. And please do correct me if I am mistaken, but an orphanage would be quite busy, lively, and er… crowded.”
“Going from living in an environment like that to living in our sparsely populated house would have required quite a capacity for adaptability. It is my hope that your determination and resilience will rub off on Cecilia.”
Meredith blushed.
She knew that there were no hidden feelings behind the Duke’s words. He was merely reciprocating her compliment of him. She reminded herself of Ma’am Tabitha’s words—that people like her were invisible to people like him.
But on the other hand, he really seems to understand me. He may never see me in that light, but at least he sees me. I do not believe I am invisible to him at all.
As at the start, they stood facing each other in awkward silence. It seemed as though neither of them wanted to go back inside.
“I think we had better conduct our final test, Miss Meyer. Would you care to do the honors or shall I?”
“Oh, yes! Thank you for reminding me, Your Grace. I had almost forgotten about it. Please go ahead.”
He began to whistle softly. It was a tune vaguely familiar to Meredith, but she couldn’t place exactly where it was from at first. And then she remembered all at once, it was the same melody that Lord Farellshire had played as his musical apology for the two of them.
As the wind began to blow again, the whistling faltered slightly. Meredith could see that he was struggling to stop himself from smiling. Eventually, he laughed, “I just can’t believe it.”
“Not everything needs explanation, Your Grace. Some things justarewhat they are.”
“Well, now that I have sufficiently embarrassed myself, I do believe it is time for us to get some shut-eye. And the night is still young, for it is only,” he checked the watch and groaned, “a quarter to four…”
Meredith chuckled, “It is no wonder, then, that I can sense a slight pain around my temples. I apologize for keeping you so late, Your Grace. I wholeheartedly thank you for nobly keeping me company tonight.”
