Meredith was becoming ever more familiar with that look. Anthony wore it whenever he was up to something. So far, that twinkle in his eye had led to many wonderful things. She decided to not pry any more. This time, she was going to trust him.
* * *
“Meredith? Meredith?”
Meredith opened her eyes and squealed in fear, but Anthony put a finger to her lips.
“Hush! We can’t wake Cecilia.”
Meredith sat up as quickly as she could. Although her bedroom’s curtains were currently drawn, she could see that the Sun had not yet risen.
Anthony was standing next to her bed with Mrs. Oakley right behind him. Meredith put a hand to her chest.
“Anthony! You gave me such an awful fright! What on earth is going on?”
To answer her question, Anthony produced a box seemingly out of thin air and asked her to open it.
“Anthony…” and then she remembered that Mrs. Oakley was also present. “I mean, Your Grace, I thought we had discussed the matter of gifts and whatnot.”
He shook his head.
“Oh, will you just open it?”
He had set down the unwrapped box on her bed right next to her. She lifted the lid to find a flat cap, a loose-fitting shirt, and some badly scuffed-up pants and boots. Perplexed, she looked up at Anthony, who in turn was watching her reaction.
“What do you think?”
“These are men’s clothing items, Your Grace.”
“Well, yes, I am a man, am I not?”
Mrs. Oakley interjected.
“I believe now would be a good time to explain your plan to Miss Meyer, Your Grace. She has, after all, only just been awakened from her sleep.”
So Anthony laid out the plans for the coming day. He, Mrs. Oakley, and Meredith were going to travel all the way to Louxbridge—a small town about two hours away—to spend Sunday together. The worker’s clothes were acquired to enable Anthony to walk around without drawing attention to himself.
Having concluded this explanation, he asked her once more, “So, what do you think?”
“What are we to do in Louxbridge?”
“Anything we can find to do, I suppose.”
Meredith was still uneasy.
“Your Grace, this seems a bit reckless. Despite our traveling a great distance, you can never be too sure who will or will not recognize you.”
“Mrs. Oakley raised the same concerns. But after confirming with Fletcher, I can safely say that we don’t have ties to any prominent families or anyone of note from Louxbridge, so the chances I would be recognized are very, very slim.”
Perhaps sensing that she was still wary of his masterfully-crafted plan, Anthony picked up the flat cap and put it on.
“Meredith, I just want to have a day out with you.”
Meredith rubbed her temples. She wondered how in the world her life had come to this—a young Duke standing in her bedroom right before the break of dawn briefing her on a ridiculous plan whilst wearing a flat cap.
“I think the flat cap suits you very well, Anthony.”
“So are we going to Louxbridge then?”
