Page 45 of The Duke's Only Desire

“Good.” Hannah nodded faintly toward Shay, who was doing his best to disentangle himself from a conversation with two men regarding bridge repairs. “But just remember that some wounds take longer to heal than others.”

Sophie feared some wounds might never heal. And speaking of inflicted wounds… “What do you know about Lord Malcolm?”

“Nothing good. The charm of a crocodile and the honesty of a snake.” Hannah warned, “Best to stay away from that one.”

With a parting invitation for Sophie to stop by the apothecary shop on another visit, Hannah mumbled her goodbyes, and slipped away. Sophie’s gaze followed her across the shop and out the door, only for her eyes to halt on Shay.

Clearly noting her distraction, he stared at her with a concerned expression furrowing his brow.

For once, she didn’t have it in her to force a smile for him and turned to collect her packages from Mrs. Jones, all tied into a small pyramid and secured by a pink bow that was surely meant to impress.

“We’re so happy you came to visit us, Your Grace,” Mrs. Jones gushed. “Your marriage is good for the entire village.”

Her comment puzzled Sophie. “How so?”

“Since you came to Ravenscroft, we’ve seen more of His Grace than we’ve seen in years.”

Sophie forced a silent smile, unable to say anything due to the hollow ache in her belly. Her husband had only been in the village because he’d been avoiding her.

Shay came up beside her and placed his hand on the small of her back. Such a casual yet affectionate touch that Sophie wondered if he realized he’d even done it. Or was it only a show for the villagers? After all, he’d brought her out with him today only because of Malcolm.

He leaned closer. “Shall we go? I want to return before dark.”

She nodded, collected her packages, and tightly smiled her goodbyes as they left the shop.

Shay helped her into the sleigh waiting in front of the store, then tucked the fur lap rug around her to keep her warm. When he adjusted the fur-edged hood for her, her eyes stung because she knew then—his affection wasn’t only for show. She blinked and looked away, frustrated and confused. How could he care so much about her, yet keep himself away?

He stepped into the sleigh and tossed a coin to the boy holding the horse. When he flicked the ribbons and started the horse forward, Sophie slipped the little metal bird unseen into his coat pocket.

The sleigh glided through the village, over the stone bridge, and down the river road that wound toward Ravenscroft Manor. On the horizon, the sun sank quickly toward the distant hills, already casting the countryside in hues of purples, reds, and oranges. Sophie nestled deeper into the warm fur.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded, her hood flapping around her face. It did little to fend off the chilly air nipping at her cheeks and nose, but the sleigh ride was simply too wonderful to care about the cold. “I’ve never ridden on a sleigh before today.”

“Not even at the frost fairs?”

“They seemed too dangerous, out over the Thames like that.”

“What do you think now?”

She pushed back the fur edge of her hood to look up at him. “That I would ride over the widest river as long as you were with me.”

He kept his gaze straight ahead over the horse’s ears. “What did you buy at the store?”

That was a blatant change of topic if ever Sophie had heard one, cleanly away from his feelings about her. Whatever they were.

Her heart sank. “Nothing important. Just a few little gifts for the servants to show my gratitude for making me feel so welcome here. I hope they like them.”

“You could give them rocks, and they would adore them.” He turned the sleigh into the field. “They’re besotted with you.”

She smiled. “It’s a mutual besotting, then.” Her smile faded as a new concern struck. “We should have brought baskets to the tenants we visited today, to show them how much they’re appreciated. Perhaps on Sunday, then, after church. It would be a good day for us to dedicate to paying social calls.”

He stiffened. “Us?”

“Of course.”

He pulled the horse to a stop, and the snow groaned angrily beneath the runners. They sat on a little rise at the edge of the estate park, framed by dark woods on either side and hills in the distance. Below them, the house stood in the middle of its sweeping lawn, surrounded by its stables and gardens, with lanes to the other parts of the park stretching away like pieces of white lace.