Page 71 of To Have & To Hold

Nathaniel looked back at Emilia, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I suppose the library, and the rest of our conversation, will still be here after dinner.”

Emilia nodded in silent agreement—the conversation would be there after dinner, but she was quite certain that her couragewould not be.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Emilia could barely keep up as Charlotte barreled ahead, weaving her way through the steady stream of villagers making their way along the streets of Rosemore.

The village was the quaintest place Emilia had ever seen. Ivy climbed the walls of the cheerful shops, their windows decorated with ribbons and flowers for the festival. Tables had been set up along the streets, laden with fresh bread, pies, preserves, and handmade pottery. Children raced between the stalls with ribbons tied around their wrists, while musicians played somewhere farther down the street.

There was nothing particularly grand about the image it presented, but it possessed a light and warmth with which even the most fashionable of London streets could not compete.The Spring Festival had been a part of Rosemore’s history for years. While many neighboring estates marked the turn of seasons with private hunts or parties for local gentry, the late Duke of Kenswick invited the entire village to join in the celebrations.

Nathaniel had told her that his predecessor believed that an estate would only flourish when those who called it home felt as though they belonged and contributed to something beyond themselves. This was a principle Nathaniel strived to keep alive.

There were three full days of games for the children, contests of horsemanship and marksmanship, musicians, food stalls, baking contests, and craftsmen selling their handmade wares. Families who spent most of the year scattered across hundreds of acres, gathered together to celebrate not merely the arrival of spring, but to relish in the fruits of their community.

“Come along, Emilia!” Charlotte called over her shoulder.

She had skipped nearly twenty paces ahead, and Emilia simply shook her head with a chuckle. She stole a glance behind her towards Sophie, who followed close behind, her arms overflowing with parcels containing a few of Emilia’s carefully chosen trinkets as well as an assortment of Charlotte’s wildly unnecessary purchases.

From the moment they had stepped from their carriage, it seemed as though the entire village had been waiting in anticipation. Smiles doubled at the sight of Charlotte, andnearly everyone called and waved in greeting as they passed. They stopped frequently to greet the merchants, and Charlotte purchased something from nearly everyone they encountered.

Emilia had begun to fear that the villagers were taking shameless advantage of the duke’s sister’s enthusiasm and generous heart, but she soon realized that they genuinely adored her.

When one of the tenants tried to gift them a strand of beautifully painted glass beads, Charlotte had secretly pressed a few coins into the hand of the lady’s young daughter as they walked away.

“Nathaniel insists I support our village merchants,” Charlotte said with a wink as she handed Sophie yet another package. “I simply endeavor to be an obedient sister.”

Emilia laughed. “Have you considered being as diligent in that regard in other areas?”

“Oh, Emilia,” Charlotte said with an amused sigh. “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” Her eyes sparkled as she stopped suddenly, pointing farther down the street. “Now what do you say we offer equal support to the sweet shop? Nathaniel supplies Mrs. Finch with ice so she can make chocolate iced cream no matter the time of year.”

Emilia was not surprised by this new information. While the servings of the village’s local sweet shop did not seem like something that would catch the interest of a duke, she was coming to learn that Nathaniel was intimately involved in thelives and well-being of all who lived under the care of the Kenswick title.

During their tour of the nearest tenant homes a few days prior, she had watched him become lost in conversation with some of the farmers. She knew that Nathaniel was kind and intelligent, but the detailed knowledge that he possessed of agriculture was beyond anything she had ever witnessed in a man of his station.

It would have taken years of study to learn all he knew about crop rotation, the health of the soil, and new experimental irrigation methods. When she had questioned him on it, he had simply said that he believed his tenants deserved the best harvests the land could produce, and if he had access to the knowledge, then it was his duty to provide it.

But it went beyond educating his tenants.

Nearly every person she had spoken to today had gone into detail, praising their duke for his generosity and kind heart. She heard stories of how Nathaniel arranged for his own servants to assist with repairs when a tenant could not afford to mend a fence or replace a damaged roof. If a poor harvest left a family struggling, rent payments were delayed without interest.

Emilia walked away from every conversation with her heart swelling with love and pride for the man she had married.

The sound of stumbling footsteps and a light gasp drew Emilia’s attention behind her. Sophie adjusted the items in her arms as she steadied her shaky balance. Emilia gave her maid apitying smile, nodding toward the waiting carriage across the street.

“Would you like to leave those in the carriage, Sophie?”

“Oh, thank you, Your Grace.” The maid’s grateful sigh was almost comical as she hurried toward the footman waiting beside the carriage.

Emilia looked up to call after Charlotte, who had already reached the opposite side of the street, when a chill slowly crept up her spine.

She had grown accustomed to the curious glances of villagers eager to catch a glimpse of their new duchess, but nothing that had ever made the warmth of a sunny afternoon completely vanish.

Emilia slowly turned, her eyes drifting across the busy street. At first she saw nothing beyond the passing wagons and bustling villagers, until her gaze caught on a man half-hidden in the entrance of a narrow alleyway. His hat hid his face entirely in shadows, and as people passed between them, she could catch only fleeting glimpses of him.

Her heart lurched painfully against her ribs—something about him was agonizingly familiar.

“Emilia?”