Defending the Duke by Aston Alexa

Author:Aston, Alexa
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2019-10-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Laurel hadn’t wasted a moment. The second she learned Linfield was behind closed doors with Ross Woodward, she told Mrs. Wallingford where she was off to and headed directly to the stables. She’d only been riding for two months now but she had taken to it as she had dancing. Being atop a horse was the most liberating thing in the world.

The head groom had helped select a mount for her after asking a few questions about her experience. He’d even had two different horses brought out and let her try each one, riding around in a wide loop before returning. They settled on one and he assigned Tam, one of the grooms, to escort her about the estate. Tam led her several places that had the advantage of height so that she could see wide portions of the estate without having to ride so far. Laurel told herself she would travel the entire perimeter tomorrow, seeing more of the land up close.

Now that she had a good idea of what the property consisted of, she told Tam she wished to meet as many tenants as she could during the rest of the afternoon. She assumed Linfield would be tied up the rest of the day with Mr. Woodward and wanted to make the most of her time.

Tam’s parents had resided at Linwood since they were both children and had taken over Tam’s father’s cottage and plot of land.

“Didn’t you have any interest in farming?” she’d asked.

“No, Your Grace. It’s always been animals for me. Horses, in particular. I was lucky to gain a position in the stables. I get to do what I love and still see my parents every week. My sister, too, since she married last year, one of the tenants on the far east side of the property.”

“Where are your parents located?”

“Here to the west.”

“Then I shall call upon them first.”

She regretted not having taken time to go to the kitchen to collect some kind of treat for those she visited but she soon learned her company was as cherished as any gift that she might have brought with her. Laurel met Tam’s parents and a dozen other families. Tam also took her to an area between the tenants’ land and the main house, where he introduced her to the blacksmith and his farrier. She learned the blacksmith shoed horses and made various wrought iron products for the farmers and people at Linwood, while the farrier also shoed horses and acted as a type of horse doctor.

Laurel met the estate’s wheelwright, who built carts and wheels and one of its two gamekeepers. Everyone was interested in her and her marriage to the new, mysterious duke. A few mentioned knowing the former duke and his eldest son. When their names came up, a quietness seem to settle as a blanket. She was smart enough to read between the lines and understand neither man had been fondly looked upon by these farmers and laborers.

“I promise I will bring my husband back with me tomorrow.

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