Page 103 of Winning Her Duke

It would make the perfect landscape. If only she could decide on the proper paint color for the grass and whether she wanted to include the hills in the background or keep the focus on the twisted tree to the right.

She’d come to this spot nearly every day and had nothing to show for it but dried up paint and frustration.

The view was lovely but this wasn’t what she yearned to paint.

The curves of the stream made her think of the curve of Jeremy’s lips. The blue of the sky reminded her of his eyes crinkled in a smile so bright she couldn’t help but join in.

Except he wasn’t there to make her smile and she noticed she hadn’t smiled much since arriving in Scotland. The manor house was lovely and the couple that tended it were kind enough, but so far this place didn’t feel like home.

As was becoming their daily routine, Bess brought luncheon in a basket and spread out a blanket on the cool grass in the shade.

“I can’t help but notice you’ve yet to paint anything.”

“Thank you, Bess. It was kind of you to mention it.” She glared at her maid who only chuckled.

“I’d suggest you try to paint something you enjoy, but I know you already have a painting of the duke on the stand beside your bed, so you’re not in need of another.”

“Bess.” Gia frowned. “How dare you snoop through my things.”

“I didn’t need to snoop. You left it out the first night we arrived.” Bess twisted a piece of grass. “Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps you do need to paint another. I noticed the one you have was a bit wilted as if it had gotten wet.”

They exchanged a look but neither of them spoke for some time. They shared their meal in silence and Gia wished her maid had brought her whisky to wash it down rather than just water.

“Did I make a mistake, Bess? Should I just have married him anyway despite the fact he only wanted to marry me for the horses?”

“Are you sure that is the reason he wanted to marry you?”

Gia opened her mouth to speak but Bess held up her hand to stop her.

“I know the timing of his proposal is suspect when you consider what Lord Duncan shared, but I saw the way he looked at you when you didn’t notice. He did care for you something fierce. You’ll not convince me otherwise.”

“I suppose it seems silly to have run away from his offer after I’d planned to accept Lord Duncan despite not loving him. I could marry for convenience. I could marry someone I held only respect or friendship for. But I didn’t think I could marry a man I loved, knowing he didn’t love me. Wanting more from him than what he could give would have been too much.”

“It’s not silly. It makes good sense.” Bess stood and gathered the basket, leaving the blanket since Gia was still sitting on it. “Unless you are wrong, and he did love you as much as you loved him.”

Gia fell back on the blanket and looked up at the sunlight filtering through the trees. She studied the way the light breeze made the leaves twirl about above her.

She considered her life as Jeremy’s wife. Even if he didn’t love her, they were friends. She greatly enjoyed their physical relationship. He respected her as she did him. Shouldn’t that be enough?

She recalled the conversation with her father before he left on his honeymoon. The many ways one might discover love. He’d said love could start out as friendship and she knew it to be true because that’s how she’d fallen in love with Jeremy.

Was it possible he might learn to love her in the same way?

She would need to return to London and speak with him. But she would wait until tomorrow. Now that she had a plan, her earlier exhaustion caught up with her.

*

Hale’s carriage was pulling into the lane just as Bess was emerging from a stand of trees carrying a basket. He barely waited for the coach to stop before jumping from the conveyance and calling to the maid.

“Your Grace,” Bess said with a curtsey.

“Is Gia well?”

Bess pressed her lips together as if she wasn’t sure how to answer him. Hale might have given her a shake if her lips hadn’t pulled into a smile.

“Now that you are here, I think she will be quite well indeed. Unless you’ve not come here to tell her you love her and can’t live without her.”

He sniffed. “I have come to do just that.”