A Sense of Propriety

Chapter 14

She offered him a small smile. "Thank you for your invitation. I will be delighted to join you."

The Marquis smiled, and the sight made her heart flutter. "Excellent. I will wait outside until you are ready."

She nodded and waited until he had left the room before ringing for Martha. Her nurse soon entered and failed to hide her surprise when she heard that her mistress needed assistance in dressing for a drive in the Park. She had seen the Marquis briefly on her ascend of the stairs and figured he was the reason there was a sudden light in the young lady's gaze that had not been there at all in the morning.

Cordelia was soon dressed in a stylish but comfortable muslin gown and thanked Martha as she was assisted in walking towards the gentleman waiting outside.

The warmth of the sun beat down on Cordelia's porcelain skin, and she smiled when she looked upon the vehicle. As she thought, it was a Curricle made of dark wood. Its brass furnishings gleamed in the rich sun, making it appear like valuable jewels had been used instead of the hard metal. The pair of horses that drew the vehicle were of extraordinary brilliance, their coats gleaming so remarkably that she was certain she could brush her white glove over their backs and the material would remain spotless.

There was a groom who stood beside the vehicle, and he offered her a short bow as she approached before assisting her into it. Martha then helped her in straightening her skirts before taking a small rug that she had brought with her and gently placing it over her knees to keep her warm.

The hood, which was usually folded, had been extended in an attempt to prohibit too much of a breeze on her, and she felt quite warm and comfortable once she was settled. The Marquis had remained silent while the servants tended to his guest, and once the groom had returned to his position at the back of the vehicle, he raised the reins and urged the horses forward.

It was a little after mid-morning, and the traffic was dense, which left little time for conversation as the Marquis spent most of his attention on directing his horses. She noticed quite quickly that he had significantly increased his skills as a horseman compared to the last time Cordelia drove with him. Although she had always thought him to be a fine driver, there was added confidence about his commands and the fluid movements of the pair left little jostling to those they pulled.

The trip was short compared to most distances, and the bustling streets soon gave way to the calmer, greener surroundings of the kept lawns and roads of the Park. The Marquis eased his hold on the reins slightly, allowing the horses to move at a comfortable pace as they walked along one of the roads that wound around a lake.

"And what do you think of them?" the Marquis asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

Cordelia glanced at the pair of bays. "They are beautiful and well-trained."

Lord Midrake smiled, his stormy gaze meeting hers briefly before returning to the horses. "I thought you would enjoy them. Alicia told me that you were a little upset this morning, and I remember how much you liked to join me for my daily drives in the Park when we were younger."

Cordelia flushed at his words and averted her gaze shyly. "You did not need to encumbrance yourself on my account," she murmured. "I was not so distressed."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I wanted to."

His words made her cheeks flare an even darker shade, and she failed to find an appropriate response to his admission. So, she turned her gaze to the outside world instead and breathed in the calm tranquillity of the Park. Several people and horses were dotting the landscape with several horse-drawn vehicles as well. But the path that they were moving along seemed to take them further away from the crowd.