Her smile dropped. Of course. She was no longer a lady run wild on a dilapidated estate; she was a duchess. A fine lady. Fine ladies did not ride astride.
“If we were riding alone,” he said suddenly, stepping a little closer, his gaze fixed firmly on her face and no doubt at the disappointment on it, “I would have no objection to seeing you ride astride.”
“No matter how shocking?” She tilted her head. “Or what sort of example I’d be showing Amelia?”
“Given her aversion to riding, I doubt it could do much damage.” A small smile curled the undamaged side of his mouth. “And as for how shocking it may or may not be, I suppose I will withhold judgment until I see just how much of your leg is exposed.”
Permission granted, if in a roundabout fashion.
“You need not fear,” she said over her shoulder as a groom arrived, the two horses led behind him. “My mother assured me I do not have a shapely bone in my body. Even if my ankleswereon display—and I will ensure they are not where anyone might see—I doubt they would turn any heads.”
As she reached her mount, strong hands clasped around her waist, and before she knew what was happening, Hugh had lifted her onto the horse. Out of instinct, she reached down to brace herself against his shoulders and found herself looking down into his face.
“Did your mother make a habit of saying such things to you?” he asked with such intensity, she felt her face burn.
“Oh, on occasion.”Often, in truth, but she could not quite bear admitting such a thing. “She rarely paid me much attention. Where possible, she preferred to leave my rearing to the nurses. They were all kind, I assure you.” Until her mother had died and her father had gambled away all the money to pay them. Finishing school had been an unexpected boon, her father’swinnings so large that he had become downright generous, choosing to pay the school to take her for three years rather than endure her at home.
She had hated the school and its teachers, but she had enjoyed being in London. More so, being able to escapeintoLondon.
Hugh stepped back, releasing her from his proximity, and Christiana inhaled sharply. The day was a fresh, bright one, and there was no reason to feel as though she had been trapped in a stuffy room with a raging fire.
None at all.
His gaze dropped to her ankles, which her dress had ridden up to reveal. “Your mother was entirely mistaken,” Hugh said shortly as he swung into his saddle. Astride, as all men could ride. Envy made a nest in her chest—so many things were easier for men, and they never so much as considered them privileges. “If you were to have your legs on display in public, Chris, I assure you it would draw attention.” Then, as though to conceal the fact that he had said the words at all, he dug his heels into Julius’s side and trotted away.
Christiana stared after him, a little disbelieving. A spark of joy flared in her chest, and she doused it immediately. All he’d meant was that, as a duchess, people would notice if she were improperly attired. That was all.
That was all it could ever be.
And she would do well not to forget that.
To Hugh’s surprise,he found riding with Chris to be surprisingly pleasant. For starters, although Bran was a large horse, she rode him easily, giving him his head when he seemed overly impatient and holding him tightly in check when needed.
“I presume you spend a great deal of time on the estate?” she asked, looking around. He tried to see the land from her perspective—the parkland, reasonably well maintained, and the farmland beyond. All lush fields, some crops and many sheep.
“Not as much time as I’d like,” he answered. “I do a lot of work from my study.”
“With your steward?”
“He’s served the family and this land for a long time; he knows it far better than I ever could.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes on a distant copse of trees. “That can be a boon, but it can also be a hindrance.”
“In what sense?”
“The older a retainer, the more they remember all the ways in which thingsusedto be done. We are living in a period of change and transition. There are new discoveries every day. Science has come further than ever, and we are learning more about the world than ever before.”
“Is that not true of every age?” he asked, intrigued despite himself. “Surely, that is the nature of advancement?”
“Well, for a great many years, we looked to the past for advancement and inspiration,” she said matter-of-factly. “You know, the ancient greats. Aristotle and the like.”
“You’re familiar with ancient philosophers?”
“And scientists. Aristotle did not merely philosophize; he made great scientific advancements. Our modern understanding of astronomy may never have reached this point if he, along with other ancient Greek thinkers, had not laid the groundwork.”
Hugh peered at his new wife. “And you are interested in astronomy?”
“Why would one not be?” She turned to face him, blinking owlishly, and released the reins to push her glasses up her nose. “Consider the heavens—are we to live in ignorance for the rest of our lives? Should we ignore one of the greatest mysteries ofour modern times, that of celestial bodies? The night sky has accompanied us since the dawn of time—is it not our duty as people to come to understand it?” She sighed, and he could not help wondering if he had inadvertently married a lady with far superior intellect than his own. The thought did not plague him overmuch. “The one thing I have always longed for beyond all others is a telescope. Papa promised me that one day I should have one if his winnings were good, but he instead sent me to school.” A wry smile pulled at her lips. “I suppose I ought to have seen it coming; an accomplished daughter had something of value to offer, whereas aneducatedone could not have done. And he was right. Would you have married me if I had not attended finishing school?”