Lady Ines Scandalous Hobby-Chapter 166 - Hundred And Sixty Six

The carriage wheels rumbled over the wooden bridge, signaling the end of the public road and the beginning of the private grounds. The rhythmic clop-clop-clop of the horses’ hooves changed pitch as they hit the smooth, crushed white gravel of the long driveway.

Inside the carriage, the air was warm and smelled faintly of lavender and sandalwood.

Ines was asleep. Her head rested heavily on Carcel’s shoulder. She had fought the exhaustion for the first three hours of the journey, determined to see every tree and hill, but the gentle rocking of the carriage had eventually won.

Carcel sat very still. He didn’t want to move his shoulder and disturb her. He looked out the window. The familiar green hills of his childhood rolled past. The ancient oak trees, standing like sentinels along the drive, cast long shadows in the late afternoon sun.

He saw the house emerge in the distance.

Carleton.

It was a massive structure of honey-colored stone, glowing warm and golden in the light. It had tall chimneys, dozens of sparkling windows, and ivy climbing up the west wing. It looked solid. It looked like home.

Ines stirred.

She blinked her eyes open, her lashes fluttering against his coat. She lifted her head slowly, a little disoriented. She looked out the window just as the full grandeur of the estate came into view.

"It’s beautiful," she murmured. Her voice was thick with sleep, soft and husky.

She lifted her hands to her face. She rubbed her eyes gently with the back of her gloved hands, like a child waking from a nap.

Carcel looked down at her with a tender smile. He reached out and smoothed a stray lock of hair that had escaped her bonnet.

"You should sleep more if you want to," Carcel said softly. "We can take the long way around the drive. It will give you another ten minutes." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Ines shook her head. She sat up straighter, adjusting her bonnet and smoothing the wrinkles in her traveling dress.

"No," she said, blinking to clear her vision. "It’s okay. I want to see it. I want to meet everyone."

She looked out the window again, her eyes widening as the house grew larger. It was not a fortress like some ducal estates. It looked welcoming. It looked like a place where children could run and where stories could be written.

"It is bigger than I imagined," she admitted.

"It is just a pile of rocks," Carcel joked. "But the roof doesn’t leak, which is a blessing."

The carriage slowed down. The gravel crunched loudly as the driver pulled on the reins.

"Whoa!" the driver shouted.

The carriage came to a halt at the main courtyard.

It was a bustle of activity. The news of the Duke’s arrival had spread. The huge oak front doors were thrown open.

Ines looked out. "Oh my."

All the servants came outside to greet the Duke and the new Duchess. There were dozens of them. Housemaids in crisp white aprons, footmen in blue uniforms, the stable boys, the gardeners,the stern-looking housekeeper and the old butler who look nice. They stood in two perfect lines, bowing and curtsying as the carriage stopped.

Ines felt a flutter of nerves, but she pushed it down. She was the Duchess now. She took a deep breath.

Lloyd, who had arrived in the second carriage a moment before, opened the door.

"Welcome home, Your Grace," Lloyd said, lowering the steps.

Carcel stepped out first. He turned and offered his hand to Ines.

Ines took it. She stepped down onto the gravel.

As soon as her foot touched the ground, the servants bowed lower.

"Welcome, Your Grace!" they chorused.

Ines smiled widely. It was a genuine, radiant smile that instantly charmed the staff. She didn’t look haughty or cold. She looked happy to be there.

Then, there was a commotion at the front door.

A woman burst through the line of servants. She was not young, but she moved with the energy of a teenager. She wore a dress of bright lavender silk that swished loudly as she ran. Her gray curls were bouncing under a lace cap.

It was Aunt Rowena.

"They are here! They are finally here!" Rowena cried out.

Carcel smiled. He stepped forward, opening his arms wide to receive his aunt’s hug. He prepared himself for her familiar perfume of rosewater.

"Aunt Rowena," Carcel began.

But Rowena didn’t stop at Carcel.

She swerved. She ran right past him, dodging his outstretched arms as if he were a statue.

She went straight to Ines.

Ines’s eyes widened in surprise. Before she could curtsy, she was enveloped in a cloud of rosewater and a bone-crushing hug.

Aunt Rowena came and hugged Ines, squeezing her tight.

"Oh, look at you!" Rowena exclaimed, pulling back to hold Ines by the shoulders. She looked Ines up and down, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"You are so beautiful, my darling," Rowena gushed. She patted Ines’s cheek. "You look like a porcelain doll! But with more life! Oh, I knew you would be lovely, but the letters didn’t do you justice."

Ines laughed, surprised but charmed. "Thank you, Lady Rowena. It is wonderful to meet you."

"Call me Auntie!" Rowena insisted. "We are family now."

She turned to the servants. "Look at her! Is she not perfect?"

Carcel stood there. His arms were still outstretched, embracing nothing but the empty air. He looked at his empty hands, then at his aunt’s back.

He cleared his throat loudly.

Ahem.

Rowena froze. She slowly turned around. She saw Carcel standing there, looking like a neglected puppy in a very expensive coat.

She saw his hands.

Rowena gasped dramatically. She pressed a hand to her chest.

"Oh! Forgive me, my love," she said, though her eyes were twinkling with mischief. "I was distracted by your wife’s beauty. You understand, don’t you? You have had her to yourself for a month. I have been waiting here with nothing but a tapestry needle for company."

Carcel dropped his arms, shaking his head with a small smile. "I am hurt, Auntie. Truly wounded."

Rowena laughed. She stepped forward and hugged Carcel. She kissed him on the cheek loudly.

"You look well, nephew," she said, patting his chest. "Marriage suits you. You look less... grumpy."

"I was never grumpy," Carcel protested.

"You were a bear," Rowena corrected. "A very handsome bear, but a bear nonetheless."

She let go of him and clapped her hands together. She looked at the sun which will set soon in some hours, then at the dusty carriage.

"Now," Rowena announced, taking charge. "You two go and rest. The journey has been long. You must be exhausted."

"We are a little tired," Ines admitted.

"Of course you are!" Rowena said. She linked her arm through Ines’s arm. "Which is why we need a plan."

She began to pull Ines toward the front door.

"I’ll take Ines for a tour around the estate," Rowena declared brightly. "We will see the rose garden, the library, the morning room, and the kitchens. The cook has made lemon tarts."

Carcel blinked. "A tour? Now? But she just said she was tired."

"Walking is good for fatigue," Rowena dismissed. "And while we do that, you go do your duchy business."

Rowan waved a hand at Carcel.

"Mr. Higgins has been waiting for you in the study for two days," she informed him.

"Something about the tenant farmers and a broken fence. Very boring. Very manly. Perfect for you."

Carcel frowned. He didn’t want to talk about duchy business. He wanted to take his wife inside, sit by a fire, and relax.

Carcel wanted to speak. He opened his mouth. "But..."

Rowena interrupted him. She held up a finger.

"No buts," she commanded. "The fence is important. The cows are escaping. Go on now."

She made a shooing motion with her hands, flapping them at the Duke of Carleton as if he were a stray cat.

"Shoo... Shoo!" Rowena cried. "Go earn your keep, Your Grace! leave the ladies to discuss important matters."

Carcel looked at Ines.

Ines was trying very hard not to laugh. She bit her lip, her eyes dancing with amusement. She shrugged apologetically.

Carcel sighed. He knew when he was beaten.

"Fine," Carcel groaned. "I will go see about the cows."

He walked over to Ines. He gently extricated her arm from Aunt Rowena’s grip.

"But first," Carcel said firmly, looking at his aunt. "I am taking my wife to our room. She needs to wash the dust off her face and change her dress. Then, you can steal her away."

Rowena pouted for a second, then smiled. "Five minutes. I will give you five minutes."

"Thirty," Carcel countered.

"Ten," Rowena bargained.

"Twenty," Carcel decided.

He didn’t wait for her to agree. Carcel took Ines by the hand. He led her up the stone steps, past the bowing servants, and into the cool, grand hallway.

"Your aunt is a force of nature," Ines whispered as they climbed the grand staircase.

"She is," Carcel agreed, squeezing her hand. "But she loves us. And she is right about the tarts. They are to die for."

He led her down the long gallery until they reached a set of double doors at the end of the hall.

Carcel opened the doors.

"Welcome home, Ines," he said.

He took Ines into his room, closing the door on the world just for twenty minutes.