Willow panicked. A million thoughts racing through her head all at once. What was she supposed to do? Should she just climb back? But what if the stranger was to inform her brother about this? He'd think that someone broke in. They'd probably end up cutting down those oak trees. And then she'd have no way of getting off the grounds anymore.
She had to say something. Convince him that she was not breaking in, which in fact she wasn't. But what was she supposed to say? How could she explain this, without revealing her identity? She definitely couldn't have that stranger find out who she was. That was WAY too risky!
"Getting off, my Lord." Willow finally answered, trying to make her voice sound somewhat deep enough to be considered a man's voice. "Not on." She added, just in case and climbed down the tree on the other side of the brick wall to somewhat prove that she was indeed getting off the grounds and not on.
There in front of her was a man on a horse. At least that's what Willow assumed. Even though the moon was shining brightly tonight, the shadows from the trees around them prevented either of them from making out any features of their counterparts.
"And why would you have to get off of those grounds in the middle of the night?" the man on the horse continued his interrogation, clearly not too convinced that Willow wasn't a thief.
"I didn't steal anything if that's what you're implying." The young duchess replied in a tight voice. She did feel a little offended that that stranger would just assume her to be a thief. On the other hand she could barely blame him. She would probably be thinking the same thing, if she were in his position.
"Alright. Then I am sure you have another good reason on why you would be climbing over that wall." The stranger challenged. Clearly there was no other explanation to all of this, other than that person in front of him being a thief and stealing something from the Cornwall Estate.
"The Lord of Cornwall likes to know the whereabouts of all the people living at the estate and wants them to be available to him at all times and therefore rarely allows them to leave the grounds at all." Willow explained, really being truthful about everything she had said so far and at the same time, making sure that she didn't spill too much information.
"All I want is a taste of freedom for the night, my Lord." That was most definitely the truth and Willow could only hope that he heard the honesty in her voice.
"I see..." the man on the horse replied, surprised at that story that actually sounded like it could be true. "And what are you to the Lord of Cornwall?" He was asking that merely out of curiosity. The way that man - or from what he could tell, probably more so a only boy - talked had convinced him, that he in fact was really not a thief, but rather someone longing for freedom, just as he himself was.
"I... am... helping at the stables to tend to the horses of his Lordship." It had taken Willow a little to come up with that answer and she hoped that the stranger didn't notice that she actually sidestepped his question.
Technically that wasn't a lie either. In the past years Willow had spent quite a lot of her days at the stables with her brother's horses. She wished she would be allowed to ride them. She even asked her brother once but oh boy did he not like the thought of her on a horse. He not only found it unladylike but also reminded her that she was not to leave the Cornwall Estate. He didn't forbid her from tending to them though. And so she'd often spend her mornings there, petting them or braiding their mane.
"The stable boy, huh?" the stranger replied after a while. Willow couldn't tell by his voice though, whether he believed her or not. She also wasn't going to confirm his statement or deny it. She'd just leave it at that and change the topic instead.
"And you, my Lord?" Willow asked. "Why would you be riding through the woods at this time?" She really was curious what that man was doing here and who he was. Surely if one was riding the woods at this time, they were either running from something or towards something.
"I do not think that that would be any of your business." The stranger replied, clearly not planning on telling her even just the slightest thing about himself. But that only fueled Willow's curiosity.
"My nightly trips off the Cornwall grounds were none of your business either and I still continued to tell you and answer all your questions, my Lord." she replied cheekily.
It was only after saying that that Willow noticed that her curiosity might get her in quite some trouble in this matter. She did not know that man on the horse. For all she knew he could be dangerous. He could be armed. He could even be a murderer. And here she was, insisting on an answer when she should try to get herself out of this situation.
But she didn't feel like he was dangerous and she highly doubted that he would harm her. If he had wanted to do that, he would have had the chance to a million times over by now.
"Quite a sassy lad, aren't you?" The man on the horse questioned and Willow was certain she heard a bit of amusement in his voice. "Well, you shall have your answer then. I was in desperate need for some fresh air and freedom as well."
Willow was surprised by that answer. She never would have expected to meet someone that was also looking for a bit of freedom just like she was on her nightly trips. Well if she were honest she had never expected to actually meet anyone on her nightly trips. She felt an odd communion with that stranger on his horse at that moment, even though she still knew absolutely nothing about him.
"Gotten in a heated argument, huh?" Willow asked, before she could stop the words from coming out of her mouth.
Instantly slamming her hand on her mouth in regret of ever saying those words and to prevent her from saying more stupid things. For a moment it remained silent. All that was heard was the soft snuffle of the horse, that she stranger was sitting on. With every passing second Willow was panicking a little more. She really shouldn't have said that.
Therefore she was highly surprised, when she heard the man's reply. "How did you know that?" His voice had changed. It was much softer now and almost seemed vulnerable and maybe even a little hurt.
"I... uh... just assumed, my Lord." Willow replied, now feeling at a loss of words. "I've been in situations like that. Everyone probably has." Thinking back to the countless fights with her brother, Willow understood the feeling of just wanting to run away and being in urgent need of freedom and fresh air oh so well.
"Oh believe me, you have never been in an argument like the one I just had. My father-" The stranger stopped himself there. Feeling it rather odd and inappropriate to tell those so private things to a stable boy he happened to meet in the woods.
If only he knew, Willow thought to herself. She had been so close to just running away and never returning after especially bad arguments with her brother.
"It is important to get away and take a breath sometimes." She offered, trying to make that stranger not feel awkward about even mentioning the fight with his father. "But running from one's problems is never a solution." Willow added, wondering if that was, what the stranger had wanted to do. Run off and never return. She didn't know if it was right or wrong to offer some advice. If that was what he wanted to her or if it was what he needed to hear.
Silence settled between the two strangers. Both caught up in their own thoughts. Neither one seemed to know what to say. How did they even get to this point? They didn't even know each other's names and still they had reached this level of trust and understanding between them.
"Well... uhm..." Willow tried to find some words to dissolve this situation.
"You are right." the stranger finally spoke up again. "Running away isn't the answer." He had realised that now and really meant those words. "I should head back." He added, picking up the reins again.
"Of course." Willow replied, to some part glad that she might have helped that stranger and to some part sad that their ways were about to part again. She would most likely never see him again.
That stranger had been the first male person except for her family and the male servants that she had actually talked to. Her brother would most likely kill her if he were to find out. For whatever reason he was very keen on keeping her away from every male human being on this earth.
"I hope you find your solution." Willow added, glancing up at the stranger's face. There was no chance to make out any of his features really. She didn't understand why a goodbye seemed to be so hard right now, but she felt like she was clinging on to this moment, to their conversation with everything she had.
"And you enjoy your freedom." the man on the horse replied, clicking his tongue and signaling his horse to start moving. Seconds later he had disappeared in the darkness of the woods and Willow was left behind by herself, feeling a little lost all of a sudden.
After a little over a ten minute ride, the man reached his destination and got off his horse. While he was guiding it back into its box in the stables, his mind was still in the woods, with that stable boy. He had rarely felt that understood by anyone. They may have been miles apart when it came to their status in society, but the darkness had enabled them to speak freely without a worry about that.
He stopped in front of the door to the main house for a second, when he saw light coming from the living room, but presumed to enter anyway. It was his mother that was still awake and had obviously been waiting for him.
"Marcus, thank goodness!" She exclaimed in a hushed voice in order to not wake anyone. "I thought you had run off for good after that fight with your father."
"I thought so too." Marcus muttered under his breath, too quiet for his mother to hear.
"I'm sorry, mother." He apologized now looking up at her. "I was just so furious at father. I needed a moment to calm down and get a bit of fresh air."
"That was probably for the best." His mother agreed, inviting her son to sit down in the armchair next to hers, by patting its armrest softly a few times. Sighing Marcus made his way over to her and slumped down in the chair.
"I understand that you are mad at your father for making that decision over your head like that. But you also have to see his side to all of this. He wanted to help and thought this to be the best for everyone."
"He could have asked me about it first anyways." Marcus grumbled, feeling a little like a five year old that didn't get his way.
"You were already gone travelling the world" His mother argued, defending her husband in the matter.
"He could have written a letter. That wouldn't have been too much to ask for, now would it?" Marcus flared up a little, still trying to keep his cool though. He didn't want to fight with his mother, since he knew she was trying to help and act as an agent between him and his father.
"And what if he did?" His mother wanted to know. "Would you have agreed to an arranged marriage then? This is not something you discuss via letters and you do know that, Marcus."
His mother was right. It wouldn't really have changed anything if his father had told him earlier. It would have probably just ruined his mood for the rest of his journeys. And he would have dreaded the day he had to come back home.
"I guess you're right." Marcus finally admitted. "But that doesn't mean that I am agreeing to any of this." He made sure to point that out clearly.
"I know. I know." His mother replied, lifting her arms in an attempt to calm her son down. "Just think about it and try to have an open mind. " She understood that her son wasn't too thrilled to find out, a day after he got back from nearly three years of travelling, that his father had arranged a marriage for him.
"Alright." Marcus sighed in defeat. Too tired of talking about this subject, let alone arguing about it.
"I shall head to bed now and I suggest you do so as well." his mother declared, getting up from her armchair. "Sleep well, my dear." She made her way over to the door and disappeared through it only moments after.
Marcus' gaze had followed her and was now fixed on the door that she had left through. His mother was right, he should get some sleep too. He had only just arrived back home late last night and his body could definitely use some sleep, but his mind was still wide awake.
The thought of the conversation with that boy in the woods just wouldn't get out of his head. He didn't even know why he had stopped to question him in the first place.
Marcus had noticed a movement from the corner of his eye and stopped his horse to find out what it was, only to see that petite figure standing on top of the wall to the Cornwall Estate. Maybe it was his sense of justice or his dislike towards dishonest people that made him stay and question the boy. Or maybe it had just been mere curiosity. But he was more than glad now that he did.
Marcus wished that it hadn't been so dark. He could barely make out any features of the boy at all. He couldn't have been much more than 5'3" tall and looked quite petite, but that was pretty much the only thing he was able to make out.
Marcus wondered how old the boy might have been. Maybe 16? Or a little older perhaps? Possibly 18 already. He really wasn't able to tell.
He wished they could have talked longer. He wished that he could have found out more about the boy and that they could have been friends. But there was simply no chance for that to happen. He was the son of a Grand Duke and there was no way for him to be friends with a stable boy. Not in the daylight under societies eyes at least. And chances were quite high, that they would never even see each other again.
Marcus decided that it would probably be best to get to his bed and at least attempt to get some sleep. As he entered his room, he couldn't help but wonder, what life would be like, if he really gave in to his father's wishes and married that girl. What would it be like to share a room with her? To fall asleep next to her and wake up to her the next morning?
What did she even look like? All he had right now was a name. Antonia. If he wouldn't have gotten so mad at his father, he might have some more details on the woman that was promised to him. He couldn't recall ever meeting a girl called Antonia. Had they met before? No, he surely would have remembered, right? Then again he had attended quite a lot of balls, before he left for his travels and he surely couldn't remember every single girl he had met there.
To Marcus the name Antonia sounded somewhat snobbish. He could see an Antonia spending hours in front of the mirror in her room, getting ready for a ball. He could see an Antonia gossiping with her friends over a cup of tea in the afternoon. And he couldn't help but wonder, if she was eager to get married to him. If all she cared about was the money.
Ugh, Marcus hated just thinking about her. And he hadn't even met her yet. How could he agree to spending the rest of his life with a girl like that? He wanted to be free and not tied down by a girl that would only step foot outside to get in a carriage a few steps further.
Now laying in his bed Marcus stared at the ceiling in the dark. There was nothing he desired more at this moment than having the freedom of his journeys back. To know that he could go wherever he pleased and do whatever he wanted. But he already felt that freedom slipping away.
He wondered what life had to be like for that stable boy in the woods and if being married his life would in some ways end up being like the stable boy's life. He wondered if he'd sneak out at night too. A grin spread on Marcus' face at that thought. Maybe he could meet up with the stable boy then. They could spend a few hours chatting about their lives and then head back to reality. It was quite a pleasant thought. Neither his wife nor the stable boy's master would ever have to find out about it. It could just stay their little secret. That would surely make the trott of normal life a little more bearable.
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