The gravel creaked under her boots, her footsteps loud in the almost eery silence that was characteristic of the first hours of the morning when the sun was dawning, its shape still covered by the hills east of the estate. The servants were asleep, not yet ready to wake up and start the day, leaving the halls and the garden completely deserted. Janice had discovered that this was the best moment to go for a ride, to feel the fresh morning air on her face, and to watch the world around her slowly wake up.
She quickly reached the stable, petting lightly her favorite horse, a stallion whose chestnut mane shone almost unnaturally in the light of the sun, a beautiful animal with kind and intelligent eyes. It pushed its snout against her hand, asking for a treat. For a while, the only sound that could be heard was the satisfied munching of the horse, who was enjoying the big apple Janice had brought him.
The sound of rustling shook her from her thoughts, prompting her to look toward the direction the sound was coming from. There, bent over a tool she didn't recognize, was Jasper, who still hadn't noticed her, too preoccupied with the task at hand. They hadn't met since the day he had comforted her, and so she wanted to talk to him and thank him for his helpful advice.
She struggled against the undue shame she felt, as she was embarrassed to have been seen crying. She wasn't used to showing vulnerability and couldn't help but fear he would see her in a different light than before because of that. It was stupid, considering that Juliana and the stableman's interactions had probably only consisted of a swift but respectful bow and a polite nod since that moment but still, her vulnerability issues were not going to follow any real logic so here she was, like a schoolgirl debating whether or not to greet her crush.
Luckily, she didn't have the chance to further embarrass herself because Jasper, ever the helpful man, turned around, leaving her with no choice but to acknowledge his presence.
"My Lady! What are you doing here so early? Everything is still dirty and the horses still haven't been fed... " She stopped him with a wave of her hand, her previous nervousness gone, endeared by his fretting.
"Don't worry Jasper. I come here every morning to go for an early ride. If anything, I should be the one asking you what are you doing here."
"I didn't finish my work yesterday so I came here early; I was hoping I could go unnoticed but well..." She smiled lightly and after a beat decided to talk, knowing that she couldn't postpone this forever.
"I have thought a lot about our last meeting, Jasper. I wanted to thank you for your words and for... everything you did that day. I'm glad I found you here this morning."
He smiled at her, his gaze warm and soft. "You don't have to say anything, Your Grace. You have always been kind to me and I don't see why I shouldn't do the same. Really, you have nothing to thank me for." Janice nodded at his words, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her chest; she had needed to hear this.
They both remained silent for a moment and the duchess was ready to go back to saddling her horse, which had been left in his box, still waiting for her, but his voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Lady Juliana, I must confess that I too thought a lot about our talk." She turned around, curious to hear what he had to say.
He took a long step, getting closer to her. His voice had dropped an octave and even his eyes seemed to hold much more weight than before, staring at her intensely, a strangely familiar glint lighting them up. Suddenly, Janice was reminded of an enticing scent tickling her nose and a solid chest pressed against her. When it happened she thought it was a trick of the lights but now she realized it had been the same, enigmatic gleam.
"It must be hard" He continued, "now that the Duke is dead. Your Grace must feel very lonely." She wouldn't consider that man's death a tragic event, more like a joyous day that should be honored with a yearly celebration but she didn't have time to dwell on the thought because Jasper stepped even closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his skin radiate even from under his clothes.
"I-" She swallowed, confused by his unexpected closeness and general attitude. Nevertheless, she had to keep up her facade so she drew a long sigh, trying to play the part of the young widow she was supposed to be.
"Even if it's lonely, it's a weight I must endure, for I could never imagine betraying the sacred vows I have sworn by." Janice hoped her expression was adequately somber and devastated, conveying the inherent misery of duty, instead of the fact that she felt like the heroine of a badly written web novel.
"My Lady is too noble. Someone so good and devoted should not punish herself like that." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"I... should not?" Who knew that people here could hold such modern views on divorce.
"Of course not, your Grace. In fact, I believe you should be allowed to seek comfort if you were to need it." He came closer, and Janice took a step back, startling herself when her back hit a wall.
He chuckled, a deep, rough laugh that rumbled in his chest, noticing her expression. "I only meant to volunteer, Lady Juliana. If you should ever feel like the weight of your duty is too heavy, I'll be... glad to help you carry it." His eyes glinted again, smirking at her.
Oh. Oh!
Carry her duty with her? Well, she did get lonely sometimes. Janice supposed that she couldn't fault Jasper for being such a loyal man, always looking out for others.
She licked her lips, feeling a strong wave of heat hit her. She was not blind to his incredible attractiveness and mentally she sent a prayer to her niece, thanking her for making a point of writing only about devastatingly handsome men.
"Japer, your generosity is truly admirable." She leaned against the wall behind her, her voice lowering and filling with malice. "Believe me, I would be honored to experience it."
"If your Grace wanted so I could be very generous right now; my Lady is rather fetching in her riding attire and she inspires me to do a lot of good deeds." Before she could even think of an answer, his warm hands were on her: one on her waist and one cradling her chin, tilting her head up towards him.
She dived in. His lips felt plush against hers, his tongue skillfully in her mouth. His kisses were long and heated as if he never wanted to let her go. Janice found her hands wandering in his brown hair, surprisingly smooth. (She supposed those were the advantages of living in a novel, not even needing conditioner to have perfect hair.)
They unwillingly parted, both needing air. She hadn't realized how much she had missed it, kissing; sharing a light, even playful form of intimacy with someone else just for the pure, beautiful sense of freedom that came with it. Judging from Jasper's eyes it was clear that he felt the same.
The next kiss was even better, both already high on the feeling. The hand that previously rested on her waist slowly made its way down, caressing her hip, just to end up on her tight. He lifted it, hooking it to his hips, closing completely the distance between them and she couldn't hold back a gasp at the feeling of their cores pressed together.
She leaned towards him, ready to meet his mouth for another-
A shrill sound ripped through the silence of the stable, so loud and grating that both Jasper and Janice jumped at it, before looking at the direction the sound came from.
It seemed like her horse was much more strict than her on respecting her sacred vows because she could have sworn it looked at the pair disapproving as if it couldn't stand the scene before its eyes.
Well, what a way to ruin the mood. She untangled herself from Jasper, smoothing her dress and her hair. He wanted to say something but they were interrupted yet again.
"My Lady! My Lady!" To her great surprise, Annette came running into the building, tears streaming down her face. "Mr. Jameson, he... he was poisoned."
---
Janice watched the scenery outside of the carriage's window, trying to gather her thoughts.
"He was found near the mines, right?" Annette, who sat in front of her, continuously wringing her hands, nodded.
"Yes, my Lady. Two boys wanted to explore the caves and they said he was just... laying there, unconscious. The doctor confirmed he was hit with a poisonous bolt; if they had found him just an hour later he wouldn't have made it." The duchess nodded, deep in thought.
"Did the boys find something else there? Maybe footsteps or any clue that could help us find the attackers." The maid just shook her head, too distressed to speak properly.
Janice sighed. "We'll have to wait for Mr. Jameson to wake up, then."
---
"I was trying to examine the old mines; we hadn't tried to use them since the last shake, which destroyed a significant part of them. Someone was there, two men. I thought they were geologists but... the last thing I remember was one of them pointing at me." Mr. Jameson looked sick, his skin white as chalk and his lips almost grey. On his throat, a large wound stood out, its strikingly vibrant color almost violent on its otherwise white canvas. At the center of it, a small, almost invisible circular wound.
"Do you have any idea what they could be possibly looking for?"
He shook his head. "To my knowledge, there is nothing there, surely nothing worth killing for."
"Well, Mr. Jameson, we'll have to see about that. If something is there, we need to find it before someone else does it."