Page 25 of The Best-Kept Secrets
He lifted one black eyebrow. “I asked you that same question earlier, and you wouldn’t answer. I think I will follow your example and launch yet another guessing game between us.”
That teasing declaration, tossed out so casually before he left, stayed with her as she ate her own meal, rendering her surprisingly giddy at first. Thankfully, she had herself sorted by the time Duke returned an hour later with his grandmother’s empty tray. Eve was in the process of washing the soup tureen and serving platter along with the bowls and utensils that Nia had brought back to the kitchen from the public room.
“The Marlows have retired for the night,” Duke said. “Nia is helping Grandmother prepare for bed. I am here to act as a scullery maid.”
“That is the answer, isn’t it?” She added inarguably too much enthusiasm to her expression, hoping to make him laugh. “All your life you’ve dreamed of one day being... a scullery maid.”
“You have sorted me entirely, Eve.”
She shook her head. “I doubt anyone has ever sorted you entirely.”
The flicker of amusement she enjoyed so much returned to his eyes. “Are you saying I am a mystery?”
“Yes,” she answered emphatically.
Some of his amusement dimmed, uncertainty taking its place. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No.” She quickly dried her hands on a rag and turned to him. “As someone who is transparent—often to a fault—I envy you a little, that you’ve learned to tuck away those parts of yourself that you’d rather weren’t known to everyone.”
“How is it you intend to keep your work here a secret ifnotrevealing things is such a struggle for you?” He pulled off his frock coat and hung it on the back of a chair.
“Fate is on my side with this secret.” She turned back to the washbasin. “I won’t ever interact with the family who is sheltering here with us. And should your grandmother ever raise the topic, I need simply make an offhand mention of either of her children, and she will be immediately distracted.”
Duke came and stood next to Eve. “You and Nia have been exceptionally patient with her, and I appreciate that. I suspect you are discovering why it is that all the companions who have been hired to live with Grandmother have eventually thrown up their hands and quit.” He rolled back the cuffs of his shirt. “Put me to work, Miss O’Doyle, but with the understanding that I have never done this before and will likely be rubbish at it.”
“You didn’t talk nearly this much during the last house party nor during your brief time in London,” she said. “I am going to take that as irrefutable proof that you find me utterly delightful company.”
Something shifted in his gaze. It grew warmer, more focused on her. Even the air around them seemed to change. There was tension and an undefined spark.
Keeping her head was proving more of a challenge than she’d expected.
“You can take up a dishrag and dry off what I’ve washed,” she said, surprised by the steadiness of her own voice. No hint of what she was feeling crept in. “If we put it all away damp, it’ll grow musty.”
And he did precisely what she’d asked, which brokesomeof the spell wrought by his lack of an answer a moment ago. Had he felt the space between them crackle as she had? Did he feel the lingering effects of it now?
“I took a bit of soup and farls to Mr. Evans,” she said as she took up her dish scrubbing once more. It seemed a safe topic.
“Who is Mr. Evans?” Duke asked.
“The owner of this inn. The old man who lives in the cottage.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “I never did learn his name.”
“I assured him that any supplies we use, he will be compensated for. He seemed worried about that.” She paused her work and risked looking more directly at Duke. Though his eyes were every bit as mesmerizing as ever, she wasn’t fully upended this time. “I feel a little guilty that you are bearing that expense. I have only three pounds to my name, and I need that for the servants at Fairfield.”
“I doubt very much that Colm will permit you to give a gratuity to the Fairfield staff.”
Eve shook her head. “It is expected though. And it is most certainly earned. They will be doing more work than usual and ought to be shown gratitude for it.”
Duke set his hand on her arm. The spark in the air returned in an instant. Eve held very still, afraid of breaking the contact and also inadvertently revealing what she was feeling.
“I suspect my grandmother has given you a less-than-favorable impression of my aunt and uncle,” Duke said, “but I assure you they are fair-minded and generous. I haven’t the least doubt they are offering their staff additional pay in acknowledgment of the additional work.”
That wasn’t as reassuring as he likely thought. “But it is expected that guests offer gratuities.”
“I’ll talk to Colm,” Duke said. “He’ll understand.”
She set back to her work, but her mind was far from calm on the question. Duke also returned to his effort at drying what she washed.
