Page 71 of His Duchess of Scandal
“Indeed, Lord Trewford is due to arrive very soon. Her Grace suggests thatyou clean up well for the occasion. She has spent a lot of time on it.”
Clearly, my wife has taken one apology to mean she can have free rein and do anything she pleases.
Charles was mildly annoyedandmildly amused.
He stood up and shuffled his papers back together. He was planning on visiting some cottages later that week, so he would need his affairs in order and to make sure that Phoebe would not kick up a fuss.
“Very well,” he sighed. “Tell Her Grace I will be there soon.”
He could swear he saw the butler hide a smile as he led the way out of his study.
An hour later, he entered the dining hall, dressed in his finery, and immediately locked eyes with Hermia.
“We will discuss this surprise later.”
Next to her, Phoebe burst into a fit of giggles.
Charles eyed her, too. “I suppose you had a hand in this, too, young lady?”
“I did!” Phoebe cried happily. “I wanted to apologize for breaking the vase. I know you like food, so this made sense! And Lord Trewford is coming!”
“I believe so,” Charles muttered. “Where is he, then?”
Hermia stifled a laugh. “I told him to arrive after you, and I knew you would show up on time, so I assume he will be here at any?—”
Behind Charles, the doors to the dining hall swung open, and in strode Levi, his blonde hair catching the light above. His grin was already fixed in place as he motioned for a footman to bring in several boxes.
“A belated wedding gift,” he announced. “And several gifts for the prettiest lady of the ton.”
He pulled a rose out of his pocket and offered it to Phoebe, who snatched it and clutched it to her chest.
“Thank you, Lord Trewford!” she said, rising to her feet.
Charles threw out an arm to stop her from throwing herself at his friend.
“We’ll have dinner before opening the gifts,” he told the room. “The Duchess has gone through a lot of trouble to arrange this. Let us not get distracted now.”
Levi scowled at him, dismissing his moodiness as always, but sat down regardless. Phoebe lowered herself into her seat.
Hermia gave Levi an easy, soft smile. Charles knew it was not affection, but his irritation flared at the thought of her feeling more carefree with Levi than with him.
His actions certainly did not help.
When the first course was served, Levi had already launched into a tale that had Phoebe engrossed, curious and intrigued.
“As you already know, your father and I go way back,” he was saying. “But Lady Phoebe, I am certain you do not know that your father broke into one of our university’s observatories when he was younger. Ah, those Cambridge days, yes?”
Charles rolled his eyes. “Yes, I was quite a different man back then. My wife and daughter do not wish to be bored with?—”
“Yes, we do,” Hermia cut in. “Yes, we very much do. Levi, do tell us about this absolute rascal who broke into university property.”
“Oh, I do believe it was an autumn day, was it not?” Levi asked loudly.
Charles glowered at him. “Winter,” he corrected. “It was icy, and that was partially the reason we broke in. We wanted to get warm, and I had left blankets up there.”
“To wooladies,” Levi emphasized. “Again, more improper flirting by sneaking ladies onto the campus.”
“Heavens.” Hermia giggled.
