Page 77 of His Duchess of Scandal
“Certainly, Lady Phoebe. Tell me, what isyour favorite animal?”
Charles thought ofgoatsright as Phoebe proclaimed, “My favorite is goats!”
Once again, he was taken aback by knowledge he hadn’t known he possessed. But he recalled it now. When he had gifted Phoebe her first pony, she had thanked him and said she was grateful, but she loved the thought of riding a goat instead.
“Then I shall see to it that you see my goats before you leave. I have two.”
“Do they have names?”
As Mr. Bollet led them inside, Phoebe’s voice disappeared beyond the door.
Hermia paused, giving Charles a knowing look. He said nothing, and neither did she, yet her smile indicated that she knew he had guessed it.
“Thank you for this,” she said quietly, before ducking inside.
He gazed after her, at a loss for words. His silence was often his weapon, but he thought it was Hermia striking him silent for a lack of choice.
As Charles and Mr. Bollet navigated the storeroom, with Charles taking note of the damage that had been vastly downplayed in his opinion, Hermia trailed after them.
“There is a rotting beam there,” she pointed out. “Has there been any rain here lately, Mr. Bollet? Aside from the one that caused the first leak. It’s just that the leak is on the other side, and this beam here looks ready to collapse. Another day or two, and I believe it would reduce the whole storeroom to a cloud of dust.”
Interesting, Charles mused, both impressed and regretful he had not noticed it himself, instead relying on his tenant to keep him informed.
But Hermia continued looking around, pointing out more damage that even Mr. Bollet seemed not to have noticed.
Together, they made a plan.
“We must send more workers out here to do some maintenance,” Hermia suggested quietly.
“Agreed,” Charles said. “I will assemble a team immediately. Mr. Bollet, we will have your storeroom patched up as soon as we can. I will also personally replace any damaged items, stock, tools—anything you need is at our disposal.”
Our.
He glanced at Hermia, who nodded.
Yes, this feels right. This feels like we are not facing one another on a battlefield.
“Thank you, Your Graces,” Mr. Bollet said.
They finalized the plan and then left to go inspect the next cottage.
Charles wasn’t entirely certain, but he could swear Hermia’s hand brushed his as they walked. But neither of them was brave enough to face the other head-on and take their hand.
Chapter Twenty-One
By the time they made it back to the other tenant’s cottage, Phoebe had unleashed herself on the cattle, chasing them away at the first sign of goats.
Charles immediately noticed the mud on her dress and moved to say something, but Hermia put a hand on his arm.
“Do not,” she said quietly. “Just… let her be a little girl for a moment. We can carry the dukedom by ourselves. Let her shed the weight of being a duke’s daughter and chase some animals like a normal girl.”
Charles disagreed, but he nodded when he saw that the tenant looked neither disgusted nor judging, buthappy.And so he let Phoebe be the whirlwind she was, knowing she was not causing any damage to anybody or anything. She was just being a little girl playing in the mud without going over the top.
She looked back at him, a flicker of worry crossing her face, and he nodded.
It is all right. You are all right. I am sorry I get so cross.
He knew he’d be able to say it one day. But for now, he let her play. He moved around the other tenants with ease, almost letting Hermia take over.
