Page 98 of The Miracle of Love
“Why would anyone invite us?”
“To liven their parties, of course. Nothing can be worse for a host or hostess than to be considered drab.” He called over one of the tea room stewards. “Another pot of tea. And what are these cakes you just brought out?”
“Turkish delicacies,” he explained. “Our chef has introduced them to England in honor of His Majesty and the Royal Pavilion built here in Brighton. Of course, they are not traditionally served in English tea rooms. But our patrons seem to enjoy them. We have our array of traditional cakes as well.”
“Oh, I would love a small piece of each,” Grace said, pointing to one the steward calledbaklavaand another he said waskonife.
“Of course, Mrs. Quinton.”
“Have you ever tried these before?” she asked Deklan. “The dough is crisp and thin, and coated in honey.”
He nodded. “I had these particular sweets in Constantinople. They have been popular for centuries throughout the Ottoman Empire. But do not let on about that. The London elite will rave about these exotic delicacies because they have been presented as delights served only to kings. They will not be pleased to learn these sweets are available to commoners as well.”
“Well, they are delicious. I would love to hear about your adventures, those you are at liberty to divulge. You must have seen and done so many interesting things, met so many interesting people. Perhaps even changed the course of history.”
He reached over and dabbed her lip with his table linen. “You have some honey on the corner of your mouth. I could kiss it off you.”
“Don’t you dare,” she said with a gentle laugh. “I would rather not be barred from coming here again because of your scandalous behavior.”
“Very well, I shall be as pious as a choir boy.”
She began to smile with each bite she took. “I thought the Royal Pavilion was designed after the royal palaces of India. Are these desserts traditional fare of theirs, too?”
“I don’t know, but I hardly think it matters. Anything foreign to the English palate is lumped together as one.”
Her smile was irresistible.
Even the maitre’d was now beaming at her.
She glanced over and cast him a gracious smile in return. “Deklan, you were right. I’m glad we stayed. This was my first hurdle, and thanks to you I have gotten over it. Well, hopefully we shall have no more trouble once I am truly your wife.”
“Now you know why I could not marry Genevieve. Had the situation been reversed, my choosing her over you, something that would never happen in a million years, by the way. But had I momentarily lost my mind and chosen her, you would have come over to wish us every happiness. You would have done this even if your heart was breaking.”
“She behaved badly, but I cannot blame her for loving you.”
“I think it is more that she cannot get over anyone rejecting her, especially a commoner like me.”
“But is this not more reason to forgive her? She cared for you, not for a title.”
“She cared for my wealth, no doubt something her family needed to maintain appearances. She is not like you, Grace. Her heart does not work the same as yours.”
The lady was haughty and vengeful, and that was a bad combination. He did not expect her to give up meekly, so he kept an eye on her.
Somerset, however, had handled himself well by showing surprising tact and consideration. Perhaps he was not as bad as reputed to be in his younger days. Men grew up. Became responsible.
Too bad Genevieve did not appreciate what she had.
He kept an eye on Velda, too. He did not trust that conniving woman for a moment, and was immediately suspicious when, after a brief conversation with Genevieve, she suddenly excused herself and left Somerset’s table.
She returned several minutes later, giving Genevieve a subtle nod as she sank back in her chair.
That sly smile again.
No, he did not like it at all.
He decided it was time to get Grace away. “Love, are you ready? We ought to return home now. We’ll be getting an early start in the morning.”
“Oh, yes.” She rose as he drew out her chair, and then waited for him in the hotel foyer while he retrieved their cloaks.
