Page 24 of Her Duke in Shining Armor
“Lady Darcy—” he began to plead.
“No,” Darcy ordered. “Let’s see the ostrich exhibit first.”
“Leopard cage.”
“Ostriches,” she shot back.
“Giraffes.”
“Ostriches.”
“Llamas?” He tried to negotiate.
“That is just another kind of horse, now shut up or I’ll shove you into the lion’s den,” Lady Darcy threatened.
“You’d prefer to see me get mauled instead of petting a horse? Oh you, devilish woman,” he swore.
“That’s funny,” a familiar voice said. “I’d expect you to say that to me.”
Not quite sure he believed what he was hearing, Aaron turned and with lowered eyes took in Lady Eleanor, who was standing not too far behind him. She was clad in an angelic-white muslin dress and had a cottage bonnet over her hair while her chaperone was beside her.
“Lady Eleanor and Miss Malcolm,” he greeted and the two curtsied.
How d’you do’s and inquiries about health were exchanged among the three, admittedly with Aaron’s eyes not moving from Lady Eleanor’s until Lady Darcy dragged his attention back.
“As for the previous declaration, calling you devilish is a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?” Aaron said while slanting a suspicious eye to Lady Darcy, whose fan was suddenly hiding half of her face. He knew she was smirking behind it!
So that was you have been up to, going behind my back to seek out the one person who both intrigues and infuriates me…meddling woman.
“Tell me the truth, you must have termed me so in the past.”
“And even if I had, what good would admitting to that do?” Aaron asked.
Her head canted to the side, “It would tell me that you are truthful. Wouldn’t that be so Lady D—oh, pardon me, Darcy.”
Aaron’s left eyebrow arched, “You two are friends now?”
“Not bosom friends,” Lady Darcy smiled while moving to embrace Lady Eleanor. “But we might be getting there soon. Eleanor, may I introduce Miss Verona, she is my primary chaperone but my fiancé insists on it being Oberton. He and I were having a disagreement about what to see first. My vote is for birds but Oberton wants to see the leopards, giraffes, and llamas. Note though that Oberton is fascinated with horses so if he gets anywhere near horseflesh or the relatives of horses, he might not move till the rapture.”
“I’ve always been fascinated by ostriches,” Lady Eleanor replied after greeting Miss Verona.
Her bonnet was tipped back so a swirl of her dark red tresses was showing. A few unruly wisps escaped to hang over her eyes, but Lady Eleanor did not seem to notice them.
“The bird tent it is!” Lady Darcy tugged Lady Eleanor toward the aviary. “Great minds think alike.”
Aaron fell back to keep step with Miss Malcolm, “They are a pair.”
“How so, Your Grace?” Miss Malcolm asked.
“Lady Darcy is as bookish as they come and I don’t need to tell you about Lady Eleanor’s brilliance. They will be regaling us with every strange fact about these animals, facts that only Sir Butler might know off. Prepare yourselves, Miss Malcolm and Miss Verona, we will get lectured today.”
True to Aaron’s word while gazing at the large birds, Lady Darcy and Eleanor gushed over them, rambling off the scientific name of genus and species of the flightless birds.
They were still peering into the exhibit when a lady, wearing a dress of deep emerald green and sporting an oversized hat of peacock feathers paraded before them.
“I suppose it is good to blend in,” Lady Eleanor said wryly.
Lady Darcy slapped her light with her fan, “Eleanor, for shame.”
