Page 63 of Duke of Silver
Georgianna’s gaze flicked to their joined hands, and he could see the venom simmering just beneath the surface of her placid mask. Alexander met her gaze with a look of satisfaction, feeling vindicated in a way he hadn’t expected.
“Shall we now, darling?” Elizabeth asked, looking up at him with a loving expression that made his heart swell.
“Of course, dear,” he replied, his voice warm with affection.
“Now, if you’ll excuse us, Countess Winston. We will let you return to your guests,” Elizabeth said, her tone polite but final as she steered them away, leaving Georgianna standing there, fuming in silence.
As they walked away, Alexander couldn’t resist teasing, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous back there, Liz.”
Elizabeth shot him a sidelong glance, her lips curling into a playful smile. “Why, you looked positively mortified back there, Alexander. I felt generous enough to step in and save you.”
“Save me?” he echoed, a laugh bubbling up from his chest.
“Most definitely,” she nodded, her tone light and teasing. “You looked like a cornered mouse.”
“Well, thank God for a magnanimous wife then,” he said, laughing again, the tension from earlier melting away.
“Indeed,” she agreed with a smug smile.
“Although not the most humble, I’m afraid,” he added with a mischievous glint in his eye.
The look she gave him in response was so endearing, so full of life, that it tore forth another burst of laughter from him. In that moment, he realized something profound—he never wanted this to end.
Elizabeth halted abruptly in the threshold of the breakfast room, her eyes widening ever so slightly at the unexpected sight before her. Alexander was seated comfortably at the table, nursing a mug of coffee while he scanned the morning paper. He had never joined her for breakfast before. What was the occasion?
“What are you doing here?” she asked, blinking at him.
Alexander looked up from the paper, a faint smile playing on his lips. “What a question to ask me in my own house,” he chuckled, setting the paper aside.
“I meant, you’re in here. Havingbreakfast,” she clarified, still trying to process the unusual sight.
“I’m a man. I have an appetite too, Liz,” he replied with a laugh. “And besides, is it so improbable to see me having breakfast atmy own home?” His tone was teasing, but there was something sincere beneath it that warmed her heart.
“Oh, you know what I mean, Alex,” she dismissed his teasing as she moved toward the sideboard to serve herself.
“Alex?” He raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
“You call me Liz, do you not?” she countered with a mischievous smile. “I think it’s only fair."
“Perhaps,” he conceded, his smile widening, and Elizabeth felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Good heavens, but it seemed he grew more handsome by the day.
She joined him at the table, feeling uncharacteristically flustered, like a schoolgirl in the presence of her first crush. His gaze held a subtle amusement, and the expression only deepened the warmth in her cheeks.
“I felt it only fair to share in a hearty breakfast with my savior this morning. Don’t you think?” he said as she reached for the cheese platter, his voice laced with that familiar mix of affection and humor.
“Oh, so youdoacknowledge that I saved you from the Countess yesterday?” Elizabeth beamed, her earlier surprise giving way to a surge of satisfaction as she recalled the moment she had intervened on his behalf.
“I never denied it,” he replied, his tone still light. Then, glancing at her plate, he added with a playful glint in his eye, “That is some copious amount of cheese you’re having, Your Grace.”
Elizabeth followed his gaze to her plate, noting the generous serving of cheese she had taken, along with the piece of bread she was happily spreading with more. She met his gaze with a grin, entirely unrepentant. “Oh, there’s never too much cheese, Alex,” she responded before taking a creamy bite of her bread, savoring the rich flavor.
Alexander’s laugh was warm and genuine, filling the room with a pleasant sound that seemed to make the morning even brighter.
“What say you we get some air in town later?” he suddenly suggested, his tone casual, but the offer itself was anything but ordinary.
Elizabeth’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Was he truly asking to spend more time with her?
“You do not have business to tend to? Or an urgent call at the House of Lords?” Elizabeth asked, her tone lightly teasing, though there was an undercurrent of genuine curiosity. Those were his usual excuses whenever he disappeared, leaving her to navigate the vastness of Sterlin House alone.
