Page 80 of Duke of Diamonds
Samuel gave a long-suffering sigh. “My dear fellow, I have scarcely had two sips of my drink.”
Isaac’s mouth curved, despite himself. “Then take it with you. It’s not as if we’re crossing the Channel.”
Samuel grumbled something under his breath but stood, and the two men left the estate for the warehouse.
Later, after making the rounds and nodding his approval at crates and ledgers that barely held his attention, Isaac wandered alone through the village. The late afternoon sun had begun to slide toward evening, and the streets were quieter than usual.
He caught sight of a modest tea shop tucked between a milliner and a tobacconist. Its windows were clean, lace curtains tied back neatly. It looked... charming.
He thought of Fiona.
His feet carried him across the street before he’d even decided what he was doing. The bell above the door jingled as he stepped inside.
A woman in a smart apron appeared from behind the counter with practiced cheer. “Good day to you, sir. What may I help you with on this lovely afternoon?”
Isaac scanned the tidy shelves, his eyes trailing over tins labeled in fine, curling script. Spices and flowers, herbs and dried fruits.
“What is the most exotic tea you have?”
“Excellent! I shall show you.” The shopkeeper clapped his hands together and fairly bounded toward a row of well-kept cabinets near the back.
From one of them, he withdrew a lacquered chest carved with intricate patterns, the kind of craftsmanship that spoke of faraway hands and careful hours. He placed it on the counter as though presenting a treasure.
“This is a complete set from the Levantine markets,” the man began, already launching into a tale of origin, trade routes, and rarity.
But Isaac was scarcely listening.
The moment he laid eyes on the chest, he knew.
She will love this.
He did not know whether it was the scent—warm and spiced with something floral—or simply the thought of her delighting in it. But he pictured her fingers brushing the polished wood, her nose crinkling with curiosity as she examined each blend.
It felt... right.
A wedding gift. Yes. Something meant only for her. The idea sat squarely in his chest, unfamiliar and steady.
Then, quite without warning, it struck him.
He missed her.
I want to see her. I want to hear her voice again. God help me, I want to kiss her.
CHAPTER 26
“Oh, your father and I have missed you dearly,” Prudence declared as she folded Fiona into a lavender-scented embrace.
Fiona closed her eyes for the briefest moment, allowing herself the comfort of her mother’s arms
Oh, Mama, you could not have said anything more untrue. Father would impale himself before he misses me.
She stepped back, her expression composed, though something inside her pulled tight.
They sat for tea in the drawing room, the clink of porcelain delicate beneath the ticking of the mantel clock.
Prudence’s gaze wandered over the newly upholstered settee and the soft gray curtains. “Are you renovating?”
Fiona poured with care. “The house needed a bit of work.”
