Page 43 of Tempted By the English Marquis
Colazione. Prima. Breakfast. To have breakfast.
They exchanged grins. “Breakfast.Colazione. I will remember that word, don’t you worry,” said Gideon. He held up his hand, showing all his fingers and thumb. “Give me five minutes to get ready.”
Dashing about his room, Gideon quickly washed his face and hands, then put on the only other clean shirt he had available. Hopefully the rest of his clothes would be returned to him later that day.
Once he had spent time with his mother and sister, Gideon intended to do something about his attire. His current state of dress had him looking and feeling like a small boy trying on his father’s clothes. Worrying about his wardrobe shouldn’t be a priority, but the way his mother’s gaze had run disapprovingly over him last night had stolen a sense of power from Gideon.
If he was going to stand up to the duchess, he had better be suitably dressed for war.
* * *
“Oh, thank heavens,” gushed Augusta rising from her chair as Gideon stepped into the private sitting room occupied by the two Kembal women. As he wrapped his arms around his sister, she hugged him about the waist. She was pleased to see him.What a relief.
He never wanted this moment to end. Having G know that he genuinely cared about her, and that no matter what their mother might say, he wasn’t just there at the duke’s insistence, meant the world to him.
“I heard a rumor that you were seen in the garden late last night with Serafina,” said Lady Anne. Having not bothered to move from her chair, she remained seated at the small round table in front of the window, basking in the warmth of the late morning sun.
Gideon drew back from the embrace and turned to his mother. “Yes, it was good to see her. I was outside looking at the lanterns in the grotto when Serafina arrived. We went for a short stroll in full view of the palace.”
So, you can go back and tell your little birdies that nothing happened.
The duchess huffed. “Just as long as you don’t get any ideas of secret assignations with her. The lovely Serafina is shortly to be married; Enzo is in contract negotiations as we speak. She wouldn’t want to go to her future husband with her reputation at risk.”
His gaze shifted back to Augusta, who slowly nodded. The happy smile on her face at greeting him had dimmed to a stiff expression of sadness.
“Who is he?” The tremble in his voice betrayed Gideon’s pain.
“Some old man. Apparently, it’s an arranged marriage—one which will further her dear papa’s political ambitions,” said Augusta.
Gideon gritted his teeth, silently praying that his mother wasn’t stupid enough to say anything else untoward in this moment. He wasn’t sure he could hold his tongue if she did.
Augusta led him by the hand over to the table where they joined their mother. “Come, sit; breakfast is a small meal here in Italy, but it’s still quite delicious. The little cakes and strong coffee are a nice way to start the morning.”
“I hear that the locals tend to eat a bigger meal during the day. I am looking forward to trying some of the local pasta dishes. The captain onboard the ship from England was telling me all about them. They sound wonderful,” replied Gideon.
“You look as if you could do with a hearty supper or two. Have you lost weight?” asked Augusta.
“Yes. I was unwell for quite a bit of the journey over. Before I sailed, Cousin Francis’s wife, Poppy, gave me some ginger tea, and at times it was the only thing I could keep down.”
Augusta and the duchess both sat back in their chairs. “Francis Saunders! Your cousin has gone and gotten married?” exclaimed Lady Anne.
He picked up a small, glazed delicacy. It looked like a croissant, but as he bit into it, Gideon was surprised to discover it was filled with custard. As his tongue tasted the sweetness, he made a vow to eat one every day while he was here in Rome.
“That is the best thing I have eaten in ages,” he said.
His mother set her cup of coffee on the table and huffed. “Do we have to beg you to tell us what is happening at home?”
He was going to take his time over his food and morning coffee. The duchess hadn’t been in any sort of hurry to speak to him last night.
See how you like being made to wait, Your Grace.
“I assumed since you were not interested in coming back to London that family matters didn’t hold any importance for you,” he calmly replied. Lack of sleep was not helping his mood.
Augusta reached across the table and placed a hand on his arm. “Please, Gideon, tell us all the news from home. Has Clarice had her baby?”
“Yes, she and our cousin David were delivered of a little girl a few weeks before I left England. What else?” Gideon paused for a moment, trying to recall all the important developments of the past few months. “Oh, and our cousin Maggie Radley is now Baroness Denford. She married Piers Denford just before Christmas. And Francis Saunders married the owner of the warehouse next to his at London Docks, a Miss Poppy Basden, who is a retired ship’s captain.”
He hadn’t put much thought to it, but now that he did think about it, there had been a number of significant events in the family. All while Lady Anne and Augusta had been here in Rome.
