“Good morning,” she greeted Lady Chesterfield with a smile. The lady was seated at the head of the dining room table, a plate of breakfast in front of her.
She nodded to Leah, her smile unusually subdued. For that matter, she was only wearing a few feathers in her hair today. A frown wrinkled Leah’s brow as she helped herself to the breakfast spread on the sideboard and took her seat at Lady Chesterfield’s side. Something was clearly bothering her patroness, and Leah had more than a sneaking suspicion that it was probably her own fault.
“Are you feeling okay, Lady Chesterfield?”
The older woman cleared her throat. “I am well enough, my dear. But when I woke this morning, Graves informed me that a missive came for you.” She picked up a folded paper that Leah hadn’t noticed before. “It is from the dowager Duchess of Granville. Naturally, as your guardian and chaperone, I read it.”
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“Naturally,” Leah agreed drily. Privacy was a luxury
she hadn’t realized she’d miss so much.
“Her Grace has decided that you are entirely unsuit-able for marriage to her son.” A little tear formed in the corner of Lady Chesterfield’s eye. “Oh dear Leah, whatever can you have said to give rise to this opinion?
I only hope you have not lost your chances with him.”
Leah’s fork clattered to the table. “I’m so sorry, Lady Chesterfield. But listen. The duke isn’t really interested in me at all, he wants— ”
“Never mind that, my dear. We may yet have a chance to set things right. I shall ask dearest Granville to accompany us to Ranelagh Garden in two days.” Lady Chesterfield’s eyes glowed. “You shall apologize for whatever it is you have done to anger the dowager. I am certain that in such a romantic setting, dear Granville must come up to scratch, no matter what the dowager feels.” With that, Lady Chesterfield patted her feathers.
A self-satisfied smile spread across her face.
“No, I don’t think you understand. I don’t love the duke.”
Lady Chesterfield stared at her, brows climbing in question. “But of course you do not, my dear. Love is what occurs between a husband and wife after many years of marriage. You will come to love him.”
Her chair scraped back and she stood to go. She gave a little pat to Leah’s cheek. “Your world of the future must be quite different from this. But you must trust me, dear.
I know how you are to go about things in this society. I’ll not lead you astray.” She turned to leave, but before she reached the door, she looked over her shoulder at Leah.
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marry advantageously. You are too precious to squander yourself on anything less than a peer of the realm.” She disappeared through the door, leaving Leah’s jaw hanging open. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t quite convince it to shut.
So much for her apology. So much for laying things out on the line, thanking Lady Chesterfield for her kindness but firmly stating her feelings for Avery. So much for planning her exit ASAP.
She munched on a piece of bacon dejectedly. It appeared that she had another couple of days to figure out exactly how to get Lady Chesterfield to realize that she was perfect for Granville, not Leah.
Why hadn’t she stayed home and started collecting cats or something?
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Twenty-Six He’d never been a dreamer. Though his realities were not always pleasant, they were better than being caught unawares. His beliefs had not changed, but his dreams were much stronger than they’d ever been in the two days since he’d seen her last.
Several times, he’d shaken himself to regain control of his mind from the memories that replayed through it over and over. Leah smiling up at him, straw in her hair and laughter in her eyes. Leah’s kisses, passionate and fervent. Leah sinking to her knees…
He dropped the brush he’d been using on His Grace’s coat. The clatter of the heavy object on the polished floors brought some clarity to his foggy mind.
Scowling, he picked up the brush and resumed his brushing on the sleeve of the duke’s fine, blue coat. He must hurry and finish his duties so that he could watch out for her.
That night in the stable had not changed his station, nor had it magically gifted him with the means to support a wife. He’d revealed his feelings to her, but he should not have. She had come to land a husband, not ensnare GeekGirlsDontDateDukes.indd 249
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herself with a boxing valet, his bedridden aunt, and a puppet master named Prachett.