“Traitor,” Virginia said by way of greeting.
He nearly jumped out of his skin.
Laughing, Virginia took the seat opposite him. “Not you.Duke.”
At the sound of his name, Duke turned his head slightly and gave a halfhearted hiss. He was enjoying his scratches too much to put proper effort into the greeting.
Only when Theodore dropped his hand guiltily did Duke force himself from Theodore’s lap and saunter to Virginia’s feet.
“Watch this,” Theodore said. “Duke.”
Duke turned and hissed.
Theodore cocked an eyebrow toward Virginia.
She shrugged. “I showed you that trick the day you met him.”
“You didn’t show me this one.” Theodore turned back to Duke. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
Duke flopped over onto his spine. Purring loudly, he rubbed his back against the carpet in random patterns.
Virginia’s lips quirked.
Theodore pointed. “Did you know he would do that?”
“Of course. He is my cat.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Theodore demanded.
“Everyone knows ‘Your Grace’ is a proper way to address a duke,” she reminded him, “and ‘thank you’ is common courtesy.”
Theodore stared at her in consternation.
“Congratulations.” Virginia tried not to let her grin show. “You have good breeding. Duke approves.”
“I’ll write a note to the papers to let them know.”
“The three-bearded rockling’s bright orange scales do not take his measure, but that of those around him.” Virginia settled across from Theodore and narrowed her eyes. “You should consider a pet.”
“Ihada pet.”
“You had one?” Virginia swallowed her dismay. “Is he… Did something happen?”
“Something happened.” Theodore’s jaw tightened. “I went to war. I could not abandon Coco to languish in my town house without me, and my father refused to allow a ‘mongrel’ on his property. I was forced to find her a new home.”
Virginia’s heart skipped in empathy. No wonder Theodore’s bride needed to be perfect. His family would accept nothing less.
“When you return to London, will retrieving Coco be your first stop?”
“I don’t know.” Theodore ran a hand through his hair. “Checking on her, certainly. But I have been gone a long time. She was a puppy when I left, and now she is grown. She has a new family now.”
“She didn’t forget you.” Virginia hoped he did not discern the tremble in her voice. “No one forgets their first family, no matter how they part.”
“Good friends of mine took Coco in and have come to love her. What kind of man would I be if I took her from them?”
Virginia tried not to imagine how she would feel if Duke’s first owners appeared out of nowhere and ripped him from her life. Theodore was right. Some things, once lost, could never be regained.
“Don’t get any ideas with my cat,” she said sternly. “Duke is a loan, not a gift. He won’t be going to London.”
