Ambrose leaned back in his chair, his expression cooling slightly. "My problem is rather the opposite," he said, a touch of amusement in his voice. "It's not that I can't choose. It's that I find it difficult for a woman to hold my interest for long."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Ah," he said, nodding slowly. "So it's not the abundance of choice, but the quality of the company that troubles you?"
Ambrose was not willing to admit to his uncle the deeper reasons as to why he wished to avoid marriage, so he nodded along. "You could say that."
Lord Sebastian raised his eyebrows, leaning forward with a grin.
"Perhaps your mother has a point, you know. You can't wait forever. The longer you wait, the harder it'll be to find someone who fits these... elusive standards of yours."
Ambrose gave a low chuckle. "Good," he said dryly, "that means I'll never find someone."
"Oh, Ambrose. You're impossible." He leaned back in his chair and continued, "But if you do marry, imagine the celebration! A grand wedding, all of London turning up for the event of the season. It'd be quite the spectacle. Nowthatwould be something worth attending."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Uncle, but it's not likely to happen. I'm afraid it would take a miracle to get me to the altar."
"A miracle," his uncle repeated, "Or maybe just a particular kind of lady."
"I beg your pardon?" Ambrose asked, mildly curious.
"I remember from your teenage days when you visited in the summer. You always seemed to get along with the most troublesome young women. It was as though you were drawn to them—interested, even," Uncle Sebastian recounted. "Has that changed at all? Perhaps the women that your mother is showing you are just not your taste."
"Those days are behind me," he said, his voice more clipped than he intended. "I have no time for such frivolities now. My duties as Duke take precedence."
"Ah, yes. Duty. The ever-present excuse. But it's funny, isn't it? How certain... habits from childhood never quite go away."
Ambrose opened his mouth to dismiss the comment, but before he could speak, his thoughts involuntarily flashed to Daphne. Her sharp tongue, her fiery eyes, the way she always seemed to challenge him at every turn. There was something undeniably troublesome about her, and yet...
He pushed the thought away before it could take root. No. This was ridiculous.
Instead, Ambrose straightened his shoulders and forced a smile. "I think we've discussed enough of this drab topic for one evening, don't you?"
"If you say so."
"I'll arrange for a hunt tomorrow. Since you're here, it seems only right that we enjoy the estate's grounds," Ambrose suggested, eager to change the topic.
At that, Sebastian's face lit up with genuine excitement. "Ah! Now that's more like it. A good hunt will do us both some good. I do miss the thrill of it."
"Then it's settled. I'll have the men prepare everything first thing in the morning."
CHAPTER 14
"Finally," Daphne said, looking out from the window of her chambers to the driveway of the estate. She was watching a carriage pull over.
Isadora and Violet were scheduled to arrive today, along with some other guests. It had been days since she had seen them, and the thought of their company brought her more relief than she had realized.
Not long after, Violet and Isadora, her closest friends, swept into the room. Their laughter and chatter immediately filled the space, and for the first time in days, Daphne felt like herself again.
"Oh, Daphne!" Violet exclaimed, throwing her arms around her. "It's been ages! How are you?"
"Tell us everything," Isadora added eagerly, her eyes sparkling. "How has it been? The house party, Richard, everything!"
The question made Daphne pause, her smile faltering for just a second. She had been dreading this moment, knowing full well that her friends expected her to be glowing with excitement over Richard. And yet... that wasn't the case.
"It's... it's been lovely," she said awkwardly, her voice lacking the enthusiasm her friends had probably expected. "The estate is beautiful. And, um, the company has been... interesting."
"Interesting?" Isadora shot her a look.
"I thought by now, you'd be telling us that you've fallen head over heels," Violet added, her smile faltering as she studied Daphne's face. "Is something wrong?"
