"A hint is enough for the wise," he replied, nonplussed. "Is this how you navigate the world?"
Daphne's fists clenched at her sides.How dare he speak to me like that?Wise? That is quite rich, coming from him.
She had never encountered someone so insufferably arrogant in all her life. The way he looked down at her, as though she were beneath him, sent her temper soaring.
"I hardly think you're in any position to criticize," she shot back, standing taller despite the height difference. "If anything, your arrogance is far more dangerous than my supposed ‘clumsiness.'"
The man's eyes gleamed with something unreadable— amusement, perhaps, or challenge.
"Oh, you have a sharp tongue, don't you? It must get you into trouble more often than not. Tell me – what is your father's name?"
Daphne felt a sharp stab in her chest at the mention, but would never dare show even a hint of weakness. "Joseph Carter, the Earl of Alborne."
"Ah – Alborne...." he seemed to be sifting through his memory. "Is that... the infamous..." he stopped short before he could finish the sentence.
Daphne shot him a look.
"What is your name?" he demanded.
Before Daphne could answer for herself, a familiar voice broke through the heated tension.
"Lady Daphne, there you are!" Richard appeared, weaving through the crowd with a warm smile.
Finally. The one person I came here to see.
But the moment he noticed the man standing next to her, the smile faltered. "Ambrose?"
Daphne's heart skipped a beat as she looked between the two men.
Surely, this was not right.
"You know each other?" she asked, the confidence in her voice faltering.
"Ambrose is my older brother," Richard nodded.
Daphne's stomach dropped.Ambrose?The Duke of Greymont? The same Ambrose she had heard about in passing but never imagined she would meet—let alone argue with? Every lady in London knew about the duke with the impeccable manners and the flawless appearance. Yet the former didn’t seem to be true in this case.
Seeing both brothers together, it made sense to her now why Ambrose had looked so familiar. He resembled Richard in appearance, but appeared more polished and mature in comparison.
Ambrose's smirk widened at her obvious shock, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Surprised, are we? Perhaps next time, you'll be more polite when speaking to a stranger."
Daphne opened her mouth to respond, but Richard stepped forward, cutting in before the argument could escalate further.
"I am sure that my brother is delighted to meet you," Richard tried to lighten the mood. "Ambrose, I met Lady Daphne by the lake. It was quite the chance encounter, I will tell you that. Wouldn't you agree, Lady Daphne?"
Daphne was still quite taken aback from what she had just discovered, though she really tried not to show it.
"Yes, it was."
"You should have been there, Ambrose," Richard continued. But Ambrose seemed to be mildly annoyed by the exchange.
“A chance encounter, you say?” Ambrose’s tone was laced with suspicion. “Well, that is quite the lucky chance. Is it not?”
He looked between his brother, and then Daphne. Daphne felt her cheeks heat up. Was the duke implying that she had somehowplannedfor them to meet?
“Yes, I happened to spot her when she was in distress,” Richard explained.
It looked as though he was about to say something more, but held back. With a roll of his eyes, Ambrose took a step back, folding his arms over his chest. "Very well," he said, though there was no mistaking the arrogance in his tone. "I'll leave you two to it."
