Alethea approached slowly, undeterred. She lowered herself into the chair opposite his. Theodore ran a hand over his face and grimaced.
"It seems that you did not understand."
"I understood perfectly fine," she said. Perhaps it was the lateness of the hour, or the fact that she had now fully settled into her role at the estate, but she felt the least bit intimidated by Theodore. "Would you like some company?"
He finally glanced at her, one brow raised in skepticism.
"Company?" He gestured vaguely with the glass in his hand.
In answer, Alethea reached for the decanter and one of the clean glasses on the tray. Meeting his eyes, she lifted the heavy crystal and poured a glass of whiskey for herself.
"What are you doing?" Theodore straightened a little, frowning.
She tried to inject a lightness into her tone that she did not entirely feel.
"If you insist on drowning your sorrows tonight, the least I can do is offer a toast and drown a few of mine."
Truth be told, Alethea was not much of a drinker. The sisters at the convent had only ever permitted the occasional sip of watered wine on feast days. But if sharing a drink might ease Theodore's guard, she was willing to chance it. Before she could second-guess her decision, she raised the glass to her lips and took a generous swallow. At once, liquid fire burned down her throat. Alethea gasped, choking and coughing into her sleeve.
Theodore shot forward, alarmed.
"Steady on!" he exclaimed, thumping her back. "Duchess, heaven's sake."
Eyes watering, Alethea managed a laugh between coughs.
"Gracious, that is far more potent than what I imagined."
A grin tugged at the corner of Theodore's mouth. It was a sign that her little display had worked and he was warming up to her.
"Good Lord. I wasn't expecting you to toss it back like a sailor."
"I admit, that was a bit… ambitious of me," Alethea's cheeks warmed in embarrassment. She coughed once more and cleared her throat. "Perhaps I shall leave the whiskey to you, and stick to wine henceforth."
Theodore reached for the carafe of red wine that sat alongside the spirits.
"Here," he said, pouring her a fresh glass of it instead. "This might be more to your taste."
"Thank you," she said, accepting the wine. She took a careful sip. It was gentle compared to the whiskey. "Much better."
Theodore settled back in his chair, watching her over the rim of his glass.
"I must say, you surprise me, Alethea."
"How so?"
He waved a hand at the now abandoned glass of whiskey that she had poured out for herself.
"Joining me for a midnight drink… I didn't think the Duchess of Redhaven would dare to do something so improper."
She lowered her eyes briefly, running a finger along the stem of her wineglass.
"Right now, I am not a duchess; I'm simply your friend, if you will allow me to be," she said simply.
In earnest, she knew that if she was to be a good wife to Oliver, she would have to improve her relationships with his siblings. While the girls trusted her enough to confide in her, Theodore was a shell that she had not yet cracked. Alethea was eager to take the chance, now when he clearly seemed in need of someone to hear him out.
"I'd like that," His expression softened.
"Would you like to tell me why you were squabbling with the duke for?" she asked, unsure of just how much she should pry but unable to not address the elephant in the room either.
