“I’m very glad I was there to come to your aid, Miss Wingfield.”
“As am I.”
The Duke of Elkington smiled, offering Eliza a polite bow as the door of Billington House opened and the butler looked out at them.
“I hope to see you again soon, Miss Wingfield, perhaps at a Ball or soiree this week?”
“I’d quite like that.”
Eliza offered the Duke a curtsey, then turned to hurry inside Billington House with her maid hot on her heels. She was in desperate need of a good cup of tea to settle her nerves.
* * *
When Raphe returnedto take tea with his mother and siblings, their butler, Davidson, opened the door of Elkington House and offered him a flourishing nod of welcome.
“Tea is ready for you in the family sitting room, Your Grace.”
Raphe nodded but grimaced, still not ready to re-join his family after the tense journey this morning. Catherine had been behaving so strangely. She was up to something, he was almost certain, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.
“Have I any letters or business to address?”
“I’ve left them all on the desk in your study, Your Grace, but you had best join your mother for tea first. You know that she will not be pleased if you try to ‘weasel out of spending time with the family’, as she would put it.”
Raphe let a small, frustrated sigh out through his nose, but nodded.
He’d only taken three steps away from the front door when the doorbell rang. He paused as Davidson opened the door.
“Lord D’Asti. How may I assist you today?”
Lord D’Asti grimaced, looking a little bit unwell, pale, and sweaty and like he might cast up his accounts at any moment, but motioned to Raphe.
“Actually, I need to speak with His Grace, if he has the time?”
Raphe motioned Lord D’Asti into the hall.
“Mother is just sitting down to tea in the family sitting room, and she’ll never forgive us if we don’t join the family for tea before we conduct whatever business you came to discuss.”
D’Asti nodded and reached up, tugging at his cravat, as if it was choking him half to death.
“Tea sounds lovely, thank you.”
The two of them ascended the stairs and navigated their way to the family sitting room in silence. Raphe had always liked the family sitting room at Elkington House. It was decorated in soothing hues of green and cream, and the wood in the furniture had a warm, rich tone to it. The room felt cosy and welcoming in a way that the formal sitting room did not.
“Lord D’Asti, what a delightful surprise! How lovely of you to join us for tea.”
The Duchess smiled and motioned to the chair opposite where Catherine was seated on the settee.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
Lord D’Asti smiled, but Raphe thought he saw a tightness around the Count’s eyes which belied the easy smile.
Catherine narrowed her eyes at her mother and Gabriel poked her in the foot with his cane, being none too subtle with the correction. She scowled at him, and he shook his head, his expression clearly a silent warning to his little sister to behave herself.
“How do you take your tea, Lord D’Asti?”
The Duchess beamed at the Count, all benevolence and graciousness.
Lord D’Asti wrung his hands and looked away.
