The footman looked to Hodgins, who waved his hand in the direction of the door.“I’m sorry, my lady.I did not realize that you no longer like fish.”
Violet took a careful breath in and found her voice.“It’s more that the baby doesn’t care for fish.”The smell lingered, and she raised her linen napkin to cover her nose and mouth.
Rhys poured her a cup of tea from the pot in the middle of the table.He spooned several helpings of sugar into it and stirred briskly, the spoon clinking madly against the sides.“Here, take a good whiff of this,” he offered.
She set down her napkin and accepted the teacup he pressed into her hands.The delicate smell of orange blossom and bergamot settled her.She took a small sip.Perfect.“Thank you.”
Next, Rhys took a piece of toast and slathered it with butter and then jam.He held it out for her.“Eat this.It’s raspberry jam.”He piled several pieces of bacon onto her plate.“Where are the lemon biscuits?I was told you had them?”
Hodgins pulled the cover off another plate.“Right here, Mr.Seaton.”
“Ah, good man.”Rhys transferred two to her plate as well.Then he proceeded to fill his own plate with eggs, sausage, and toast.
Violet bit into her toast, savoring the sweet but slightly tart flavor of the jam.She exchanged a glance with Hodgins, who looked quite flummoxed by Rhys’s command of the breakfast table.“Thank you, Hodgins.I think we will be fine by ourselves.”
“As you wish, my lady.”Hodgins bowed, gestured for the other footman to follow him, and then they quit the room.
She chuckled around another bite of toast.“I don’t know what shocked him more.When you shoved the tray of kippers at poor Paul, or the aggressive stirring of my tea.”
Rhys ran a hand through his hair with a rueful smile.“I don’t possess any fine manners.But I do know how to take care of my girl.”
Violet basked in the warmth of his gaze.“Yes, you certainly do.”
*
“So, what exactlyare we shopping for today?”Violet asked Rhys as they approached the large warehouse that he had explained housed the inventory for the auction house.She had her hand tucked into the crook of his arm, and his hand lay warm and possessive on top of hers.
He shrugged as he reached for the door and pulled it open.“I don’t know.What do you think I need?”
“Rhys, you have no furniture outside your bedroom, save the dining table and your piano.So I’m going to say we could start with a settee and some chairs.”The warehouse was cool and dimly lit, with only light from big windows along the upper floor.A walkway circled the second floor and looked down to the main level.In front of them lay a maze of furniture of all types.To her right, stacks of paintings leaned against a long wall.“Where do we start?”she asked.
“Zeke,” Rhys bellowed.
The man in question appeared at the railing on the second floor.“Yes, boss?”He smiled down at them.“Didn’t expect to see you here today.And you brought your friend.Good afternoon, Lady Sommerset.”He held up a finger and then disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later from the back of the cavernous room.“What can I do you for?”
“We are here to shop for furniture.For my place,” Rhys replied.
Zeke’s dark eyebrows rose all the way up.“Your place?”
“Yes, my place.Don’t look so bloody surprised.I took the dining table, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but you refused the chairs.”Zeke’s eyes slid to look over at her.“So, what are you thinking?”
“I think he could use some seating for the main floor.Perhaps a rug or two?”
“Hmmm, let’s go this way.I have a few options down here.”Zeke headed down to the left.
They passed by shelves that held chandeliers of all shapes and sizes.Violet flicked a finger at a dangling crystal as they passed by.Behind the shelves of smaller household items, they came to a row of chairs of various types.Some were clearly dining chairs, some ladderback wooden chairs, simple in design but sturdy looking.“Mr.Seaton, what is your style preference?”
Zeke snorted.
Rhys glared at him before turning back to her.“I guess I would say I don’t have one.I mean, furniture is for sitting on, right?”
Violet grabbed his hand and tugged him over to a pair of chairs embroidered with an intricate floral pattern.“Look at these…what is your opinion?”
Rhys frowned.“Do you like them?”
“The question is, do you like them?”
