She flicked a glance back in the duke’s direction, thinking it a pity that such uncommonly fine looks had been gifted upon a man who was as pleasant as a cold, wet stocking.
“I would never dream of commenting upon the size of your nose, Your Graceship,” she said, unable to keep from needlinghim just a bit by once again intentionally using the incorrect form of address.
His nostrils flared and his lips compressed. “Yes, I reckon to do so would be unbearably rude, and you would never be that, would you, Miss Fox?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, reconsidering her decision not to throw food at his head from across the table. “Never.”
They exchanged glares, and then the duke resumed eating his dinner.
Addy waited for him to take a bite before continuing brightly, “If you don’t have a Christmas tree, then we must find you one.”
He took his time chewing and swallowing before responding simply, “No.”
“No? That is all you have to say on the matter?”
A small smile curved the corners of his mouth upward. “Quite.”
Her fingers clenched on her own fork, her grip so tight that her knuckles ached. “At home in New York City, we have a beautiful tree covered in ornaments and candles, festoons over every doorway, kissing balls, presents, candy canes… It is a truly glorious sight to behold. No one celebrates Christmas like my mama. That is why I wanted Lila and Letty to join us.”
“No good would have come of my sisters visiting you in America, Miss Fox,” he said calmly.
“What would have been the harm?” she demanded, still outraged by his refusals each year.
“You, Miss Fox. I daresay your influence is hardly improving.”
“Me?” Her shoulders went back. “There is nothing wrong with my influence.”
He regarded her solemnly. “What would you call sewing the undergarments of the headmistress together whilst she was sleeping?”
“Hilarious,” she said, raising her wineglass in mock toast. “Madame Mallette was horrid to us. She deserved far worse than having the split in her drawers sewn shut. Although, I will admit I was delighted to know that she failed to realize what we had done until she had gone to the water closet and it was too late.”
“Addy, dearest,” Aunt Pearl attempted to intervene in a tone of shock.
Addy knew it was beyond the pale to speak so boldly in mixed company, but she didn’t care.
“Is a pot of honey emptied in one’s hair a worse fate?” he inquired coldly.
“The honey wasn’t my idea,” she defended herself. “However, it was immensely gratifying to see how difficult of a time that old shrew had washing it out.”
“What about sneaking into the village to find young gentlemen to kiss?” he snapped.
Heat crept up Addy’s throat, but she refused to look away. Instead, she held his gaze. “That onewasmy idea.”
It had also been what had ultimately seen Addy, Lila, and Letty expelled from the Académie Clairemont.
“Adelia Louise,” Aunt Pearl said, sounding aghast.
Mama had never told anyone the true reason for Addy’s premature return from Swiss finishing school. She’d been far too ashamed. Poor Aunt Pearl was learning of Addy’s misadventures for the first time. All thanks to the Duke of Arse-ingham.
“As you can see, I was not unreasonably reluctant to allow my sisters to once more be exposed to your unladylike influence,” the duke was saying with a self-important, triumphant air. “They might have gone to visit you and ended up murdered in some filthy alley or perhaps they would have run off with a pair of lowly sailors.”
“I never would have allowed any harm to befall them,” she defended herself, fairly trembling with outrage. “Lila and Letty are like sisters to me.”
“You must forgive me if I find your reassurances less than comforting, Miss Fox,” he returned, his voice cool. “It is a miracle neither of them was ruined after what happened at the Académie Clairemont, and all thanks to you.”
A thought suddenly occurred to her, distracting her from the acerbic dialogue she was exchanging with the duke. The Christmas presents she had painstakingly chosen and brought from America for Letty and Lila were packed in her trunks. The trunks she’d been forced to abandon hours earlier to the snow.
She gasped. “I have to go back to the carriage.”
