The next evening, Marina came down to dinner and was happy to see Lilly already waiting in the dining hall. She sat across from her father, next to the seat that Marina usually took for herself. “Good evening, Lilly,” she said cheerfully. “I am pleased to see you could make it today.”
Lilly glared down at her empty plate. She did not say anything.
“Lilly, what do you say to Marina?” Evan asked, his voice gentle.
“Pleased to be here too,” the little girl mumbled.
Evan raised an eyebrow. “Can you try that again?”
His daughter glared at him, her lower lip jutting out in a pout. “No!”
“It is quite all right,” Marina said, taking her seat. “I’m just happy all of us can eat together as a family.”
Lilly whined and slapped the table with her palm.
“None of that,” Evan said sternly but quietly. “If you have something to say, then please use your words.”
“No!”
“Take your time,” Marina said gently. “I know you will say what is on your mind when you are ready.”
A footman served all the food, and Evan and Marina ate dinner in silence while looking at the newest addition to their nightly dinner party. Lilly pushed the food around her plate in stony silence for a while.
“How was your day, Lilly?” Evan asked, finally breaking the silence.”
Lilly glared at him and refused to answer, so Marina answered for her. “Lilly is continuing to improve on spelling,” she said. “She also spent some time looking at the pictures in the fish books you brought for her last night. Soon we will start learning about music. Perhaps you can learn to play the pianoforte in the drawing room, Lilly.”
“No!” Lilly shouted at Marina. “Stop talking!”
Marina’s stomach twisted. Lilly had been a little moody and quiet all day, but she thought the girl was just tired. According to the nanny, it had taken a long time for Lilly to fall back to sleep after she woke up from her nightmare.
But it looks like she is truly angry with me. I just wish I knew what I did wrong.
“Lilly, that is enough,” Evan said. “You will sit quietly until you can apologize to Marina.”
Marina appreciated the quiet, stern voice Evan took with his daughter. It was clear that even though he would not tolerate such behavioral issues, he would remain patient with her instead of losing his temper.
Marina started to eat her food. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lilly shove boiled carrots off her plate. “Lilly, you need to eat your vegetables if you want to grow big and strong,” she remarked.
Lilly snatched the carrots off the table with her bare hand and squished them into mush before throwing them at Marina with all of her might. “You’re not my mommy!”
Shocked, Marina barely managed to dodge out of the way of the food.
Evan grabbed his napkin and wiped his face. “That is enough for tonight,” he said, gesturing to a footman. “Dinner is over. Please take my daughter to her room.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the man said.
Lilly got up and stomped away with the hapless footman struggling to keep up. Evan turned to Marina, a cool look in his eyes, but his expression was generally neutral. “I would like a word with you, duchess. In private.”
She bristled a little at the use of the formal title, but she nodded and followed Evan out of the dining room and to his private study.
She closed the door behind him and turned to look at him. His neutral expression was gone, replaced with barely restrained anger. It took her by surprise, and for a moment, she had a childish impulse to run to her room and lock the door.
Do not be silly, Marina. You did nothing wrong, and Evan prides himself on being rational.
“What did you do?” Evan asked, his voice coming out like a low growl.
So much for that thought.She stared at him, speechless.
