“Yes, you’re right. He’s usually got some silly smile in place,” Beth said. “He has nice shoulders, don’t you think? I always thought there was padding in his jackets, but it seems not.”
He did have nice shoulders and arms. They were strong and muscled. Excellent arms to hold a person and make them feel safe.
“I’ve never really looked at the man before, but he’s not flabby at all,” the duchess said loudly.
In fact, Theo’s stomach was flat under his waistcoat.
“How odd to suddenly see him in a different light,” one of the women to their right said.
“Extremely odd,” Dimity said.
Looking at her, Iris didn’t think it surprised her at all. In fact, none of the Deville women seemed to be shocked.
“However, he is still brainless,” Mary added.
She wanted to defend him but knew that it was the truth. He was sometimes very silly. She just hadn’t worked out why.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
“What the hell are you about?” Monty whispered to Michael Deville after he and Nathan had wrestled his jacket off.
“You’ll enjoy it.”
“No, I won’t. This is not Plunge.”
“Maybe it’s time to change the perception of people toward you,” Forrest said. “We can do that slowly. You’ve already changed your shoes, and your hair is not quite so… so—”
“Dog poo–like?” Zach asked, smirking.
“Desist!” Monty growled.
“And the other business with the Blakes and you playing hero in front of Lady Cagney will help to let people see another side of you,” Michael added.
“I have no wish for another side of me to be seen,” Monty hissed.
“I say, Plunge. Is everything all right?”
These words came from Mr. Carlton Hyde, who was the second most foolish man in society after Monty… or Plunge, he corrected silently. Although likely he was the first, as Monty was playing a part, and Hyde, well, he was just extremely silly and simpleminded.
“No indeed, Mr. Hyde. I fear I am about to expire. They ripped my coat from my person, you know! My coats are extremely valuable!” Monty cried from a mass of Devilles.
Mass? Gaggle? One never really knew what to call a grouping of Devilles.
“Oh my poor Lord Plunge,” Hyde moaned.
Monty couldn’t help it. He looked down and rolled his eyes.
“You can seek comfort in the fact that you’re actually not a simpleton… well, not completely, unlike Hyde,” Zach said.
“I will make you pay for that,” Monty muttered.
They all stepped back after they’d manhandled him enough.
“La, who has smelling salts?” Monty said in a tone that was more filled with menace than dramatics.
“Clearly the Devilles feel they will beat the Sinclairs and Ravens with the extras they have, so they brought in Plunge to even up the numbers. It would be like having a woman on your team,” Lord Hipkiss said loud enough to carry to several women nearby.
“Hipkiss, were the women to compete, you would be left weeping pitifully,” Dimity yelled back to him.
