Phillip embraced her awkwardly. It was some time since he’d done so, and he’d forgotten how it felt. “Whatever can be the problem?” he asked, giving her a pat on the back for good measure.
Amanda pulled her face out of its burrowed position in his neck and pointed one furious, shaking finger at Eloise.“It’s her,”she said, as if referring to the devil himself.
“Miss Bridgerton?” Phillip asked.
“She put a fish in my bed!”
“And you dumped flour on her head,” he said sternly, “so I’d say you’re even.”
Amanda’s little mouth fell open. “But you’re my father!”
“Indeed.”
“You’re supposed to take my side!”
“When you’re in the right.”
“It was afish,” she sobbed.
“So I smell. You’ll want a bath, I imagine.”
“I don’t want a bath!” she wailed. “I want you to punish her!”
Phillip smiled at that. “She’s rather big for punishing, wouldn’t you agree?”
Amanda stared at him with horrified disbelief, and then finally, her lower lip shaking, she gasped, “You need to tell her to leave.Right now!”
Phillip set Amanda down, rather pleased with how the entire encounter was progressing. Maybe it was Miss Bridgerton’s calm presence, but he seemed to have more patience than usual. He felt no urge to snap at Amanda, or to avoid the issue altogether by banishing her to her room. “I beg your pardon, Amanda,” he said, “but Miss Bridgerton is my guest, not yours, and she will remain here as long as I wish.”
Eloise cleared her throat. Loudly.
“Or,” Phillip amended, “as long as she wishes to remain.”
Amanda’s entire face scrunched in thought.
“Which doesn’t mean,” he said quickly, “that you may torture her in an attempt to force her away.”
“But—”
“No buts.”
“But—”
“What did I just say?”
“But she’smean!”
“I think she’s very clever,” Phillip said, “and I wish I’d put a fish in your bed months ago.”
Amanda stepped back in horror.
“Go to your room, Amanda.”
“But it smells bad.”
“You have only yourself to blame.”
“But my bed—”
