“Ox-gall?” Glynnis asked.
Polly wrinkled her nose. “Oh no, miss. Salt and vinegar will do the trick.”
“Thank you, Polly.” The maid couldn’t possibly know how precious each gown was to Glynnis.
“What time would you like me to awaken you?”
She was being treated like a real lady again. “Whatever time Lord Hargrove takes his breakfast, I should like to get up before and be ready.”
Polly nodded. “I’ll make sure of it, miss.”
***
BREAKFAST WITH A SINGLEman in an intimate parlor on the ground floor of a rented house in Brighton.What next?Glynnis wondered. Fairies might dance upon the tabletop, for that would be just as likely.
True to her word, Polly had awakened her from a sound sleep. After a quick wash, with her hair brushed and dressed again, and wearing a pale rose-colored day gown, Glynnis was led downstairs to the informal parlor.
When she saw Hargrove, head bowed while reading the paper, her heart gave an unexpected squeeze. She had grown so fond of him, even before this gallant rescue. Daily, she wished she hadn’t been bone-headed in London and treated him so poorly.
When he saw her, he rose to his feet.
“You look well rested,” he offered.
For his part, he looked dash-fire handsome, but she tried not to gawk.
“The bed was very comfortable, my lord, and my thoughts were at ease for the first time in a long time. I slept well indeed.”
“And now you’re hungry?” he guessed.
She smiled. “I like to start the day with a meal, although I know many do not eat until later.”
“I don’t know where you put it, Miss Talbot,” he said, drawing out the chair from the small oval table.
“My lord?” She looked up at him.
“Your portions of food,” he clarified, returning to his own chair. “You eat heartily, but you have a—”
He bit off his words.
“I have a what?”
He shook his head. “I am straying into territory I have no place going, and only because we’ve become so familiar with one another.” He rolled his eyes. “And we shouldn’t have become familiar, either.”
“Tell me what you were going to say,” she asked, pouring herself a cup of chocolate and taking a piece of toast from the small silver wrack.
“I was going to say despite your appetite, you have a ... a shapely figure.”
In the middle of buttering her toasted bread, Glynnis paused. Looking down to hide her blushing cheeks, they werenotthe only thing infused with heat. Knowing he thought her shapely caused a happy warmth to rush through her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I should have considered my words before speaking.”
“That’s not necessary,” she said. “I’ve told you so much about my situation. We can be honest with one another. I have come to appreciate frankness, particularly after the past few days, being kissed by a married man and then invited to dinner by Lord Dodd.”
She helped herself to the crisp, thick bacon strips, two coddled eggs, and a large sausage, all on a platter in the center of the table.
“If I understand you, this is not your normal morning fare,” she said, thinking how preferable it was to only drinking pale tea and nibbling on a few crackers as some did.
