“Well,” Beck said, setting down his teacup.
“You have to talk in a British accent,” I prodded, nudging him with a bare foot.
He grabbed me under the table and stroked my bare ankle before letting me go. His touch made me shiver.
Yeah, I definitely want my own special prize tonight!
My boss gave me a wry smile then said, “How good of you to ask. We did just receive a new shipment of horses. I’ll be traveling out to Harrogate in a few weeks to help train them.”
Beck’s accent was actually really good, and I suddenly had a strong desire to see him dressed up like Mr. Darcy.
“Horses?” I remarked. “How charming.”
“Did you bring them in from the Americas?” Annie asked.
“Yes, from Wyoming.”
“And how are they fitting into their new home?” Enola asked.
“Hunter says they are doing very well, though Midnight and Merlin seem a bit miffed that they have new neighbors.”
“Oh,” I said. “Oh!Wait, you literally had a bunch of horses shipped into your actual estate. That’s…” I grabbed a sandwich and wolfed it down. “That’s very extra.”
“When you girls come to the country, we’ll go riding,” Beck promised his sisters.
“Can we go driving?” Enola begged.
“Like in a car?” I asked, confused.
“Keep up!” Beck said with a wink. “It’s carriage driving with a horse team and buggy. Of course, there are no cars in the early Victorian period.”
“Quite right. Newfangled inventions.”
“Our brother, Tanner, collects very old machinery,” Beck said as I poured him more tea. “And I believe he actually owns an old prototype car from the 1880s that he’s been working on restoring. We should tell him to bring it out to the estate.”
I reached for another sandwich, but they were all gone. I took a scone instead, spreading the jam and clotted cream liberally.
“I feel like I haven’t gotten enough underhanded Victorian gossip,” I told the girls.
Enola was thoughtful for a moment. “Lord Mike has adopted a guinea pig.”
“I’m sorry,” Beck said, frowning. “Mike has a guinea pig?”
Enola nodded happily. “It’s very cute.”
“But he doesn’t know it yet,” Annie explained. “Ophelia has it living in her bathroom. She’s going to surprise Mike when he comes back from work.”
“Ophelia thought he needed a pet, and one of the seniors in the building had a friend who breeds guinea pigs and gave her one.” Enola took a bite of her scone.
“Dang,” I said. “Mike’s in for a real surprise, isn’t he?” I grabbed two of the desserts. The scones were gone, unfortunately. I think I ate more than my fair share, but they were tasty.
“Please don’t surprise me with a live animal,” Beck said to the girls. He looked at the empty tray. And then my empty plate.
“In my defense,” I said, “the Victorians really need to learn something from the Americans. Nothing like an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
“It was just supposed to be a snack to tide you over before dinner,” Annie said, sipping her tea.
I dusted off my hands. “Welp,” I said. “I’m starving. Who wants fettuccini Alfredo?”
