“I think I’d better take some notes.”
Mr. G chuckles. “We’ll start with learning how to buff.”
A part of me feels guilty for monopolizing his time and being upstairs while Steve is stuck downstairs at the register. An hour into my lesson, I shoot him a text.
Min
I’ll be up here occupied with Mr. G for a while yet. I know your girlfriend is in town. If she were to drop by, I don’t think anyone would notice if she hung out in the shop for a bit.
Steven
*Wide-eyed emoji*
Min
Yes, I’m being serious. Mr. G is in the Grenadier zone.
Steven
Warn me before you come down with him.
Min
I’ll do my best.
Steven
That’s all I ask.
Mr. G reenters the room with a grin. “You won’t believe our luck, but Patrick’s mate, Leeds, is in his office for tea. He’s a former H-Cav officer. He’ll be able to explain anything I might’ve missed and answer any specific questions on the cavalry kit. They’re on their way over now.”
I force a smile onto my face. “Great,” I manage.
Lord Renbrook’s friends aren’t your typical friends. They’re normally important individuals, like members of Parliament or other people with titles. I’m too nervous to ask who in the world this Leeds character might be.
I hear two male voices approach in a heated discussion. One of them I recognize as Lord Renbrook’s.
“No. You have it all wrong, Paddy. An H-Cav saddle is much trickier to use than a side-saddle,” a baritone voice states.
“And you would know this how? Haveyouever ridden sidesaddle?” Lord Renbrook teases.
“Yes, I have. When Eddie and Alice were children, they made a bet with me that?—”
“Ha, you don’t need to explain. If those two were involved, I’m sure the stakes of the wager were high, and that Alice won. She always wins.”
“She does, doesn’t she.”
The two men enter the room. The man with Lord Renbrook is about an inch taller than him. He’s wearing a gray pin-striped three-piece suit. No doubt it’s another beautiful Savile Row creation. The lines of the coat are cut to accentuate his broad shoulders and tapered waist. He has sandy-blond hair and bright blue eyes.
Mr. G clears his throat.
“Louie, a pleasure as always,” the man in the pin-striped suit offers.
“Leeds.” He inclines his head.
I jump to my feet and curtsy as I realize where I’ve seen the man’s face before. “Your Highness, I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”
Renbrook laughs. Leeds, whose full name is Prince David, the Duke of Leeds, groans. “Please, don’t do that.”
