“And you hold her suitors in such regard as well?”
“In truth, the men at my estate were more taken with Miss Alden. They thought her a rare and exciting creature.” Felix grimaced at the thought.
Rare she was, but it was only because she didn’t know how to hold her tongue or behave in proper society. She was much more likely to send him to an early grave than find a husband willing to tolerate her wit and sharp tongue. Milton was his only hope in that regard.
Milton hummed and looked to the door as the women entered the room. He stood as they took their seats around the table, the staff pushing in the chairs behind them.
Felix looked at his mother with an arched eyebrow. She tipped her head toward Isabelle, indicating that she had been the source of the tardiness.
He was not surprised. If there was one person to throw them off schedule, it would be her. He knew that she would doanything in her power to sabotage her chance at getting married. However, he held onto his faith that Milton would be able to charm her just enough for her guard to lower.
Milton was good at slipping past defenses. It was what made him successful in business and what kept the people who lived on his land devoted to him.
Isabelle sat across from Milton with a serene smile, though it didn’t match her eyes. It was clear that she was putting on a show, but by the end of the night Felix was certain that she would at least give Milton a genuine smile.
“How were your travels, Miss Alden?” Milton asked as the servants moved forward to dole out food onto their plates. “I know the drive from Windham’s estate can be rather boring. There is extraordinarily little to look at, and if you happen to be seated across from him in the carriage, there is quite decidedly less.”
Her gaze flickered to Felix before she shrugged one slender shoulder. “I had not given much thought to what I was looking at as we traveled. I was more interested in meeting a man who does not wish to marry.”
The Dowager Duchess made a small chiding noise at the back of her throat but Isabelle didn’t react, instead spearing one of the roasted potatoes with her fork and swirling it through the cream sauce that pooled around the thin slices of chicken.
Milton chuckled. “I suppose that would be rather a sight given that the only men you have come into contact with are ones who wish to cart you off and lock you away.”
Isabelle’s gaze shone with entertainment. Felix scowled down at his food, not sure what to make of the exchange. While it was good that she was speaking with Milton without making thinly veiled insults, there was a calmness to her demeanor that hadn’t been there before.
It is good that she likes him. She will be out of my hair that much sooner.
“Thank you for inviting us into your home, Lord Milton,” the Dowager Duchess said, her tone soft as she cast a long look at Victoria. “Perhaps my daughter would like to play something for you on the pianoforte after dinner.”
Victoria glowered at her mother for the briefest of seconds before remembering her manners. Felix bit back a smile. Milton and Victoria as a couple was a comical idea. Milton was far too relaxed for Victoria’s nature. He would drive her to insanity with his lack of desire to move in any sort of hurry on any given day.
“I would be honored if you wished to hear me play, Lord Milton.” Victoria raised her napkin from her lap and dabbed at the corners of her mouth. “Though I must admit that my skills pale in comparison to Evangeline. She is quite talented.”
Felix looked at his mother and was sure that if her head wasn’t spinning yet, it would be soon. It seemed that Victoria wasacquiring some of Isabelle’s behavior. While it would do Victoria good to have some fun, he doubted that this was what his mother had in mind about how dinner would progress.
Milton shook his head as he cut into his chicken. “While I don’t doubt your skill, I would much rather play some cards after supper, if there are any of you who think you can beat me.”
Isabelle arched an eyebrow and set down her fork. “Do you think yourself such a talented player that a lowly woman could not beat you?”
“Oh no,” Milton said, leaning forward in his seat and bracing his elbows on the table. “I fancy myself so good at cards that only the most adept woman with exceptional skills in lying shall be able to beat me. Would that woman be you, Miss Alden?”
Her bright peal of laughter made Felix stiffen. He looked between the two of them, wondering what he had missed in their exchange. It sounded as if they were preparing to tear each other’s head off, but Isabelle was laughing and awarding Milton with a delighted smile.
Felix’s hand clenched around his fork and he speared his chicken with a little more force than necessary. Victoria glanced at him from the other side of the table, a ghost of a smile playing about the corner of her mouth.
“Is there a problem, brother?” she whispered, glancing over at Isabelle. “I have it on good authority that Isabelle has little intention of giving Lord Milton the time of day.”
“Hush.” Felix’s face grew warm as he looked at Milton and Isabelle, both of whom were too lost in their own conversation to pay any attention to Felix and Victoria.
“If I did not know better, I would say you were jealous,” Victoria’s teasing tone grated on the last ounce of good sense he had left.
“I amnotjealous in the slightest, and if you do not silence yourself on the matter, then I shall marry you to the lowliest fishmonger I can find.”
Victoria laughed and shook her head, cutting her potatoes into small pieces. “A man who is not jealous would not threaten me so.”
“A man who is not jealous is simply trying to enjoy his dinner without the pestering of his younger sister.” Felix stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth, chewing as he looked back over to the couple.
Isabelle had all but abandoned her dinner as she looked at the scars on Milton’s hands. “And you say you won these fighting a bear?”
