“Miss Alden.”
“Isabelle, please.” Miss Alden began to wipe the mud from her face. “In America I was simply Isabelle, and yet I come here, and everyone believes that I must be Miss Alden. I cannot bear it.”
“Well, Isabelle,” Mrs. Peregrine said as she turned and wiped her hands on her apron, “I shall make a chicken pie to go with the stew. I am afraid I do not know any of the fancy French recipes that have been making their way through England, but you do not seem the type to mind.”
Miss Alden shook her head and finished cleaning up. “May I help you? I miss cooking. We had a chef at home, and she always allowed me to cook with her.”
“It would be a joy.” Mrs. Peregrine pulled another apron from a peg on the wall and handed it to Miss Alden. “Windham, you will get comfortable, won’t you? My husband will fetch some blankets before he goes out to secure the few animals we have left.”
“You are a farmer?” Felix asked, looking to Mr. Peregrine as he opened a cabinet and pulled out thick blankets.
Mr. Peregrine nodded. “For many years. Lord Milton decided that he no longer had use for us, but he did allow us to stay in this cottage. It has been our home since our daughter was a babe.”
His statement left a bitter taste in Felix’s mouth. The last day had shown him that the man he had once considered a close friend was not the man Felix had always perceived him to be.
Perhaps after this visit it would be best to keep the acquaintanceship as distant as possible.
“I am in need of a cook and a farmer at my estate,” Felix said, stepping into the kitchen so he could speak with Mrs. Peregrine. “I have a cottage at my estate that is slightly larger than this one. It would be yours and you could bring your livestock as well, as it has its own private pasture.”
Miss Alden looked at him, her brows knitting together. “You have positions open?”
He stepped to the side and straight onto her toes, silencing her though it earned him an icy glare in return.
Mrs. Peregrine’s eyes watered. “You are too kind, Your Grace.”
“I do not think it too kind at all. You are both in need of work and if your food tastes half as good as it smells, I suspect I shall have the best chef in England.”
Miss Alden gave him a small smile that made him think that, for once, she approved of something he had done.
A man could get addicted to a smile like that.
Thirteen
Mrs. Peregrine laughed as she cleared away their empty plates. “I find it hard to believe that anyone could compare you to an angry goose.”
Isabelle grinned and nodded, cutting a quick glance at Windham before she continued the teasing. “It is true! I personally do not know how many times in his life he has angered a goose, but it must be a good many if he is inclined to compare me to one.”
Windham scowled, but there was a hint of humor playing around the corners of his mouth. “I do not make it a habit to fight animals.”
Isabelle smoothed her hands along the skirt of the borrowed dress as she stood and helped Mrs. Peregrine clear the table. “I have often thought of myself as more of a disgruntled badger.”
When the Duke burst out laughing, Isabelle smiled and ducked her head. Her cheeks were warm as she set the dishes in thesink before Mrs. Peregrine waved her away. She collected the glasses and put them on the counter. Windham watched her with serious eyes. She wanted to ask him what she had done to warrant his penetrating stare. Although she wouldn’t be surprised if she had erred, she had enjoyed not fighting with him today.
Not once had she considered how exhausting it was to constantly squabble until they had finally had an opportunity to spend an evening together in peaceful coexistence.
Once the dishes had been washed and put away, Mrs. Peregrine turned to them and announced, “You three shall take the two bedrooms tonight. It does not appear that the storm will let up anytime soon.”
Isabelle shook her head. “We cannot put you out of your rooms. We are perfectly fine on the couches. You have been more than kind to us already.”
Windham stood and nodded. “You shall keep your bedrooms. We are not yet tired. I suspect we will stay up for a while longer.”
Mrs. Peregrine looked at Mr. Peregrine with a fond smile. “Do you remember the early days of our marriage when we were young and could stay up until the sun broke over the horizon?”
He chuckled and took her by the hand, leading her down the dark hall. “It has been a long time since we were that young.”
A door shut, leaving Isabelle and the duke in silence while Evangeline slept on the couch. Isabelle spied a pack of cards on the corner of a small table near the couch and brought them back to the dining table.
Windham looked up at her with a raised brow. “What are you doing?”
