“I understand you were turned away at the kitchen door when you first arrived. A slight, for which I’d like to express my sincerest apologies.”
“Thank you, but it’s quite all right. I understand why the maid who met me responded the way she did.” Harriet added a self-deprecating laugh. “I do not look my best at the moment.”
The butler merely dipped his head in acknowledgement of the remark. “Thankfully His Grace was able to clarify matters.”
“Yes,” Harriet agreed, although she rather felt it was his wife who’d done so.
“Had he not arrived at the same time as you, I fear I too would have sent you away.” He gave a curt bow. “Good day, Mr. Michaels. I pray the remainder of it will be better for you.”
Lips parted in shock, Harriet stared after his retreating form. He’d referred to Mr. Evans as ‘His Grace’. Why would he do that unless… She shook her head, unable to grasp what she already knew to be true. It explained his smart appearance that first time she’d bumped into him on the street, though it didn’t explain his position at Hudson & Co. Why on earth would a duke choose to work for a living when he didn’t have to?
“Here we are,” said Ada when she returned. “I’m giving you four pounds to be sure.”
“It’s too much,” Harriet complained.
“Not when you’re in dire straits.” When Harriet still refused to take the money, Ada said, “Give me back whatever’s left if you like, but at least you’ll have it available to you, should the need arise.”
Harriet flung her arms around her friend and hugged her tight. “Thank you. I’ve no idea what I’d have done without you.”
“Called on Emily?” Ada suggested with a wry grin.
“Probably,” Harriet agreed.
“You ought to head straight home from here so you can be with Lucy. I’ll see to it that the doctor shows up.”
“Thank you.” She exited Ada’s home while telling her friend, “I still can’t believe you’re a duchess. Or that there are currently two dukes in your parlor.”
“I know, it’s rather…” Ada sucked in a breath. “I don’t think you’re supposed to know that.”
“Know what? That Mr. Evans is a duke in disguise?” She held Ada’s gaze. “What’s his title?”
Ada shook her head before sending a quick glance over her shoulder. “You should ask him. But before you do, you might want to consider the fact that he’s not the only one pretending to be someone else. How would you feel if he worked out your secret?”
“Point taken,” Harriet said. She thanked Ada once more and made her way back to her lodgings in order to check on Lucy, all the while acutely aware of the fact that Mr. Evans was so much more than the working-class gentleman she was starting to fall for. He was a duke, which placed him on an entirely different level, so far removed from her own he might as well be on the moon.
11
“Itrust Mr. Michaels is a friend of yours,” Anthony said while Ada poured them all a cup of tea from the pot a maid had delivered. “Mathis tells me you arrived together and that you vouched for him.”
“We’re colleagues,” Brody informed him, choosing to say as little as possible on the subject.
“Interesting coincidence, him being a friend of Ada’s and you being a longtime friend of mine.” Anthony smirked and for some absurd reason his eyes also danced with mischief.
“I suppose so,” Brody agreed. He sipped the tea Ada handed him and noted the warning glance she sent her husband. It very much felt as though there was a secret joke he wasn’t in on – or worse, that he was the brunt of.
“And what do you think?” Anthony asked.
“Of what?”
“Of Mr. Michaels, of course, what else?”
“Er…” Brody could feel his face starting to heat. Not good. The last thing he needed was for his friend to suspect something might be amiss.
He fought the urge to tug at his cravat. Hell, he’d barely allowed himself to recognize that he might find Mr. Michaels a little attractive. Not that he’d ever pursue a relationship with a man. He couldn’t even wrap his head around how such a thing might work. The mechanics of it did not appeal in the slightest, but when he looked at that mouth and gazed into those hazel eyes, he had the most urgent compulsion to kiss him.
Madness. That’s all this was. It would surely pass if he set his sights on a beautiful woman.
He cleared his throat. “He’s very skilled at what he does. Granted, my knowledge of printing and what it involves was lacking before I began working at Hudson & Co. Having seen Mr. Michaels in action though, I believe he might be the best compositor in the country.”
