“I’ll ride with you two on the way to my tailor’s,” David said as he set his loaded plate on the table and then took a seat. “I’ll catch a Hansom cab to return here.”
Handing Ertugrul a plate, Adeline indicated he should help himself. “A footman will see to your drinks. Just let him know what you’d like. Coffee, tea, chocolate...”
Their guest regarded the line of covered dishes. “You go first,” he encouraged.
Chuckling, Adeline said, “All right, but you’re our guest.”
“I wish to see how it’s done,” he whispered as he leaned closer to her.
The scent of spice and leather wafted past Adeline’s nose, momentarily replacing the smoky odor of bacon. She inhaled and grinned. “Of course.” She selected a few items and made sure to leave the cover off the dish of glazed pheasant. She could never remember the fowl being served for breakfast in Bostwick House, so she knew her mother must have said something to the cook about their guest’s dietary restrictions. Her father would have apprised her of the details. “The pheasant is my favorite,” she said in a quiet voice.
Ertugrul helped himself to a breast and recovered the dish. “Do ladies hunt for pheasants here in England?” he asked.
“I’m sure there are some who do,” she replied. “But I cannot imagine they would do so with a fowling gun. They are far too long and unwieldy.”
“So... a bow and arrow then?” He opened the dish containing baked beans and regarded it a moment before spooning some onto his plate.
Adeline nodded. “Yes. You’ll find most of my sex enjoy archery, even though some should probably not be allowed to engage in the sport.” She giggled. “One of my friends is quite unable to aim her arrow straight. She nearly shot a footman last year.” Her attention went to where his hand was about to lift the next lid, and she noticed an engraved silver ring on the base of his thumb. “Is that a bow ring?”
“It is,” he acknowledged, apparently surprised she knew of its use. “A gift, from my father.”
“I’ve heard of them but never seen one before. It’s gorgeous,” Adeline murmured, leaning closer in an attempt to see the details. “What is that design?”
“Our tughra,” he replied, holding up his hand so she could examine the ring more closely. “A sort of… signature.”
“Like a monogram?”
He seemed to consider the word a moment before Adeline pointed out the embroidered initials on the edge of the cloth that lay beneath the dishes. “Like this?”
“Indeed,” he said. “I cannot help but notice that you, too, wear a ring. From an admirer, perhaps?”
Adeline beamed in delight as she turned to make her way to the table. “You might say that,” she murmured. When she saw his quizzical expression, she added, “My father gave it to me for my birthday last year.”
At hearing he was part of their conversation, George arched a brow. “I fear the jewelers here in London all know me by name,” he said with a grin.
“But neither of us is complaining,” Elizabeth announced as she breezed into the breakfast parlor. Although her hair was usually caught up in an elaborate coiffure, this morning her mahogany locks were caught in a ribbon on one side beneath her ear. The wavy hair spilled down in a mass of curls in front of her shoulder.
Both David and George immediately stood and bowed, but it was Ertugrul who pulled out a chair for the viscountess.
“Good morning, my sweet,” George said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Morning, Mother,” Adeline and David said in unison.
“Good morning, my lady,” Ertugrul said as he pushed her chair from behind.
“Would you like me to fill a plate for you?” George asked.
Elizabeth beamed in delight. “Please, do, darling. I amfamished,” she replied, batting her eyelashes as she grinned.
If anyone had their attention on George, they couldn’t miss the rising color on the viscount’s face. Ertugrul certainly noticed, but he quickly turned his gaze on his food, reminded of how his father behaved with Sultana Charlotte.
“How did you sleep, Ertugrul?” Elizabeth asked, before taking a sip from the cup of chocolate a footman had set before her.
“Very well, my lady. The bed is most comfortable.”
Her smile widening, Elizabeth regarded the sultan’s son a moment before she said, “I must admit, it is a joy to have another male at the table. I’ve been missing my younger son ever since he left for school.”
Ertugrul turned to David. “You have a younger brother?” he asked in surprise.
