Page 85 of A Scandal for the Beastly Earl

"Oh yes. Apparently, he's developed a system."

"A system?"

"Things he likes on the floor, things he doesn't like hidden behind other things, and things he's saving for later tucked under the good tablecloths."

"We'll replace everything."

"We'll replace the entire household at this rate."

"But with much better stories."

"That's true. No one else can claim their belongings were systematically reorganized by a criminal mastermind."

"He's not a mastermind. He's just... creative."

"He's a threat."

"Our threat."

"Everything is ours with you."

"That's generally how marriage works."

"Is it? I thought marriage was about maintaining careful boundaries and separate lives."

"That was your plan. I had different ideas."

"Your ideas involved conquest."

"My ideas involved partnership."

"And conquest."

"Perhaps a little conquest."

"You conquered me completely."

"Good."

"Is it?"

"Yes. Because you conquered me too."

They kissed, long and sweet, until Morrison's pointed cough from the doorway interrupted them.

"Lord Potts is here, my lord."

"Potts?" Lucien straightened. "The one Julian pushed into the fountain?"

"The very same, my Lord."

"What does he want?"

"To apologise, apparently."

"He wants to apologise? For what?"

"Perhaps you should ask him yourself, my Lord."