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She smiled through tired eyes. "I shall try."

"Good."

Outside, James mounted his horse and stared across the fields. He had no reason to care whether Olivia approved of his decision. He was the Duke of Glenmore. He was perfectly capable of managing his own affairs.

Yet as he turned his horse toward the next farm, he found himself thinking about her again.

"Ridiculous," he muttered beneath his breath.

The horse flicked an ear.

James frowned. "I was not speaking to you."

He rode on, moody and dissatisfied, though beneath the irritation was a truth he was not yet prepared to acknowledge, for the first time in years, there was someone whose opinion mattered to him, and he had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

Olivia had just finished brushing her hair when a knock sounded upon her bedroom door. It was late enough that she had already changed into her nightshift, and she had been looking forward to slipping beneath the covers and allowing the day to disappear. Assuming it was Louiza coming to speak with her before bed, she crossed the room and opened the door with a tired smile, only to find Hannah standing in the corridor.

"His Grace has returned," Hannah said with a small curtsy. "He is requesting your presence in his bedchamber."

Olivia blinked. "Now?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

Hannah nodded. "Yes, Your Grace."

Olivia glanced down at herself and then back at her maid, suddenly aware that she was hardly dressed for a formal conversation with her husband.

"Very well. Thank you, Hannah." She closed the door and stood there for a moment, wondering what could possibly be so urgent that James needed to see her at this late hour, though she was happy that he had returned.

With a sigh, she reached for a shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders, then slipped into the corridor and made her way toward his bedchamber.

She knocked softly and waited. The door opened almost immediately, and Olivia's thoughts scattered so thoroughly that she nearly forgot why she had come.

James had clearly only just bathed. His long dark brown hair was wet and loose around his shoulders, and he wore nothing more formal than a loose white shirt with the collar open at his throat. The fabric clung slightly to his broad chest, and Olivia's heart gave one ridiculous, violent thump. She drew in a slow breath and reminded herself that he was merely a man.

A very handsome man, unfortunately, but still merely a man. There is no reason whatsoever for me to feel as though I have just been pushed from a cliff.

"I apologize for calling upon you so late," James said, stepping aside to let her enter. "I only just now had time to wash the day off. I wanted to inform you that I have returned."

Olivia stepped inside, desperately attempting to look anywhere but at his damp hair. "You have returned safely," she said, hoping her voice sounded more composed than she felt.

James nodded and closed the door behind her. "How did matters go with the supper? Have you prepared everything?"

"Yes," Olivia replied, clasping her hands before her so he would not notice that she was nervously twisting her fingers together. "Everything has been prepared, and the invitations have been sent. The families have accepted."

She could not help feeling a small spark of pride at that. She had managed the invitations, spoken with the household staff, worked through the list James had given her, and had even begun learning which local families were worth knowing.

"Good," he said, and Olivia waited for him to offer some further praise, though she immediately told herself she was being foolish. James was not a man who scattered compliments simply because someone had completed a task.

He turned toward the small table beside the fireplace and leaned one hand against it.

"Now, onto another matter. I have made the decision to send Felix's wet nurse to another family and find a new one for Felix."

Olivia's eyebrows rose. Of all the things she had expected him to say, that had not been one of them. "You have?" she asked, studying him carefully.

James nodded. "Yes. I met a family today that has a newborn and is struggling. The woman needs assistance, and our current nurse can provide it. Given that you already objected to the woman's remarks about Felix's birthmark, I thought it sensible to replace her."

The proposal sounded perfectly reasonable, yet Olivia found herself strangely cautious. "It does sound sensible," she admitted, drawing her shawl more tightly around herself. "But may I ask why you decided it without speaking to me?"

James frowned slightly. "What is wrong?"