Page 16

“I have not been to London for many years, so even a coal delivery is something to marvel at, I suppose.”

He folded down the paper and tilted his head. “I suppose sweeping country vistas become a bore after a time.”

“Not at all, Your Grace. The changing of the seasons provides a never-ending surprise every time one looks out the window.” She smiled at him, which she was happy to see made his eyebrow twitch a little. “The view from my room at Ashtonvale was spectacular at sunrise.”

“Sunrise? Oh, yes. Country time,” he drawled in a bored tone.

“How long has it been since you saw your last sunrise, Your Grace?”

He folded his paper and picked up his teacup before saying, “Almost a decade, I believe. I prefer sunsets in London. The house tops provide an interesting shadow as the sun lowers over them.”

“I look forward to seeing one while I am here. Then I will let you know if I agree with your assessment or not.”

“I look forward to your conclusion,” he replied before taking a sip of his tea and shaking his paper out again.

Marianne was staring at her in shock. If the duke thought he could best her, she just proved that she would not meekly back down. Rose ate her breakfast, feeling as though she had won some kind of battle of wits.

Later, Marianne warned her against provoking her brother, but Rose was determined to get the duke’s measure before the end of the season.

Chapter Four

Edward reached his study with a smile twitching at the edge of his lips. He enjoyed sparring innocently with Rose. She had not really changed that much from the young girl of his past. Even then, she had a quick wit. He might enjoy her opinions on other subjects, such as music and art.

It was not just her wit that he admired. She was beautiful, certainly, with that lovely English rose complexion and lovely blonde hair. Her intelligence shone from her sky-blue eyes and challenged him. He had not had that rush in a long time. She was taller than Marianne or even Lucinda, but her height looked well on her, with a figure that balanced out any lankiness that might otherwise have made her look…mannish.

Marianne had looked horrified that they might spar over something as mundane as sunrise and sunset. Perhaps it was the mention of Ashtonvale that sent his sister’s eyes so wide. The mention of it did not aggravate him as much as his sister might suspect. In any case, he looked forward to other conversations with Lady Rose Montgomery.

He glanced out the window and saw that his sister was walking with Rose in the garden. Edward watched, transfixed by the way Rose caressed a bloom or bent to sniff one. The way her fingers trailed over the box hedge. He stepped away. This sort of thinking was dangerous to his focus. He wouldn’t allow Rose to distract him from his work, no matter how beautiful she was. No matter how much he’d had the urge to pick up a piece of charcoal and sketch her.

He sat heavily in his chair and wiped his hand down his face. He picked up his quill and dipped it in his inkpot, ready to write his weekly report to the Prince Regent. Should he tell him about the anonymous message he had received? Or wait until he could verify that it was anything at all? He went with the latter. There was no use in causing paranoia, and he wanted to see if Tony and his men could come up with anything first. The message could have been a ruse to distract him from other, more pressing matters, but only someone who knew he was the King’s Liaison would have sent it. Unless someone had intended it for Tony all along. It was a possibility. His younger brother had only moved out of the house after he and Lucinda had married, and that was less than a year ago.

A knock at the door made him spill ink on his new page. He had barely looked up when his mother flew into the room. He stood, but she waved him back into his seat.

“We are going to take Rose to meet Lucinda. She is due any day, so rather than drag her here, we are going to go to her.”

“Nothing about seeing whether your son has provided a house good enough for your dearest daughter-in-law?”

“I admit I am curious, but I am more concerned about Lucinda. We have not seen her for months…”

“And you want to make sure Tony is doing his job as a husband and provider?”

“Edward, sometimes I wonder what kind of mother you think I am?”

“You are the best kind, I assure you.”

“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes. “In any case, I wanted to tell you we will not be home for luncheon, and we are not taking callers this week. We want to let Rose settle in first. I have, you may be shocked to know, learned from Lucinda not to jump into the throes of the ton until Rose is ready.”

“I am sure that Rose is very thankful,” he said. “Do let me know if you see that brother of hers. I am not sure whether he has hit town or not yet. So, just be aware.”

“I will.”

Edward watched as his mother left the room in the same manner in which she came in and sighed. He loved his mother; he really did, and it astonished him that she was still able to surprise him, even after all these years.

*

Rose loved meeting new people, and Lucinda was a delight. She was bright, funny, and, although she looked tired due to her pregnancy, she was the perfect hostess as they bonded over tea and cake.

Lucinda gave a little laugh. “Rose, I hope your season is less dramatic than mine, not that I needed a season to find the love of my life.”