To Love A Duke

Tea ||

Song Recommendation: Addicted by Jorja Smith

Every well bred lady likes tea, and Every gentleman should have table manners and manners in general..

His woman. He had said his woman. She cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders

“Well you’re wrong, every society born lady like tea, as do I” she said. He studied her carefully

“ Always one to stick to rules” he said under his breath reaching for the beef stew.

“Humph” she snorted at him and picked a boiled egg that was yet to be peeled, she began picking at the hard shell to get the soft white goodness. not taking her eyes from his she saw him smile, a genuine smile this time

“Now that, is something you like” he said more to himself than her

“What are you on about?” She asked as she hadn’t quite heard him

“According to your rules to be heeded. A society lady does not take the back off her own egg, why not pick a peeled one then” she narrowed her eyes at him

“ you take solace in a swim I see” he said abruptly changing the topic and it took a while for her to catch the meaning of his words.

“You’ve had people watching me” she stated the obvious in a higher pitch than intended.

“No” he said simply not at all alarmed by her tone

“So how do you-? ”she wanted to ask how he knew what she had been up to if he wasn’t keeping tabs on her

“ was it intended as a secret?” He asked with a confused expression on

“It’s my private moment, I deserve some modicum of privacy, I demand it” she looked flushed.

“I haven’t had people watching you Artemis, I’ve been watching you”

she leaned in closer instinctively “why?”

He leaned in close to her too “Do I need a reason to?” He asked, damn him for always meeting her questions with one of his

She leaned back into her seat, the food forgotten “you seem to have a lot of spare time in your hands your grace” she said “one can only wonder why a man as busy as yourself would waste his time watching me swim” it was one of those moments she thought back to her time at the pond and all that time she had thought she was truly alone.

“What can I say, you intrigue me” he said. And she did, when he sat in his study, when he rode his horse, when he lay down, he wanted to know what she was doing, how she was faring, it went beyond bedding her , he wanted to talk with her and banter with her or simply watch her when she thought know one did. Rourke was right He became more sentimental every passing day. Next he would be writing her poems, even better, he would be enacting laws in parliament in her name. Then he would know that he was truly and thoroughly mad.

“Then a sad tale of unrequited intrigue it is, for I do not find you charming as all that” she said in retort cutting into his thoughts.

“ you wound me my lady, why, I could have sworn you had declared me your type of man at the ball the other night” she narrowed her eyes at him and he smiled, his attention rapt on her. She would let him have the last words today.