Page 67 of The Lost Duke of Wyndham

“What a fetching tableau the two of you make,” he said, because really, how could he not tease them? “And me, without my oils.”

“Do you paint, Mr. Audley?” Lady Amelia inquired.

“Alas, no. But I have been thinking I might take some lessons. It is a noble pursuit for a gentleman, wouldn’t you say?”

“Oh, indeed.”

Silence, then Lady Amelia nudged Grace. “Mr. Audley is a great appreciator of art,” Grace blurted out.

“You must be enjoying your stay at Belgrave, then,” Lady Amelia said. Her face was the perfect picture of polite interest. He wondered how long it had taken her to hone the expression. As the daughter of an earl, she would have any number of social obligations. He imagined that the expression—placid and unmoving, yet not unfriendly—was quite useful.

“I look forward to touring the collections,” Jack replied. “Miss Eversleigh has consented to show them to me.”

Lady Amelia turned to Grace as best she could, considering that they were wedged up against one another. “That was very kind of you, Grace.”

Grace grunted something that was probably meant to be a response.

“We plan to avoid cupids,” Jack said.

“Cupids?” Lady Amelia echoed.

Grace looked the other way.

“I have discovered that I am not fond of them.”

Lady Amelia regarded him with a curious mixture of irritation and disbelief.

Jack glanced at Grace to gauge her reaction, then returned his attention to Lady Amelia. “I can see that you disagree, Lady Amelia.”

“What is there not to like about cupids?”

He perched himself on the arm of the opposite sofa. “You don’t find them rather dangerous?”

“Chubby little babies?”

“Carrying deadly weapons,” he reminded her.

“They are not real arrows.”

He made another attempt to draw Grace into the conversation. “What do you think, Miss Eversleigh?”

“I don’t often think about cupids,” she said tersely.

“And yet we have already discussed them twice, you and I.”

“Because you brought them up.”

Jack turned to Lady Amelia. “My dressing room is positively awash in them.”

Lady Amelia turned to Grace. “You were in his dressing room?”

“Not with him,” Grace practically snapped. “But I have certainly seen it before.”

Jack smiled to himself, wondering what it said about him that he so liked making trouble.

“Pardon,” Grace muttered, clearly embarrassed by her outburst.

“Mr. Audley,” Lady Amelia said, turning to him with determination.

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