Page 41 of Hawthorne

“Prepare some biscuits, two pieces of that dessert I made earlier, and do the Assam Tea today,” I say to her. “I’ll come back to tell you where to serve them, alright?”

She nods and turns to the cupboard, starting the task I just gave her, while I head to the main visit room, where Edgar Hawthorne is already standing.

“Your Grace,” I greet.

“Camilla, how lovely to see you,” he greets me with a wide, warm smile.

“You’re very kind, Your Grace.” I smile shyly. “Do you want me to call His Grace the duke? He should be up by now, I think.”

“I can wait.” He winks, and I can’t help but blush. “Why don’t you keep me some company while we wait for him?”

“I had Mariah prepare something to serve you both, I need to find him and see where she should—”

“Isn’t this where visits are received? Let her serve it here.” He sits down on the velvet royal blue couch in the room. “Now, sit next to me and let me know more about you.”

“I don’t—”

“Nonsense. My brother will probably take a long time. Now,” sitting me down next to him, “how has it been working for him? Is he a real pain in the ass to you like he was to me?”

You wouldn’t say this man is nobility and raised to hold a specific standard of etiquette with the way he talks. He’s actinglike we’ve known each other forever like we're old buddies catching up.

“It’s been unexpected,” I start.

“How so?” he asks, curiosity and mischief lacing his voice.

“He’s given me a lot of autonomy and is fine with letting me run things as they were before, mostly.”

“Is that so? That’s intriguing since my brother has always wanted things donehisway.”

“And he does,” I confirm. “I think he wants it all to be a smooth transition, honestly.”

“Hmm…Alright, alright. Now, tell me about you.”

“Me? There’s nothing to–”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” He twists his bum on the couch, turning to face me. “So, tell me, Camilla. Why is a beautiful woman like you staying here and working as a housekeeper? Is there anything else you’d like to work on instead of this?”

“Ahm, I am a biologist—well, I haven’t officially worked in the field yet. The duchess fell ill right after I finished my internship, so I decided to care for her instead.”

“So selfless, hm…” he mumbles, looking away.

He seems pensive, but his short comments confuse me.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing, dear. You’re fascinating. Tell me more about you.” His pearly white teeth show in a dazzling smile just as his ankle is placed on his knee.

“That won’t be necessary,” the duke’s voice sounds, startling me.

Edgar turns towards his brother right away, who is approaching us while buttoning his shirt’s handcuffs.

“Dear brother, you’re finally here. Come join us. I was just getting to know Camilla. What a lovely lady you’ve got here.” His words make me blush violently.

Charm runs in the family, it seems. Though Edgar is much more straightforward and cheekier than Vincent, they’re both self-assured and know how to play their cards right.

Vincent eyes me for a moment before focusing on the space between Edgar and me. I have to admit, it’s not much. With his knees touching mine, he’s been slowly getting closer to my side.

There’s nothing indecent about it, but the way Vincent keeps glaring at the space, or the lack of it, makes me feel like it’s the opposite.

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