Page 43 of Her Infuriating Duke

The second he was gone, Amber let out a sigh of relief. Once she was sure he was out of sight, she got to her feet and made her way to the lady’s parlor, the one place she wouldn’t have to worry about him or Simon finding her.

When she came inside, she was surprised to hear a voice call out to her.

“Amber! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

She turned to see Felicity waving for her to join a small group of other ladies clustered around a small table doing some needle work. It still amazed Amber just how at home Felicity managed to make herself.

“You have?” Amber was surprised to find herself smiling as she made her way over to them.

“Of course! I wanted to introduce you to my new friends.”

Amber nodded politely as Felicity went around introducing her to what seemed like an endless number of people.

“Nice to meet you all,” Amber said, hoping it didn’t come out as awkward as she felt. After a few seconds, she turned to Felicity. “How was your walk?”

“It was lovely! Thank you for asking.”

“What walk? We barely even poked our heads outside. She got cold after less than five minutes and made us come inside,” one of her companions teased.

Felicity pouted. “There’s no reason for you to bully me like this! You can’t pretend I was the only one who was cold. You wanted to come inside too. I know you did.”

“If I did, then why did I try and convince you to stay outside for a little while longer?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because you wanted me to suffer!”

“Well, we all have to have hobbies,” Amber shrugged.

Felicity huffed. “What would my brother say if he knew how cruel you were being to me?”

She froze.

Felicity saw her face and softened. “I was only pulling your leg. Besides, he would tease me even more mercilessly.”

Amber leaned in closer. “Then we should team up. There’s strength in numbers after all.”

“You don’t need to worry about him,” Felicity assured her. “He only mocks people he likes. You should take it as a complement.”

“Funny. It doesn’t feel like one.”

“He never has been good about showing how he feels,” she sighed. “Please try and cut him some slack.”

“I am. I only wish he would do the same.”

“Do you want me to talk to him? I can tell him to stop. Maybe let him know he’s taking things a little too far.”

Amber thought for a minute. Christopher could be a bit much sometimes. It would be peaceful to be able to have a conversation without him toying with her.

And yet…

There was something sad about thinking he might stop or even just back off.

After a moment, Amber shook her head. “You don’t need to worry about me. I can give back as good as he can give.”

Felicity lit up at her answer. “That’s honestly great to hear.”

Amber frowned. Something in her twisted at Felicity’s open, honest, face. She couldn’t handle this. She needed to change the subject.

“Are you working on your needle work?”

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