Page 88 of Her Infuriating Duke

“Thank you,” she finally said.

He shook his head. “Don’t thank me yet. There will be time for that tomorrow once everything is taken care of.”

“You don’t even know what I’m thanking you for.”

“It doesn’t matter. My answer would be the same.”

Amber couldn’t help but smile, shaking her head. “You don’t need to do all this. You’ve done enough, put yourself at risk enough.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that.”

“Please, if this is the last time we get to talk?—”

“It won’t be.”

“But if it is, I want you to know, I appreciate everything you’ve done to try and help me, even if it doesn’t work.”

“It will.”

She looked away. “I suppose your confidence is reassuring.”

Christopher sighed, shaking his head. “My apologies, you wanted to get your mind off of this, and what do we end up talking about?”

“Don’t be sorry. I was the one who brought it up. I don’t want to talk about it, but it feels like it’s all that I can think about.”

Christopher turned to meet her eyes. “Tell me about your current embroidery project.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Why? You don’t want to hear about that.”

“Why not? Felicity has told me all about how passionate you are about it. How could I not want to hear about it?”

“Because it’s just a silly little hobby.”

“I haven’t seen your work, but to hear Felicity say it, it truly is art.”

“It’s nothing that impressive.”

“Tell me about it anyway.”

Amber hesitated before a smile crossed her face. “Sure, why not. What do you want to know?”

“Why don’t you start by telling me about the latest project you’re working on.”

“I just started working on something for Felicity.”

He groaned. “You don’t need to make something for her just because she asked.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

“All right, what are you making her?”

“I know I want to make her a reticule, but I haven’t nailed down the exact design yet.”

“What ideas do you have so far?”

“Normally I would do something a bit more eccentric, perhaps a fish.”

“But?”

---