Page 35 of His Arranged Duchess
She gave a frosty smile. “I shouldn’t thank me yet.”
“Perhaps you can tell me why my house is in such upheaval?” Lucien added, hoping to change the subject. The air in the drawing room had gone very quiet and still, and the duchess did not seem to blink at all when she looked at him. Lucien was beginning to feel something like a prey animal, cornered by a deceptively dangerous predator.
In the blink of an eye, Emily’s demeanour changed.
“Ah, yes. Well, you have far too few servants to manage a house of this size. I imagine you know this already. Frances sent me a note early this morning asking for advice. As you can imagine, she is struggling a great deal with the burden of being a duchess. I know how that feels, as I was in that situation myself. So, I decided to come straight here to offer my advice in person. I hope you don’t mind. We shan’t get in your way.”
This was offered in a careful, pointed sort of way, which managed to tell Lucien that while Emily did not wish to embarrass him in his own home, she also did not intend to leave.
“Oh, think nothing of it,” Lucien responded with a wry smile. “I have told Frances that her friends and relatives are welcome here whenever she likes.”
For an instant, he imagined Frances inviting over handsome young men, laughing and dancing with them. The familiarly sharp sting of jealousy shot through him, and he was obliged to clench his jaw to control himself.
No wonder she was so angry to find me with Benjamin and those women. I think perhaps I understand a little better now.
However, this brought on a new, worrying angle to the situation.
Did Frances really feel jealous, then? If she did, that meant that they were both feeling jealous of each other. That was not a good start. Jealousy in a marriage of convenience was a bad idea, and one that would never end well. He had better nip it in the bud quickly, before things could get out of hand.
Stay in control, Lucien. You know the importance of this.
He glanced back down at Emily, who was watching him intently. He told himself that there was no way she could understand what he was thinking, but he did not feel particularly reassured either way.
She will be watching me. She cares for Frances, and she does not trust me one bit.
It is hard to blame her, I suppose.
“Aunt Emily, I hoped to talk to you about… oh,” Frances came bursting into the room, clutching a small stack of papers. She skidded to a halt when she saw Lucien, a red flush creeping across her face. “Good morning, husband.”
He bowed. “Good morning, wife. I beg your pardon for not meeting you at breakfast. I slept in rather late.”
“Yes, Gray said that you were sleeping late,” Frances ventured. “He was going to wake you up, but I thought you might be tired and that you should get some sleep. I hope you don’t mind.”
Lucien gave a wry smile. “Not at all.”
Was she thinking about last night? He was sure that she was.Hewas thinking about it.
Are her lips redder than last night? They look softer and distinctly more kissable.
He tried at once to banish this train of thought. Emily broke the silence, speaking up briskly.
“I shall go and check on the flowers, if you don’t mind. I shall see you soon, Lucien.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and hurried out of the room, leaving Frances and Lucien alone.
Frances cleared her throat, setting aside the papers. “I probably should have told you about… about this,” she made a vague gesture, encompassing the entire house. There was a crash from somewhere and a yelp. Frances winced.
“I asked them to move some furniture about,” she murmured dubiously. “I wanted to hire more staff, you see, and with my dowry, we can afford it. There are repairs to be done, and I’ve asked Gray to make a list of what needs doing most. I have it here.”
She dived onto the papers, snatching up a single sheet, and handed it to Lucien.
He stared down at the list. It was a long one, to be sure, ranging from rotten floorboards in the attics to peeling wallpaper in the morning-room.
“The repairs for the gardens and outbuildings are written on the back,” Frances pointed out helpfully.
Lucien turned it over and grimaced. “So I see. This will be expensive.”
“Yes, but Gray suggests that we complete the repairs bit by bit, over a period of time. I can’t imagine that we’ll be ready toentertain this Season, but there’s no reason why we can’t invite close family and friends.”
