Page 47 of Seven Nights with the Wicked Duke
"Trust me, you will survive," he said, smiling at her before proceeding to take a bite from the meat on her plate.
Cecilia let him, she was much too occupied studying the strange creature that sat across her that bore uncanny resemblance to her brother.
Magnus did not smile. He brooded, he frowned, he could even glower but smile? No, he did not.
"Are you unwell?" she asked him, eyeing him with concern.
"No," he replied, looking up at her with confusion while he slowly chewed the meat in his mouth. "Why?"
"You seem odd."
"I do not know about that. I would never had guessed that you cared about my welfare. You have been avoiding me, Cee."
"There is a good reason for that."
"I guessed as much, we will talk about that later. I am expecting a guest this morning."
"Do not let me keep you."
"The guest is for you Cecilia," he said slowly, causing Cecilia's head to jerk up in surprise.
She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could produce a sound of disagreement, he disarmed her with a single word.
"Please," he said, his eyes tender and apologetic. "I promise you will not regret meeting this individual."
Cecilia simply nodded, swallowing the last morsel of her food, draining her cup of tea, she patted her lips dry and stood up.
"I am ready. Let's go." She decided against arguing with him.
While his good mood was odd, she didn't want to ruin it by arguing with him.
Magnus immediately stood up and led the way to the drawing room. When they arrived, a young lord was seated in one of the settees that lined the room. Immediately when he saw them, he performed a perfect bow.
"My lady," he greeted with a wide smile. She saw that he was blonde, the combination of his hair color, powder blue eyes and an aristocratic nose set off by firm lips, made him a stunning aristocrat that would have many a debutante swooning at his feet.
She wondered how she had never noticed him before in any of the parties she had attended. More importantly she wanted to know what such a fine specimen of a man was doing in her home.
"Lord Hickling," Magnus greeted the young lord from beside her. Turning to her, he made the introductions.
"May I present my sister, Lady Cecilia Wellard. Cecilia, meet Hector, Lord Hickling."
Cecilia immediately curtseyed just as the viscount before her bowed.
"It is my pleasure to meet you, my lady," he said in a rich baritone, smiling at her with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. He planted a kiss on her hand, his hands lingering on hers for a moment too long before he released her.
This one was a charmer. It was also suspicious that Magnus had not scolded him for that action like he had scolded Lord Hightown just a few days ago.
She turned to throw an askance glance at her brother, but he was distracted as he offered the viscount a seat on one of the settees.
"I will go order refreshments," he said excusing himself.
There was no need for him to leave the room to summon the servants, since he could always use the bell pull. It was obvious that this young lord was a potential suitor and he was trying to give them privacy to converse while doing his doing his best to avoid meeting her gaze.
With a sigh, Cecilia came to sit on the settee just as Magnus left the room, adjusting her skirts around her before lifting her gaze to look at the viscount.
"It seems, my lord, you have been conspicuously absent in the previous seasons. There is a reason for that, yes?"
"Certainly, my lady," her guest replied with that charming smile that she had come to associate with him. "I have been away from London. Studying "
