Page 55 of Starlight and the Duke
Unfortunately, Aubrey did not appear interested either.
“My father has just inherited the Weymouth dukedom but is not up to the task of managing it on his own,” he explained when Rob raised the matter with him a short while later. “Most of the responsibility has fallen upon my shoulders. Not that I mind at all, since I detest being idle. Oh, look. Our Florence has gone off with her binoculars again.”
Rob had not been thinking of the young lady at all, but obviously Aubrey was still paying close attention to her. “Are you going to follow her?”
“I don’t know,” Aubrey said. “Maybe. I am curious about what she is doing. However, Bromleigh’s wife has devised a scavenger hunt for us that is about to start. We are to partner the ladies. She will flay both of us alive if we disappear now.”
“Shouldn’t Florence be participating?” Rob asked.
Aubrey nodded. “But I don’t think any of the other young ladies will mind her absence. Less competition for them as they fight to gain our notice. By the way, what did you think of Anne Hastings?”
“Why do you ask?” Rob did not like the way she had demeaned Fiona, but she might have gotten that bit of bile out of her system and been nicer to Aubrey.
“She spoke quite unkindly about Eden, commenting with disdain about her hair.” Aubrey grunted. “How is Eden in any way responsible for the natural color of her hair? And who says red is unsightly? Eden’s is a warm, dark cinnamon that suits her perfectly.”
“She demolished Fiona, too.” But Rob laughed at the nonsense she had spouted. “Said she would wrinkle if she did not stay out of the sun. She also claimed her hair was too wild.”
Aubrey grinned. “Ah, yes. What man could possibly adore a wild mane of hair on a lady? Florence actually has nice hair.”
Rob hadn’t noticed.
“But those binoculars…and I also wonder whether she really requires her spectacles. She looks awfully sharp eyed to me. Maybe it’s the distinctive color of her eyes, those flecks of amber mixed in with the green. Quite striking, really.”
Dear heaven.He had paidthatclose attention to the color of Florence’s eyes? “Aubrey, you do realize your mind is completely taken up by her.”
He looked appalled. “Not at all, but is she not a distracting puzzle?”
“If you say so.”
“You know what,” Aubrey said, slapping his thigh, “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to find her and bring her back in time for the scavenger hunt. I want her to be my partner.”
“I don’t know that we are given the choice. I think Cherish has already designated our partners.”
“Then tell her to change mine to Florence. You will do this for me, won’t you, Durham?”
“Yes, of course,” Rob said with a nod, for who was he to interfere with the course of true love…or puzzle solving?
Chapter Ten
Rob strode offto find Cherish and relay Aubrey’s request, because the hunt was going to start very soon. He approached the crowd gathered on the lawn, but could not find Cherish among those milling about.
Fiona appeared to have taken charge of this scavenger hunt game and was about to start calling out the pairs. “Make sure Aubrey gets Florence,” he whispered in Fiona’s ear.
“But I had her paired with you.”
“Don’t. Aubrey wants her.”
Fiona’s eyes widened as she stared up at him. “He does?”
Well, not really. But Fiona did not have to be told that Aubrey’s reasons were other than romantic. She did not have to know that he was convinced the girl was doing something other than bird watching and was curious to discover what it was. “Yes, he’s quite smitten.”
“Truly?” She let out a breath and smiled. “Eden will be thrilled for him. She hoped he would find someone to make him happy.”
“Obviously, it is early days yet,” Rob said, careful not to overdo it. “But it looks promising.”
Fiona’s smile broadened. “That is a good start, and all anyone can ask. But Rob, I’ll have to give you the young lady with whom he was to be paired.”
“All right. Who is that?”
