Page 30 of Crash Landing
“Well, that is not going to happen with me around, is it? Does your surliness also extend to a ban on any smiles before noon?”
He arched an eyebrow. “That is not a bad idea. I’ll add it to the house rules.”
She sighed again. “If you have no plans for us, seeing as going on a picnic or taking a hike is out of the question in this rainstorm, I could have Mrs. Albright show me around the house and introduce me to your staff. It would be expected, since I am currently betrothed to you.”
That was actually a good idea.
“Then you would be free to attend to Weymouth business matters while I amsafelyoccupied elsewhere in the house.”
“What about your aunt?”
“She won’t rise for hours yet. We can plan an outing if the weather clears, or I could entertain you this afternoon with songs.”
“What?”
“I sing,” she said with a grin. “And I can also play the pianoforte. I know you have one in your house.”
“Oh, dear Lord. You aren’t one of those deluded fribbles who will break my eardrums as you screech out a high note, are you?”
She laughed heartily. “No, I can really sing. Although I will not rule out purposely screeching or singing flat if you irritate me. Gad, you are such a bear in the morning.”
“And you are as annoyingly chirpy as a chirping bird,” he said with a chuckle.
“A chirping bird? Seriously? This from the man who just admonished me for describing birds who puff up as puffing birds? Well, I can tell you what birds chirp in the morning.”
“Go ahead, enlighten me.”
“A robin or a wren. How’s that for two?”
He arched an eyebrow. “So you think this makes you an expert on birds?”
“I merely claimed to be chairwoman, never to actually know what I was talking about,” she said with another endearing smile that threatened to put him in good humor.
Florence could be surprisingly lovable when she put her mind to it.
He set her plate before her, then grabbed his and piled eggs, kippers, sausages, and whatever else was to be found under those salvers onto his plate.
Florence watched him as he sat and began to eat.
He glanced up. “What?”
“Nothing. I am enjoying sitting here with you. It feels nice, even though you are remarkably grumpy. But it is in an endearingly bearish way.”
“Are you going to stop talking and let me eat in peace?”
She nodded and mimicked buttoning her lip.
He smiled despite not wanting to be coaxed into good humor. It surprised him that she looked happy just seated beside him. In truth, it felt nice to be beside her, too.
As though they feltrighttogether.
He would not mind looking at her pretty face each morning. Despite the gray weather, there was a lovely pink blush to her cheeks.
He did not even mind her chirpiness because she was not silly or dithering. Florence had a keen intelligence that he liked very much.
He was just about to agree to hearing her sing later when there was a commotion at the front door.
He quickly rose and was about to reach for the pistol in his boot when the strains of laughter reached his ears. “My cousins have arrived,” he said as the tension rushed out of him. “Care to meet them?”
