Page 6 of The Earl and Miss Muffet
So, chess and books—two things he loved as well. “What else do you enjoy?”
Miss Muffet looked at the window and then once more at him. “Junket pudding.”
She said it so quietly, he almost missed it. “Ah, so you have a sweet tooth.” Her lips twitched, and she nearly smiled, he was sure of it. It might take a few more chess sessions, but he was determined to crack her. “I, too, love curds and whey. Is it a family favorite? Or, should I not ask about your family? It must be hard for you to be parted from them.”
“You ask a great deal of questions, Lord Crawford.”
For such a shy person, she delivered her quip without any sort of hesitation. He chuckled. “Why not ask me a question then? Anything, anything at all.”
Miss Muffet wrinkled her petite nose as she thought. After a long moment, she whispered her question. “What do you enjoy?”
“This,” Anton said, surprising both of them. After a moment he added, “Does that count?”
“What else?”
“I like spending time with my family, my dog, or my books. I’m not the most exciting person, I daresay.”
“How long have you been the earl?” She asked the question so quickly; it was clearly not a thought-over question. He was glad she was letting down her guard.
“Two years. My father passed very suddenly, and sometimes I forget he is gone. I enjoy walking in his footsteps, but I am not nearly as dignified. Of course, he did not have my brother and Mr. Gunther as his closest friends. I am obligated to harass them in very childish ways, when the situation calls for it.”
The corner of her mouth pulled up into a half-smile.
He wanted to cheer! An almost-smile. Not bad for someone who was generally too serious himself and usually stumbled all over himself when in the company of a lady. However, this was altogether different since this was only Miss Muffet.
“Any more questions?”
Miss Muffet scrutinized him for a moment. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“Being so kind to me.”
Anton couldn’t explain how his mother expected it, and everyone else in the house was far too involved in their own lives. Besides, no one else would likely understand the creature in front of him anyway. He had barely scratched the surface himself. “There is nothing wrong with being nice. Unless I am bothering you.”
“No. I . . . I simply haven’t been deserving of it.”
Anton moved another pawn. “Everyone deserves kindness.”
Miss Muffet did not argue, but there was a sadness in her expression—almost as if she did not believe the golden rule applied to herself. How very odd. Why would she think she was not worthy of kindness? This sudden revelation made him want to try harder. Tomorrow’s busy schedule seemed to fade away as he formulated how to prove to Miss Muffet that she mattered to the world. Gunther and Terrance would likely tease him that thelittle Miss Muffet had captured his fancy. It certainly wasn’t a love project, but she had his full attention. Somewhere beneath her mop of hair and spectacles was a woman in need of tender care.
Chapter 4
MissMuffetstoodinfront of her dressing table mirror examining herself. Had she imagined the way Lord Crawford had looked at her? For a moment, she thought she saw some sort of appreciation in his eyes. She pulled at her shapeless, brown day gown. Bianca selected all her clothes—the uglier the better. What Elena wouldn’t give to wear something else today. She pushed back her ratted curls in front, cringing at the hairstyle Bianca had forced her to adopt.
Of course, Bianca wasn’t watching now. Elenacouldbe a different person here. The idea sounded enticing and intimidating. What would be her punishment should Bianca find out? Elena shivered at the thought. She needed to stick to her original plan and bide her time until Bianca married. There was no need to cause additional strife at home—a place where relations were already strained.
But Bianca did not need to knoweverythingabout her visit. Elena sighed and took her spectacles off. She set them on her dressing table in a small act of rebellion. Today she would forgetthem on purpose. Leaving her bedroom, she made her way down to the breakfast hall. Each nook she passed possessed either some sort of historical relic or a vase of fresh flowers. When she pushed open the dining room door, she half-hoped to find Lord Crawford alone again.
Instead, she discovered Lady Mary and the countess.
“Good morning,” Lady Crawford said, hurrying over to greet her.
Elena was so used to not responding, she nearly forgot to return the greeting. “Oh, good morning.”
Lady Crawford paused, clearly surprised that Elena had spoken. Flustered by her own ineptness, Elena ducked her head and filled her plate. She took a seat opposite Lady Mary. Lady Mary caught her eye and gave her a wide smile—one Elena hardly deserved.
“Are you enjoying Banbury?” Lady Mary asked her. “I do hope you aren’t homesick.”
