Page 40 of Doxy for the Ton
“No thank you.”
“Of course. I’m sorry, I should have realized.”
“Realized what?”
“That you wouldn’t be disposed to”—Mimi gestured about the parlor—“with me, at least. Thank you for the marzipan. Please don’t feel obliged to stay. You’re welcome, of course, but I understand a woman of your rank would—”
The duchess let out a sigh. “Forgive me. I find myself uncomfortable paying calls. I meant no offense earlier. I would like tea, but I’m rather particular about how I take it—with honey and cinnamon.” The duchess lowered her gaze for a moment, before lifting it again, a flicker of pain in her eyes. “My husband always tells me to make clear my preferences, but it seems so uncivil to make such demands.”
“I see no incivility in you, Your Grace,” Mimi said. “Charles, do we have any cinnamon?”
“I don’t know what that is, ma’am,” the footman said. “I can ask Mrs. Brennan.”
The duchess smiled at him. “Thank you, young man,” she said. “It’s a powdered spice—brown in color, with a warm, slightly sweet aroma. But if your cook has none, I’ll be content with just honey.”
The footman bowed, then disappeared. Mimi gestured to a seat, and the duchess took it, her gaze wandering about the room.
“Forgive me if I’m intruding,” she said. “Your… I mean… The duke said you were newly arrived in town. I thought you might want to widen your acquaintance.”
She shifted in her seat, seeming almost as uncomfortable as Mimi.
“Of course, you may have your own friends here, Lady Rex,” she added.
“I have no friends,” Mimi said.
“Do you want to widen your acquaintance?”
Mimi shrugged. “Doesn’t everyone in Society?”
The duchess smiled, a silvery light sparkling in her eyes. “Not necessarily. I am not always fond of company.”
“Yet you’re here, paying me a visit,” Mimi said. “Did Sawbridge send you?”
“Heavens no!” The duchess laughed. “He was most keen that Inotcome, though he tried to hide it.”
“Then why did you come?”
“Perhaps because of his reluctance. And I’m not fond of mysteries.”
Mimi’s gut twisted in apprehension. Was this woman with the soul-searching eyes going to unearth her secret before her tenure as Lady Rex had even begun?
“I’m not a gossip,” the duchess continued, “but I found myself asking why Sawbridge saw fit to find you a house in London, but disliked the notion of your having visitors. I’m happy to leave you in peace, of course, but I wasn’t about to be dictated to by a profligate such as he. I… Oh! I didn’t mean to impugn him, of course.”
Mimi suppressed a laugh. “I didn’t expect a duchess to be so frank.”
“I’m not what a duchess ought to be. Many ladies will feel themselves obliged to tell you exactly that.”
“Such as the Honorable Sarah Francis,” Mimi said.
The duchess’s eyes widened. “So youdohave some acquaintance in London.”
“Not really. I had the misfortune of meeting her this morning.”
“Misfortune indeed,” the duchess said. “Doubly so if she had Elizabeth De Witt with her—those two seem to be permanently joined to each other, always trying to outdo each other with their wardrobes. I swear I’ve never seen Miss Francis wear the same gown twice—such a waste of good silk.”
“To be worn only once?”
“No—to be worn by her,” the duchess said. “Tell me, where did you meet her?”
