Page 25 of Lies in Little Sutherland
“It’s every human’s duty to care about the less fortunate,” I told him, primly.
“Yes, yes.”He rolled his eyes.“Let me know if you’d like a shilling for the wreath, Darling, and I’ll be happy to pony up.Until then, keep your do-gooder tendencies to yourself.”
“Are you afraid I’m going to rub off on you, St George?”
It wasn’t until Lady Euphemia gave an audible gasp, and Laetitia sent a glare my way that could have peeled my skin from my bones, that I realized what I had said.And by then, of course, it was too late.I felt myself turning pink and then pinker until I was the approximate shade of a tomato, all while Crispin watched the progression with a slow smile.
“Not at all, Darling,” he said silkily when, I assume, he thought I must have reached peak embarrassment.“You rubbing off on me doesn’t worry me at all.”
His tone gave the words a suggestiveness that I certainly hadn’t intended when I used them.Uncle Harold’s brows drew together.“St George.”
Crispin snapped back into himself in a rush.For a second, shock—possibly even fear—flashed through his eyes before he straightened.“Yes, Father.”
“Apologize to your fiancée.”
“Yes, Father.”He turned to Laetitia.“I’m sorry.I behaved inappropriately and disrespected you.Can you forgive me?”
It sounded rote, like he had prepared and rehearsed it previously.Or perhaps he had simply been made to say it a lot.Either way, Laetitia smiled graciously.“Of course, Crispin.”
She reached out and picked up his hand.
We all waited politely, but when nothing else happened—no attempted murder, no declaration of love—Aunt Roz and Uncle Herbert exchanged a glance, and the latter cleared his throat.“Crispin?”
Crispin removed his gaze from the suction of Laetitia’s eyes.It appeared to take a certain amount of effort on his part.“Yes,” he said, “Uncle?”
Uncle Herbert gave him a look, and then gave me one.
“Oh,” Crispin said.His cheekbones darkened.“Sorry, Darling.I spoke inappropriately and disrespected you.Can you forgive me?”
I arched a brow.“I don’t know, St George.Did you rehearse that sentence?”
The smirk came back, and so did the sparkle.“As a matter of fact I did, Darling.”
“Philippa,” I reminded him.“And of course I forgive you.Although it was my own fault, really.I should have known better than to give you an opening like that.I know how hard it is for you to resist temptation.”
Lady Euphemia gave another gasp, and Laetitia flinched.So, for that matter, did Crispin.
“Pippa,” Aunt Roz said tiredly.
I nodded.“Yes, Aunt Roslyn.I apologize.”
“Apologize to Crispin,” Aunt Roz said.“Not to me.”
“Of course.”I turned to him.“My apologies, St George.I spoke inappropriately and disrespected you.Can you forgive me?”
Francis converted a snort into a cough, while Constance hid a smile.Christopher smirked without bothering to hide it.So did Crispin.“Of course, Darling.I know how hard it is for you to resist temptation.”
“Touché,” I said.“But it’s Philippa, remember?You don’t want to upset your fiancée.”
“Of course not.”He turned to her.“I’m sorry, Laetitia.”
This time he actually sounded sincere, which was more than I would have expected.Laetitia, however, did not sound remotely as loving as last time, when she told him, “Of course, Crispin.”There was no adoring smile to go with the words this time.Instead, she gave me a narrow look before she reached out, and the fingers she wrapped around his hand were possessive.
“Thank you, Pippa,” Aunt Roz said blandly, as if nothing at all had happened.
“No problem, Aunt Roz.I’m sorry I overstepped.Thank you for correcting me.”
That seemed to be more than Francis could handle, because he snatched up his napkin and began to cough into it, loudly, while Constance patted him on the back.
