Page 75 of The Duke's Pet

“What? What don’t I see?”

“This would be perfect for your huge collection of nature pictures. It’s vast, and there is so much wall space. They’d be safe here from house fire or theft.”

“I don’t think theft is a problem at Hillcrest.”

She hesitated as she pushed thoughts of the silver pheasants from her mind. “Well, it would be a great place to display and store your completed paintings, it would free up your study area.” She warmed to her subject. “And when you had colleagues, important learned friends come to visit, this is where you could bring them.”

“Mmm.” He scratched his chin. “It does appeal to me not to have people traipsing through the main house.”

She stepped up to him, smiling. “Are you really such a recluse?”

“What do you think?”

“I think if you are, I am lucky to be here at all.”

“Iam lucky thatyouare here.” He nipped her chin and kissed her.

She smiled, enjoying their closeness. “So you’ll think about it?”

“About what?”

“Giving this place a lick of paint and a sweep, cleaning the windows perhaps, then putting some of your work here.”

“I’m warming to the idea.” With his cane he poked at a bit of grass growing out of a crack in the floor between two tiles. “It will need some attention. I cannot have the paintings getting damp.”

“Of course not.” She studied the ceiling some more.

A sudden loud grumble echoed around the grotto. She clutched her stomach, horrified at the wild loud noise. “Oh!”

He laughed. “You are hungry.”

“I guess so.”

“So we should go back to the house. It will be time for tea shortly.”

And maybe time for something else again, too.

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