Page 120 of Duchess Material

“What?”

“Really.”

“Oh! Oh! I know!” Natalie announced, scrambling to take a seat at the desk.

“We’ve been invaded,” Winston said. “We have an uninvited guest.”

“Oh, calm down.”

“Lucy, who is your friend?”

“I think she should introduce herself.”

“I’m Natalie, Winston’s second cousin. He wants to strangle me at present, but I am dying to explain this to him. Brit-to-Brit.”

“Yes, go on.”

“So, my mother does this thing. You can use really in about fifty ways if you’re American. It can be excited. It can be annoyed. It can be that you are judging someone.”

“Such as?” Winston asked.

Natalie copied her mother’s accent beautifully. “I really want to go out but are you really going to wear that out? I mean, really, Lucy! What are you on?”

“Thank God your mother doesn’t listen to this,” Winston snickered. “Your Majesty, I apologise.”

“You’re her godson. You can get away with it. Does your mum listen?”

“Fuck if I know,” Winston laughed. “I hope not right about now.”

“Mums always listen to things. They do. But do you understand now?”

“Sadly, yes.”

“Great impression. You should do that more. You do it to Patrick. It annoys him,” Lucy giggled.

“I do. And Mum loves it, honestly. Dad always yells at me. But I’m the family troublemaker.”

“Just to clarify, Natalie, you are Lucy’s boss?”

“Yes. Her very dreadful boss.”

“Her wonderful, lovely boss,” Lucy clarified.

“You’re such a love. Lucy is the best person I know besides my mum. That’s really saying something.”

“Lucy are you about to cry?” Winston wondered.

“It hit me in the feels, if I’m being honest.”

“Oh, darling you deserve it.”

“You two are… unconventional.”

“Private secretaries, traditionally, are very close to their royals,” Natalie said. “You must have a rapport and ease to make it work. I’m pretty sure that Lucy would kill for me if she were capable of it.”

“Is she?”

“No,” Natalie said. “Thankfully, I can defend myself well enough.”

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