Page 126 of Too Good to Be True

Well, knock me over with a feather.

He looked sincere about that too.

“Your patisserie is well-known and well-regarded. I heard your pastries were even ordered by Buckingham Palace for some event or other.”

He heard right.

That was a huge coup.

I didn’t confirm.

Richard kept talking, “Ian needs a woman who…how shall I put this, has her own pursuits.”

Well, hell.

“He’s a busy man,” he continued. “He travels often. And I believe he’d become bored very easily with a woman who waited at home for him, or tagged along, demanding his attention.”

Well, hell again, because that wasn’t where I thought this was going.

I thought he was insinuating Ian needed someone who had something to take her attention so he could fuck around on her at his whim.

It seemed I was wrong.

I studied Richard closely.

Cripes, did I have this guy’s approval?

“And Jane likes you enormously,” he concluded.

That felt nice.

“I like her too,” I muttered.

“We don’t have to be enemies, no matter what my son has told you about me,” he said. “Obviously, if he finds a woman with whom to settle down, create a family, she and her children would be my family as well.”

Regrettably, not a selling point for Ian.

But we’d just kissed. I’d known him mere days.

And oddly, it seemed Jane was grooming me to take over for her, and Richard already had us married off.

“I’m honestly concerned for Louella,” he said quietly. “Whatever you think of me, she had an alarming incident in my home. I understand how you can’t understand how difficult it was for me to learn of that, and why you wouldn’t. To have everyone off to the hospital to be with her. And it was inappropriate for me to come along. And yet, outside of you, I’m the one in this house who holds the most affection for her.”

I looked hard, and I couldn’t believe it, but it appeared he wasn’t lying.

As such, I matched his tone when I said, “I didn’t know about you two. I wish I still didn’t. But I get it, and you have my apology for being unkind when I came in here. It’s been a bad day.”

He appeared mollified. “Yes, it has. It’s upsetting for all of us, but I know, especially for you. I hope the drama is over for you, and the rest of your stay at Duncroft is far more enjoyable than it’s begun.”

He held his hand out to me like we’d shake.

Détente with Richard Alcott?

I had enough going on. I didn’t need to be feuding with the father of the man I was…what? Seeing? Dating in a Conservatory?

God, this was all so weird.

I took his hand.

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