“And what do you think of me?”
To that, she offered a coy wink and then took another deep sip. “That is for me to know and for you to maybe one day find out, if I feel that you deserve it.”
He chuckled, a natural thing, relaxing before her eyes in ways she had previously thought impossible. “I shall hold my breath. But only once I have another taste...” He picked up his glass and had a deep sip, smiling to himself all the while.
Well, this is certainly unexpected. Conversation that might not be effortless but is at the very least flowing. Who would have guessed such a thing was possible?
The next thirty minutes or so of the evening played out rather well. It was not small talk, for she felt that the duke was beyond such capabilities. Rather, it was as if the two were getting a feel for one another. Testing the boundaries of this relationship and how they might interact.
During this time, Florentia began to understand her husband in previously unforeseen ways. Oh, he was still cold and stiff and awkward, and that would never change. But she saw through it now, realizing that he did not mean to be, and when he was it was never done with malice or ill intent. Rather, she got the distinct impression that he was trying his best to be kind to her. And for that, she was grateful.
Soon, the main course was served: roasted pheasant cooked in various herbs and spices, suckling pig baked with potatoes and onions, and other root vegetables served in thick gravy. Abountiful meal made all the better by the wine and the company shared.
“Tell me, who is that man who I have seen you with?” Florentia asked as they ate. “The short fellow. Follows you about like he is your pet hound.”
Hudson chuckled. “I will tell him you said that. “His name is Mr. Andrews.”
“Mr. Andrews,” she repeated. “Yes, I have seen him scurrying about the manor on more occasions than I can count.”
“Nobody worth taking note of, I assure you,” Hudson said with a shake of his head. “But he is good at his job, and for that reason, I put up with him.”
“Just as he puts up with you, I am sure,” she said with a wink. Hudson’s brow furrowed at the comment, only to see the humor on her face, which had him shaking his head at the clear joke.
“I pay him enough, is why,” Hudson said. “The man would strip off and baste himself in whatever this pig has been cooked in, if I told him to do it.”
“Now, that is something I would like to see.”
“Ha!” Hudson laughed. It was not the first time he had done so this evening, either. And each time he did, it began to soundmore and more natural. It was a sound which Florentia was very much beginning to enjoy.
They spoke of Hudson’s businesses, mostly. They also touched on this past month, only in passing, both seeming to understand that to put too much focus on it might see the night devolve into bickering.
And all the while, Florentia found herself enjoying the company of her husband beyond her wildest dreams. She became so comfortable, in fact, that she began to wonder why on earth she had avoided him for this long, forgetting entirely the short-tempered, cold-natured man whom she had spent a month lamenting her marriage to.
That was until she was quickly reminded of the fact.
“Your Grace!” A member of staff quickly entered the dining room. He was an older gentleman, and Florentia regretted that she didn’t know his name.I need to work on that.“I am so sorry to disturb your evening, but a letter has just arrived for you.”
“It is fine,” Hudson said with no emotion, holding out his hand for the aforementioned letter. “Who is it from?”
“The dowager duchess, Your Grace.”
Florentia felt the temperature in the room drop as if a cool breeze had suddenly swept through it. The duke stiffened, his expression hardening, his lip curling with distaste.
“Thank you,” he said, taking the letter with a sense that it might in fact be a snake that could bite him. “That will be all.”
The staff member offered a short bow and scurried from the room as if he was glad to be as far from the duke as was possible.
“Is something the matter?” Florentia asked carefully.
“My stepmother,” he said bitterly as he unfurled the letter. “Despite my insistence that she not contact me unless there is good reason, she seems intent on ignoring my commands.”
“Perhaps it is urgent.”
“Doubtful.” He opened the letter and began to scan it.
“Yes, she did seem a little free-spirited,” Florentia chuckled. “A nice enough woman, to be sure, but there was something not quite right about...is something wrong?” Florentia asked, trailing off her point when she noticed Hudson looking past the letter and right at her.
“What is your meaning?”
