‘Of course it would matter,’ her grandfather shouted, waving the knife in her direction.
Thomas glanced at her and smiled fondly. ‘On the contrary. We are all allowed our own preferences and opinions. I say she is perfect, just as she is.’
‘And I say she is not. In my house…’ the old man began.
‘The location changes nothing,’ the duke said in the voice of one who was used to arguing with unreasonable people. ‘One cannot create a universal truth, simply by saying it aloud. You may believe what you wish. But the rest of the world will go blissfully on, believing their own truths and thinking you an opinionated fool.’
A dangerous silence followed, as her grandfather set his utensils aside and scowled at the duke with ice cold fury.
‘Did you just call me a fool?’
Thomas stared back at him with an even milder expression, as if he did not quite understand the question. ‘I am sorry if you think my generalisation refers to you.’
‘Bah!’ Skeffington flipped his plate, spilling pheasant, vegetables and sauce onto the cloth as he rose and stormed from the room.
‘Dash it,’ Percy said. He mopped his mouth, tossed his napkin aside and followed, leaving her alone at the table with the duke.
Louisa unfroze from her paralysis and set her fork beside her plate. No one had ever dared to say such things in this house, no matter how much they needed to be said. She could not imagine Tom Smith, the simple farmer she was supposed to be betrothed to, would take such a tone with a baron, even in defence of the woman he claimed to love.
But a duke might. Bonham was normally kind and patient, but he might well put such a difficult and annoying man in his place. He was certainly not the sort to leave an injustice unchallenged. And the things he’d said about her as he’d systematically refuted the old man’s insults…
‘I should not have done that,’ Thomas said ruefully, taking a sip of his wine. Was he already regretting that he’d been so free with his compliments? Or was he wishing that Grandfather had not stormed out of the room?
He did not look particularly bothered by the mess he’d made. If she was honest, neither was she. She was relieved that Grandfather was gone and feeling a pleasant glow inside that had nothing to do with her previous blushes.
No doubt, Grandfather would try to punish her tomorrow. But, it would take some time for him to breach the bulwark Thomas had built when he’d insisted she was perfect. Now, it was time for him to explain how this outburst fit into his plan. ‘I told you that this would not end well when we spoke yesterday,’ she said, taking a sip from her own glass and trying to be as casual about the turmoil as he was.
‘You did,’ he agreed. ‘I am sorry. I knew he was difficult, but I did not imagine he could be so consistently cruel to you. Is he always thus?’
‘Except on days he is worse,’ she said, trying to smile. It was not much of a joke. The serious look he gave her in response made her wish she had not tried to make fun of it.
‘He should not have spoken to you that way,’ he said with a belligerent set to his jaw.
‘It’s all right,’ she said automatically.
‘No, it’s not,’ he insisted. ‘No one should be abused in that way. Especially not you.’
There was something in his voice that she could not place. A sense that he’d just said far more than a fewwords of encouragement. She suddenly felt precious. Cherished. Protected.
It was a heady feeling. She wanted more of it. ‘There is nothing particularly special about me,’ she said, toying with her wine glass, turning the stem in her fingers and watching the candlelight make little stars of the faceted crystal and hoping he had not noticed her begging for approval.
‘You think too little of yourself, Louisa, and he is to blame for it.’
Compassion. Stubbornness. Affection. A feast of emotions in a single sentence that she would tease out and savour at her leisure.
‘You are quite brilliant, you know,’ he added.
She laughed, for that compliment was a bit too much. ‘When have I ever been that?’
‘Percy has told me all about you,’ he said. ‘How you used to do his schoolwork before he was sent away. That he consults you about many of the decisions he makes now. Not to mention, I never see you without a book.’
‘Novels,’ she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
‘Do not diminish your reading prowess,’ he replied. ‘It is a far more sensible pastime than drinking and gaming.’
‘Hobbies that are not encouraged for ladies,’ she said, echoing the stern voice she’d heard so often. ‘Grandfather says I should keep busy with needlework or painting if I want to attract a man.’
‘The world is overfull of bad watercolours and embroidered cushions,’ he said. ‘You don’t have to be making more of them if you prefer to do something else.’
