“Dear…” Lady Dallington started.
He put his hand up, stilling her words. “I have work that I must see to,” he said, pushing back his chair. “Excuse me.”
After Winston departed from the dining room, LadyDallington cast a disapproving look at Elodie. “I do not know why you insist on antagonizing him.”
Elodie’s lips twitched. “I have a theory that those two secretly love one another and are both too stubborn to admit it.”
Lady Dallington gave her a pointed look. “Do keep your opinions to yourself, Child.”
“All right, then I won’t say that this mutton is a little dry,” Elodie said as she pushed the meat around her plate.
Shifting her gaze towards her husband, Lady Dallington declared, “I have failed as a mother.”
Bennett smirked. “Or did Elodie failyouas a daughter?”
Delphine couldn’t suppress a laugh at the unexpected remark, but to her dismay, a snort escaped her. She quickly brought her hand to her mouth, hoping to conceal the embarrassing sound.
Unfortunately, luck was not on her side.
“Did you just snort?” Bennett teased, a playful glint in his eyes.
Feeling mortified, Delphine pressed her lips together as she tried to maintain her composure. “A true gentleman would not comment on such a thing.”
“I have been known to snort a time or two, so you are in good company,” Bennett remarked.
Delphine offered him a grateful look. “Thank you, but it is not something that I do on purpose.”
“That is a shame,” he said with a wink.
And with that simple gesture, she felt her face growing warm, finding it entirely unfair for a man to be as devilishly handsome as Bennett was.
Chapter Five
As Bennett and Delphine strolled down the lengthy corridors of Brockhall Manor, he couldn’t help but notice the tension in her jaw and the unsteadiness in her steps.
With genuine concern, he said, “If this is too taxing for you, I can always show you the library tomorrow.”
“No, it is fine,” she replied hastily, but her demeanor suggested otherwise. Her shoulders seemed to droop slightly, betraying her true feelings.
He wondered why she was being so stubborn about this.
Up ahead, he saw two chairs that were situated against the wall and he had an idea. He glanced over at her. “Would you mind if we took a break?”
“I told you that I can handle it,” she replied with a stubborn tilt of her chin.
He smiled, hoping to disarm her. “I know, but I ate a lot of mutton and I just need a moment to rest.”
Bennett could see the indecisiveness in Delphine’s eyes and he wondered if his plan would work. After a moment, she sighed. “I suppose we could sit down for a moment. But only because you requested it, not me.”
“Thank you, my lady,” he said as he gestured towards the chair.
He waited until she sat down before he did the same. He could see the visible relief in her features as she leaned back against the chair. Now he just needed to find a way to distract her so she could get some rest that she so clearly needed.
“Besides the occasional snorting, is there anything else I should know about you?” he teased.
She pursed her lips, annoyance visible on her face. “I wish you wouldn’t tease me about that. It is not something that I do on purpose.”
He nudged his shoulder against hers. “I think it is endearing.”
