“Youredecorated the room?”
“The duchess’s chamber had not been updated since the time of my grandmother. I could hardly bring you home to musty linens and a drafty room. The drapes, coverlet, and rug were of trivial expense compared to the repairs to the hearth and the replacement of the windows.”
Her face went soft with the same expression she made every time he showed her even the least consideration.Really.Had she thought him a complete cad?
He’d told her his heart was engaged elsewhere, but he’d always intended to treat her with respect and consideration. Now—he cocked his head—he was coming to wonder if she hadn’t been the better choice for him after all.
She certainly appreciated him. And he appreciated her.
“What made you think I liked pink?” she asked, completely unaware of his profound reflections.
“You favored a hat in London—one with a profusion of pink flowers and ribbons.”
“Oh!” She giggled. “Ohhh.”
The sound of her laughter was unexpected and considerably lightened his mood.
Rare were these moments when she seemed to feel completely at ease in his presence; he not only liked them, but he was also growing greedy for them.
“Nettie made me the pink-flowered atrocity,” she explained. “I feltobligated to wear it…at least to the Season’s end. Now, the hat’s been relegated to a box at the very back of my dressing room.”
“Your sister Annette favors pink?”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t know the half.”
“Then I suggest you bundle up the linens and give them to her as a gift.”
“Really?” She brightened. Then, her face fell. “Millie and Lenora would never consent to sleep in a room draped in pink.”
“I know they are planning on staying in a shared room in D’Acre House next Season, but theycouldcome live with us, if they would prefer to have their own rooms. D’Acre House is big.” He flashed a smile. “My London home is bigger.”
She cocked her head. “You’d grant each of my sisters their own chamber?”
“Of course.” He shrugged. “Unless they preferred otherwise.”
“Thank you for the thought.” Genuine gratitude sparkled in her eyes. “But I am certain they will prefer to stay with Adrian and Eliza. Nettie and Lady Emily have become fast friends.”
“If that’s the case, simply make the whole lot a present for Nettie’s trousseau chest.”
“Her trousseau chest?”
Belatedly, he remembered Cassandra hadn’t had a piece of furniture where she collected items for her marriage. He didn’t know how common they were, but Sarah had been gifted one from a maternal aunt when she was born, along with a stunning set of silver his sister hadn’t yet had the opportunity to use.
“If she doesn’t have one, we’ll get one.” Belatedly, he remembered Millicent and Lenora. “Three, I mean.”
“Thank you,” she offered quietly.
“Trifling.” He waved his hand.
“You cannot know how great a relief I feel now that my sisters have powerful connections beyond Lord and Lady Asquith.”
He inclined his head in acknowledgement, but he didn’t want her gratitude. Well, not only her gratitude, at least.
What did he want, then?
An ally…but they’d already established a mutual desire to work cooperatively. A lover…but marital congress had always been part of their bargain. Now, however, neither of those things were enough.
He wanted to hear her little giggle more often.
