“Lady Pegatha,” Lady Valor said, “you can sit next to me and pet Sir Galahad. I always get along with old women. Ask anybody.”
Henry’s brows raised the slightest bit, not entirely certain how gratified his aunt would be to be named an old woman.
Thankfully, she laughed.
As the duke rose, his butler said, “A quick word to the party, Your Grace.”
The butler was going to have a quick word with them? How extraordinary.
“I could not help earlier overhearing talk of a scientific nature,” the butler said, soldiering on despite the duke’s frown, “and, as an American, I thought I might weigh in. Our deceased and revered American citizen, Mr. Benjamin Franklin, invented electricity—”
The duke held his hand up. “He did not invent it, he noticed it, as anybody who’s ever looked up in a thunderstorm has done since time began. WhatInotice is that you do not yet have those bottles and glasses in hand.”
The butler looked entirely startled to be interrupted.
“And after those duties are accomplished,” the duke said, “get that absurd wallcovering down.”
“The maharajahs?” the butler asked, looking entirely perplexed over why anybody would wish to have them removed.
The duke did not bother to answer, and Henry supposed that was a duke’s prerogative. He’d given an order and did not expect a debate about it.
As the duke led the party across the great hall, Lady Winsome hooked her thumb back at the butler. To Henry, she said quietly, “Another one of Lady Marchfield’s butlers. He won’t be here long. Mrs. Right will get rid of him.”
