Page 78 of The Dueling Duchess

“Practice, practice, and more practice.”

“Can I try?” the girl asked, bouncing excitedly on her toes.

Cecile paused to look at her.

She had begun shooting when she could barely stand, but then, she’d also grown up around guns and understood the danger inherent in them.

She looked into Cat’s imploring eyes. “There is much to learn before you fire a gun. I will teach you, but it will take some time. Perhaps tomorrow you can come to my office, and I will show you how to take apart a pistol.”

To her surprise and relief, Cat nodded rather than argued.

“Where did you two go today?” Cecile asked.

“We went to a duke’s house.”

Pistols and target shooting were instantly forgotten as Cat babbled about the grand house where Guy had taken her.

Cecile cocked her head at Guy, and he raised both his hands. “Don’t look at me that way—I only went to see Marianne so I could ask a few questions, not to fob off, er, my responsibilities.”

“The duchess gave this to me,” Cat said, spinning around to show off her dress. It was not the dress she’d left the house in that morning, and it doubtless cost more than most of Cecile’s employees made in a year.

Cecile gave Guy a pointed look. “What was wrong with the dress from Cook’s daughter?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. But why can’t she have these, too?”

“These?”

“Yes, there were closets full of gowns. Marianne said they belong to Sin’s nieces and the girls had just left them there. They’re too small for them now. She said she was going to give them away to one of the schools she’s so fond of, so—”

“She said I could take as many as I wanted,” Cat interrupted, gleeful. “I was going to take all of them, but Guy said I couldn’t.”

Judging by the girl’s scowl and Guy’s pained look, there must have been a disagreement over that point.

“I told her she could take a few because I only have a small clothes cupboard, and we’ll have to share—”

Cecile gave a dismissive flick of one hand. “You can keep your cupboard. I had Mary and Susan clean out the room that is right next to my chambers. It used to be part of a two-bedroom suite so it was full of furniture beneath all the crates.”

Guy’s smirk was growing larger as he realized that she, too, had been charmed by their diminutive guest.

Cecile narrowed her eyes at him in warning and turned to Cat. “You’ll have your own room.”

Rather than look excited, as she’d expected, the girl cut Guy a yearning look—the same look that females from eight to eighty always gave the gorgeous erstwhile lord—as if she’d been looking forward to being roommates and plaiting each other’s hair.

Cecile snorted; he’d won the girl’s heart in less than a day—probably in less than an hour.

It was disgusting how easily the man could charm people of all ages, male or female.

Not that Cecile had any room to talk—she’d allowed him into her bed after barely a month. The man was . . . insidious.

“Are you hungry?” she asked when she noticed they were both looking at her and waiting for . . . something.

“Yes!” Guy said.

“Not you.” Cecile looked at Cat, who smiled and nodded eagerly.

Cecile took her bundle of keys from her petticoat pocket and held up the key with the filigree handle. “Here is the key. Take your hound to the kitchen—Cook made something special for you.”

They watched the girl skip off, George trotting along at her heels.