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“My grandmother. She raised me. My sad attempts at baking are a tribute to her.”
“I’m sure she’d give you high marks for effort. You should ask her for tips when you get back home.”
“I wish. She passed away when I was younger.”
“Oh. Well... I’m sorry.” He resumed sweeping. “If she raised you but died when you were younger, what happened next?”
Grief lodged itself in her throat. She swallowed. “Other family took me in.”
She saw more questions forming, questions she had no desire to answer. In an effort to preempt the coming inquisition, she removed her gloves and tossed them next to the sink. ChannelingSimone Biles, she braced her hands on the island and hopped up onto the counter.
Jameson watched her warily. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t leave it up there. I’ve got to try and wipe it off.”
“The staff can take care of it tomorrow.”
She wasn’t a stranger to having household help, but the number of people he had working for him was mind-boggling. Butlers, maids, footmen, dishwashers, valets... If she needed someone to wipe her ass, she was sure some unlucky person held that position, too.
And that was just inside the house.
When she’d asked Margery about it, the housekeeper had first informed her that Jameson actually kept one of thesmallerstaffs in the royal family and, second, explained that the term “household,” when discussing royalty, actually referred to the administrative departments that supported members of the royal family, like their private secretaries, personal assistants, and communication secretaries. Some members lived where their household was based, but many did not. As the Duke of Wessex, Jameson lived at Primrose Park and chose to base his household here.
Listening to it all, Dani found it impossible not to feel a little like Alice falling through the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
“Oh, sonowyou offer up your staff?” she joked. “No, I can get it. I feel bad enough. I don’t need them to know how much I sucked.”
“We’re in such a good place, I hate to ruin it by telling you the staff is already talking about it.”
Great!
“They would never say anything to you, of course.”
“No, but they might spit in my food.”
“Never,” he said, looking scandalized.
She laughed. “I’ve got this. It shouldn’t be that hard.”
She squinted up at the splotch. When she reached for it, the tipof her middle finger barely grazed the hardened batter. She rose up on tiptoe.
“Christ! Duchess—”
She heard the broom clang on the floor, then felt his hand haltingly touch her thigh. Where his skin met hers... an explosion of sparks that sent goosebumps down her leg. She shook the affected limb, not to dislodge his touch but in response to the unexpected sensation. Still, it had the effect of the former. Balanced on one foot, with no support, she felt herself flailing.
“I’ve got you!”
One strong hand squeezed her upper thigh and the other took a firm hold on her ass. She froze and her pussy spasmed in anticipation.
He’s squeezing your butt. Big deal. Not like it’s the first timethat’shappened.
She licked her lips. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure. I mean, glad I could help. Here.” He held out a hand and helped her down.
They both broke contact the moment it was physically safe to do so.
She looked around, trying to ignore the awareness hovering thick between them. “I think we got a good amount done. I can handle the rest.”
