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“It shall be worth it.” Joshua raised one sandy eyebrow. “How was your tea with Miss Atwood? Judging by your terrible mood and the expression on your face, I’d wager that it went badly.”
Benedict gave a harsh laugh, sitting heavily in the chair next to Joshua. On impulse, he picked up a small cake and shoved it in his mouth.
“Are you… hungry?” Joshua ventured.
“No.” Benedict muttered. “This is awful. It’s far too sweet, and all that buttercream is sickly. The crumbs are going to make me choke.”
“Well, I daresay you aren’t enjoying it, since you don’t like cake. Are you alright, Benedict? Tell me what happened.”
“I’ll tell you what happened. Miss Cordelia Atwood is the most insufferable brat you could ever wish to meet. I ought to have it out with her parents and ask them how they dared send such an awful girl to meet a duke.”
Joshua closed his book. “This is going to be a good story, I can tell. Now, I thought that most ladies – and most gentlemen too, for that matter – found you terrifying and yet strangely appealing. It sounds to me that Miss Atwood – horror of horrors – is not afraid of you.”
Benedict took his time before answering, swallowing down the crumby mess of sugar and sponge in his mouth. He had to suppress a smile at the memory of Miss Atwood smiling sweetly at him and telling him it was bad manners not to introduce himself.
Well, itwasbad manners.
“Oh no, she certainly was not. I can’t imagine that woman is afraid of anything.”
“Now I’m intrigued. Why do you say she’s a brat? What happened?”
Benedict sighed. He was going to have to tell Joshua the whole story. Joshua would get it out of him one way or another.
So, he did. He started with Miss Atwood’s lateness and watched Joshua’s eyes widen. Anyone who knew the Duke of Keswick knew how he despised unpunctuality.
“And then… oh, goodness, Joshua, I could have laughed aloud. She ordered the most ridiculously long list of food.”
“She wanted to eat while meeting a gentleman in a tea shop? That’s practically unheard. Ladies like to pretend that they don’t eat at all, and I’m shocked she’d eat while you weren’t.”
“Well, that didn’t stop her. She ate it all and shared some of it with her maid. She talked all the time – I barely got a word in – and even though the proprietor was glaring at her, she couldn’t have cared less. She said exactly what she thought, not caring at all whether I disapproved. It was fascinating.”
“Isee.” Joshua sat up, leaning forward. “So tell me, where did thisfascinatingmeeting with Miss Atwood turn you into the raging figure of fury we see now?”
Benedict’s smile faded. “If I tell you, you must promise not to tell Grandmother until I’m ready. She’ll crow terribly.”
“Ipromise.”
“Well, I found that I rather liked Miss Atwood. She was witty, entertaining, self-assured, and very pretty. I was impressed that she didn’t care what I thought of her. I won’t deny that my opinion of her lowered a little when she deliberately spilled tea over the table, and my coat, but I still liked her. So, when she got up to leave, I asked to arrange a second meeting.”
Joshua gave a low whistle. “A second meeting? Goodness, Benedict, you must have been smitten.”
“Iwas not smitten, I was curious. A man can be curious, can’t he? Oh, I’m sure she isn’t marriage material, but she was entertaining, as I said. But she said…”
“She said no.” Joshua said, without waiting for Benedict to finish. He sat back in his seat. “She said no toyou, Benedict. I imagine your jaw dropped to the floor.”
“That’s quite enough of that. Yes, she said no. I followed her out of the tea shop…”
“Are you telling me that you chased the woman down the street?”
“No, I didnot! I followed her and asked why she thought we wouldn’t suit. After all, she’s perfectly suitable for a duchess, and I’m already a duke. She is pretty, and I am handsome enough, and we’re both young. Why should she find me objectionable?”
“Ihave to admit,” Joshua conceded, scratching his temple thoughtfully, “You are considered rather a juicy catch. One can’t attend a ball with you without wading through hordes of hopeful single ladies and their ambitious mamas. So, what reason did the redoubtable Miss Atwood give.”
Benedict took a breath. “She said that I looked like a hawk.”
There was brief silence. Then Joshua let out a hoot of laughter, slapping his thigh.
“Ahawk!”
