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She quickly chewed then swallowed, nodding. "Most delicious."
"I have the best Cook in all of London," he pointed out. "I know every Lord says this, but I truly mean it."
She couldn't help but chuckle. It is true that every host or hostess said that their cook was the best. Most of the time, that wasn't true, but a guest would never offend their host by pointing that out. This time, however, she had to admit that it was the right conclusion. She had never tasted such tender meat.
Before she could say anything, he continued. "Did Mrs. Livingstone show you around?"
"She did," Leah nodded, putting down the fork. "She showed me around the whole mansion. It took us over two hours!"
"Itisa grand old place," he confirmed, smiling. "Old being the focus of attention here."
"I saw the rooms which were caught by the fire," she pointed out.
"Yes, those will need to be remodeled," he shrugged. "I do not have the time to focus on that right now, so I suppose it will have to be left for later."
"If you do not have time for it, perhaps I could take it upon myself?" she offered.
That seemed to take him off guard. He stopped eating, then lifted his gaze to meet hers. She wondered if she had said something she wasn't supposed to say, whether she crossed the line. After all, only this morning, they were sworn enemies. They were not friends now, but at least, they were not at each other's throats, accusing each other of starting the fire and kidnapping one another.
"You would want to do that?" he inquired, sounding intrigued by her offer, but hesitant to accept it at once.
"Why not?" she shrugged. "I am the duchess and living here now as well, aren't I? Perhaps those rooms could be put to a good use, if renovated properly."
"If you have nothing else to occupy yourself with, be my guest," he said in such a manner that she couldn't be certain whether he was happy about this or if he agreed simply so they would not start arguing again.
"I noticed you have a piano," she pointed out.
"It is out of tune," he quickly added. "Mother used to play it and with her gone... no one has touched that thing in ages."
"Oh," she immediately regretted mentioning it. It was obviously something special to him, and she would be crossing a line if she meddled with it.
"Do you play?" he wondered, interrupting her tumultuous thoughts.
"A little," she nodded.
"Then, perhaps we ought to have it tuned," he said, picking up the fork and continuing to eat.
She had to admit, he was trying. Then again, so was she. Neither of them wanted to make this more difficult than it already was.
"My mother also used to play," she suddenly heard herself say, although it was something she was not planning on sharing. At least, not now. Talking about her mother was reserved for people she trusted, not for people who were still mere strangers.
Then again, there was something about him that urged her to open up more, to listen to whathewas saying, instead of what thetonwas saying. Didn't Alicia tell her that he might actually be a decent man? It was possible. Anything was possible. That was what her mother had always taught her to believe.Always rely on your own judgment, Leah and keep an open mind.Those were her exact words. And those were also the exact words that her father had always been so afraid of.
"Did she teach you?" he wondered.
"Yes," Leah looked down at her long, dainty fingers which knew how to hit every right note not because she knew the technique, but because she was able to listen to the music with her heart. "But she preferred to show me things outside of the Manor."
He smiled at that. "Your mother was the adventurous type."
She chuckled at the word that everyone used to describe every time they talked about her. "She was so much more than that, but I suppose if you had to use one word, that would be a good one."
"No one can described in one word," he agreed. "Whether it was good or bad. But I would rather be characterized as adventurous than a monster."
The moment he said that, she could tell that he regretted ruining their good mood. She wanted to tell him that she didn't think he was a monster. She never thought that. She was merely curious as to what really happened to his parents, just like she was curious as to what happened with her own mother. She wanted to find out the truth, that was all.
However, she kept all this to herself, because he stood up unexpectedly. "I usually spend my evenings in my study," he informed her, completely changing the subject as if they never even talked about it, but she merely imagined it all. He sounded cold, aloof, pushing her away. "Preparation for the following day and if I need to finish something that I still haven't done."
She wondered if he would ask her to join him, to show her around his study, to perhaps spend some more time together, but he showed no such inclination.
