Lady Be Reckless (Duke's Daughters #2)(46)

He seemed to be a very good butler.

“Is there anything else?” he asked, this time his gaze flickering more obviously toward Olivia and what she held.

“I suppose a saucer of milk would be useful.” Edward spoke in a grumpy tone, but at least he was already providing the kittens with sustenance.

“Excellent, sir,” the butler said, nodding to the footman.

The two servants walked out as Edward resumed his staring at Olivia. And not the “you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen” kind of staring. More the “what insanity have you brought into my life, you crazy creature” kind of way.

“I can accept your draft for the thousand pounds because I’m supposing that you don’t just have it lying around, even though I do know you are fabulously wealthy.”

Olivia returned the kittens to the floor, then leaned forward to the tea things. Like everything she’d seen thus far in the house, the set was perfect, clearly very expensive, and lacking any kind of individuality. “Did you or your father choose the furnishings? Likely not, since I wouldn’t think you would have enough time to do so, plus it is generally considered a lady’s domain, and you don’t have a lady in residence.” She picked up one of the teacups, marveling at the thinness of the bone china, the delicate flowers painted on the side.

She set the teacup down on its saucer and poured tea. “Milk? Sugar?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Nothing.” He bent over to pick the teacup up and went and sat in one of the chairs opposite her sofa, keeping his gaze on the floor so he wouldn’t step on the kittens, she supposed.

She made her own tea, and then leaned back against the sofa. Most ladies wouldn’t dare allow their bodies to relax against a sofa back, but she was already behaving shockingly—visiting the illegitimate son of a wealthy merchant without a chaperone—so she thought that being comfortable was the least of her infractions.

“Why would you even think I’d want kittens?”

She rolled her eyes, taking a sip from her cup. “You’re still worried about the kittens? I promise, they are lovely little creatures. You’ll fall in love in no time. Mr. Whiskers, he is the one with the long whiskers—obviously—he is the most adventurous of the four, so I thought he would suit you the best. Since you are also prone to adventure. Scamp, he is the snuggliest. He just wants pets and I thought that would suit you as well, since I know you have a generous heart.”

“A generous heart?” He raised an eyebrow, an amused look on his face. At least he wasn’t continuing to ask her about the kittens.

Because honestly, she wasn’t sure why she had thought they would be the perfect things to give him. Just that she’d known, with some bone-deep certainty, that he would love having them, and they would love being had by him.

She was not speaking about herself, of course. Never that.

And besides, when and if they were to cross one another’s path again, she could ask him how they were doing, and then they wouldn’t have to spend time on other topics, such as “why did you kiss me?” and “why don’t you consider being my bride?”

Oh. Well. She hadn’t really thought about that last point. It would be ridiculous, anyway. He tolerated kissing her, but it was clear he found her overbearing, managing, and too opinionated.

He wasn’t wrong, but those were the things Olivia liked about herself. She liked knowing just what she should do, and doing it. That others didn’t immediately fall in with her plans showed their lack of comprehension of just what was at stake.

“I am not generous because I am about to give you a thousand pounds,” he continued, leaning forward to place his teacup on the table between them. He’d drunk it all already.

“Sir?”

It was the butler again, this time holding a small bowl presumably filled with milk. Even the china deemed suitable for a cat was delicate and clearly expensive.

“Just on the floor next to the sofa.”

The butler nodded, placing the bowl down with as much butlerly aplomb as he could. Olivia had to admit she admired his sangfroid.

“Nothing else, thank you,” Edward said. The butler nodded and left the room while the kittens ran over to investigate the bowl, starting to slurp the milk, making Olivia giggle.

“Look, aren’t they adorable? Come over here, Edward, and see.” She froze as she realized she’d just used his given name—how had that happened? It wasn’t as though they were more than acquaintances, if you forgot about the two times they’d kissed.

Oh, if you just forget about those times, you barely know one another. It was Pearl’s voice in her head, of course. Being sarcastic, because of course they were more than acquaintances.

That’s right—you are friends, Pearl said.

“Hush,” she muttered.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“No, I—” And she turned to look at him, now seated beside her on the sofa. His curls all unruly and riotous, one corner of his mouth pulled up as though he found something amusing but didn’t want to admit to smiling.

“Edward! Edward, are you here?”

Olivia spun around to look at the door while Edward rose to call out into the hallway. “In here, Father,” he said.

He glanced back at her, an aggrieved expression on his face. “And now you’re going to have to explain why you’re here, and he’s going to think something else entirely. Honestly, Olivia, do you ever consider your actions?”