A Duke for the Wallflower's Revenge by Casey Dubose

Author:Casey Dubose
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-07-13T13:02:36+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The next morning Eliza decided to face the day with a stiff upper lip and dry eyes. So what if she felt as if she’d been betrayed by the one person who’d really seen her for who she was? And what did it matter if that one person seemed unable to make up his mind as to whether or not he liked her? That was his problem. If he wanted to try and protect his mother from Eliza’s bad reputation, that was his prerogative.

Shoulders set and face washed, Eliza headed down the stairs for breakfast, which was being served out in the garden—of course it was. Eliza wouldn’t be able to hide her puffy, dark-shadowed eyes in the more forgiving light of the morning room. No, she would have to sit at one of the pretty little tables outside in all the morning’s supposed glory.

Thankfully the seat next to Aunt Mary was empty.

Each of the small tables was laid with a pressed embroidered cloth, pretty china, a tea and chocolate set, and an assortment of toast, fruits, jams and cakes.

Aunt Mary waited until Eliza had taken her first gulp of chocolate before greeting her. ‘Are you all right?’ she whispered, keeping a perfectly pleasant expression on her face.

Eliza grimaced and scooped some hothouse raspberries and a honey cake onto her plate. ‘I’m quite well,’ she said, enjoying the tartness of a raspberry. ‘Don’t I look it?’

‘You look a bit tired,’ said Mary in a hushed voice. ‘And alarmingly ferocious.’

Eliza nodded, and cut her honey cake into six equal bites. ‘Good.’

Aunt Mary patted Eliza’s hand and topped up her cup of chocolate. ‘You’ll need it,’ she explained. ‘There’s to be a scavenger hunt later this morning. Apparently it’s an annual tradition, and last year Lord Abberly sent them haring all over the estate. His Highness is judging the entries this year, so tensions are high.’

Eliza grimaced, and plopped another little round honey cake onto her plate.

‘It’s so lucky that you can eat what you like, dear,’ said Lady Joyce from the next table.

Her mother briefly looked up from the Society pages, glanced at Eliza, then returned to her reading.

‘Oh?’ asked Eliza, aggressively forking up a particularly large bite of cake. ‘Why’s that, Joyce?’

‘Lady Joyce,’ she said sharply.

This caught the attention of the ducal family, who were dining at a table on the other side of Lady Joyce. Both Her Grace and Gabriel were watching Eliza and Joyce over the rims of their teacups, and Gabriel was glaring darkly at Eliza.

He looked delicious in well-worn breeches and polished riding boots, and that somehow irritated Eliza even more.

She made a point of picking up her next bite of cake with her fingers. Eliza ate the sticky cake slowly, and licked the tip of her index finger when she was finished, maintaining eye contact with Lady Joyce the entire time.

Eat cakes in public—done.

Joyce had gone quite pink in the cheeks, and Eliza sent her a caramel-sweet smile. ‘You’ve got half a year until the next Season, Joyce.

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