Never Deny a Duke by Madeline Martin

Author:Madeline Martin
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2019-04-29T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“Some call me a witch.”

Miss Ingram announced this in the middle of their dinner at the inn. Her voice broke an awkward silence. Eric had been surprised and displeased to see the older woman descend the stairs beside Davina. She had not even brought her book.

Which meant that the dinner took on a formality he had not wanted. Not that he expected informality. A dinner of increased intimacy might play out like a theater piece in his head, but he doubted Davina would be agreeable. He had not expected her to force her companion to join them, however.

Perhaps he frightened her in the inn’s yard. Short of controlling his impulses regarding her, which increasingly he could not do, he doubted that could be avoided. His situation confounded him. Normally with women, he did not have to be subtle or tread a path from enemy to dear friend. He started at the latter point, and the only move necessary was to bed. No subtlety needed at all.

“Maybe I am a witch. I don’t think so, but who knows?”

“I think witches, if they even existed, would know they are witches,” Davina said.

“It is because I have two cats. For some reason, people think cats mean a witch.”

“It is not common to keep cats as pets, but hardly only done by witches,” Eric said to help out the conversation. Anything to slice through the thick cloud of expectation hanging between Davina and himself. She felt it too. It was why she managed not to look at him. “Have you had them long?”

Miss Ingram pondered that, angling her head and frowning beneath her white cap’s significant lace brim. “Let me see. Lucifer has been with me for seven years and Mischief for five.”

“Let me guess,” he said. “They are black, aren’t they?”

“How did you know?”

“Miss Ingram,” Davina said gently, “if you insist on keeping black cats named Lucifer and Mischief, you can hardly blame the unenlightened for thinking you are a witch.”

“What else can you name a black cat? George?”

“George would be a splendid name.”

From her expression, Miss Ingram thought the name not satisfactory at all. But her consternation melted and her eyes turned dreamy. “I was reading about Scotland today. I should like to go there next summer.”

“We are in Scotland now,” he said. You live in Scotland.

“Oh. I thought we were in Brighton. I could have sworn I smelled the sea.” She looked down at her meal, of which she had partaken a decent amount. “I think I will retire now and read a while before sleeping.”

She stood to go. He did too.

So did Davina, who had not finished her own dinner. “I should see her to her chamber.”

He gestured for the servant waiting silently near the door. “Please see that Miss Ingram is escorted to her chamber, so Miss MacCallum can continue her meal.”

The young man shadowed Miss Ingram from the small dining room. Davina watched them leave, hesitated, then sat again. “A witch, no less. It is good she lives in the city.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.