The Convenient Duke (The Marriage Mandate series Book 1) by Beatrix St. John

Author:Beatrix St. John [John, Beatrix St.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

With her mother and grandmother settled in their rooms, Cat headed to the conservatory to ensure the animals she had instructed to be delivered there were comfortable.

When she had first seen the conservatory with its glass ceiling and balmy temperature from the dedicated boilers, she knew it would be perfect for the animals that preferred the warmth. The parrots could flit about the canopy of potted palm, fig and citrus trees, and Henry would be quite content to hang among the branches while Sir Isaac would adore sunning himself on the warm stone pavers.

As she rounded the corner of the hallway that led to the conservatory, she found Matthew exiting one of the salons, frowning as he looked distractedly over his shoulder.

“I do not know what you want,” he said to the room in an exasperated tone. “You must desist in following me.”

Cat paused, curious who he could be talking to, and had to bite back a laugh when a large tortoise emerged from the room, following Matthew intently.

“Is Sir Isaac bothering you?”

Matthew’s head spun in her direction, his perplexed expression turning to one of relief.

“There you are! This creature has been following me since it arrived, and I do not know what it wants.” Sir Isaac nudged Matthew’s leg with his head, and Matthew jumped back. “Do you see now? What does it want?”

“He wants you to scratch him.”

She went over to the tortoise and scratched the underside of his neck. Sir Isaac stretched into her touch, eyes drifting closed. “See. Now you try.”

Matthew hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out to scratch the other side of his neck. “Fascinating. His skin is softer than I expected.”

“We should take him to the conservatory. He will enjoy the plants and the warm air.”

“Do we carry him? He is quite large.”

“Come, Sir Isaac,” she ordered and began to walk down the hallway, the tortoise following her. Slowly, of course.

Matthew fell in step beside her. “His name is Sir Isaac. As in Sir Isaac Newton?”

She nodded. “Granny believes he looks like a wise old man.”

Matthew glanced back at the tortoise plodding along behind them. “I suppose he does.”

“I must apologize for the chaos of their arrival,” Cat said.

“It has been interesting, not chaos.”

“Even with Isis and Bast?”

Matthew chuckled. “You might have prepared me for them. I would have donned some armour.”

“They truly are no more dangerous than house cats,” she assured him. “In fact, house cats might be more dangerous. I have seen both Isis and Bast not even bat an eye when a mouse ran past them. They have no killer instincts, I’m afraid.”

“Still, I do not think I will turn my back on them anytime soon.” He glanced over his shoulder at Sir Isaac, who was lumbering along behind them. “Do any of the other animals pose a danger?”

“The kangaroos can be temperamental, and when they are in a mood, they like to kick. I would advise against entering their paddock alone.”

“I did not know you had a paddock built for them.

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