“Ah, graceful,” Elizabeth said, nodding. “Well done, Your Grace.”
“I wish I didnae have to say such things,” he muttered, feigning a shudder. “I can near enough picture me ancestors stirrin’ in their graves.”
Elizabeth pressed her lips together, trying, andfailingnot to smile. Helping him like this had brought her a confidence she hadn’t expected.
Perhaps it is easier to teach someone else what you can’t always apply to yourself.
“Next,” she said, “you must learn to pause. Listen more than you speak. I believe you’re already good at that.”
“Aye, I am,” he said. “Though usually when I’m plannin’ to interrupt.”
She gave him a dry look. “When listening to Farnleigh, nod thoughtfully. Furrow your brow now and then. Just a little, don’t overdo it.”
“I’ll look constipated,” he grumbled.
“You won’t,” she said, laughing. “You’ll look thoughtful. And please don’t forget: he’s very proud of his landscaping. Compliment it. Praise the grounds. Even the drainage.”
The Duke groaned. “God help me.”
Elizabeth grinned. “It’s either that or exile from polite society.”
“Then I suppose I’ll be flatterin’ his hedges like they cured the plague.”
She laughed again—freely, fully—and realized that with the Duke, the lessons weren’t just for him. Somehow, he made her feel like she wasn’t floundering either.
The Duke sighed heavily. Then, he gave a small nod. “Teach me more, Lady Elizabeth. But we’ll need to strike another bargain, aye.”
“Another deal?” she asked, suddenly sounding suspicious.
“Use that voice ye use, an’ I’m willin’ to take on all the humiliation ye can throw at me.”
He still looked so serious that Elizabeth had to raise an eyebrow.
What was the man up to?
“Ye might no hear it yerself, but ye’ve got this soft wee lilt when ye’re explainin’ how to handle Farnleigh. Makes me feel like I’m some sort of project ye’re secretly fond of. Whether ye’ll admit it or no.”
There it was. That arrogant smirk.That devil.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Your Grace.” Elizabeth blushed and looked away.
“I’m not bein’ ridiculous. I just like it, is all.”
She swallowed. “Let us move on. What sorts of topics should one use with Farnleigh and men like him?”
“Mmm. Should I bring up Mozart?”
Elizabeth flushed, suddenly remembering Lord Huntington and her own flustered defense of him to Wilhelmina.
I wonder how she’s faring at the milliner’s. Has she finished?
“Perhaps,” she murmured. “Just remember he wasn’t German.”
“No?”
“Austrian.”
“Close enough,” he said with a wink, entirely unrepentant. “By the way, thank ye for the lesson. Ye’ve paid yer debt handsomely, Lady Elizabeth.”