“Yes, there are those, but I am not one of them,” Fredrick said. “My title does not define who I am.”
Miss Sutherland considered him for a moment before saying, “I shall treat you as I would anyone else.”
“Except when you are in public,” Anette interrupted. “If you two are too familiar with one another then people might assume you two have an understanding.”
“I understand,” Miss Sutherland said.
Fredrick bowed. “Good day, Miss Sutherland.”
Miss Sutherland dropped into a curtsy. “My lord,” she murmured.
Anette approached Miss Sutherland and reached for her hand. “We are going to become the best of friends. I know it.”
“I hope so,” Miss Sutherland responded. “It would be nice to have more than one friend.”
Anette looked unsure as she asked, “You don’t truly have only one friend, do you?”
“I’m afraid I meant what I said earlier about not having time to cultivate friendships,” Miss Sutherland said.
“That is awful, and it is now my mission to ensure you have a plethora of friends,” Anette declared with a wave of her hand.
“And with that, we should depart, Anette,” Fredrick urged.
As Miss Sutherland walked them to the door, she said, “I do appreciate everything that you are doing for me; what you both are doing for me.”
“We have only just gotten started,” Anette assured her.
The butler opened the door and Fredrick headed towards the coach. After Anette stepped inside, he sat across from her.
The coach started rolling down the street when Anette let out a sigh. “I can’t believe that Miss Sutherland only has one friend. That is awful.”
“I daresay she has prioritized work over socializing,” Fredrick said. “I find it to be quite exemplary.”
“Do you think there is something wrong with her?”
Fredrick grinned. “I daresay that you are overthinking this.”
“I’m going to have to become more acquainted with Miss Sutherland, just to be sure,” Anette said. “If she is hiding anything, it is only a matter of time before I discover it. I just wish Octavia was here. I could use her spy senses.”
“Octavia does not have ‘spy senses.’”
“She told me that she did, and I have no reason to doubt her,” Anette said. “Besides, if she didn’t have ‘spy senses’ then how did she know that Ruth had tried to kill Lord Kendal?”
“Octavia used deductive reasoning to come to that conclusion,” Fredrick remarked.
Anette shrugged. “We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one, especially since I side with Octavia.”
The coach came to a stop in front of their townhouse and a footman opened the door. After they made their way into the entry hall, Carson lowered his voice and informed them,“Miss Clarissa Livingston and Mr. Livingston are in the drawing room.”
Botheration. Those were the last two people he wanted to converse with.
Anette glanced at the drawing room and asked, “Would you like me to accompany you?”
“If you would like,” Fredrick replied.
“I would rather go play fetch with Freddy than spend a moment in Miss Clarissa’s presence,” Anette said. “She is not a pleasant person.”
Fredrick tipped his head. “I understand and I do not fault you for avoiding her.”