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“What? Itistrue! You said it yourself!”

Alice sighed. “Just promise me that whatever happens after this, you will not get in their way.”

He looked at her innocently. “I do not understand what you are saying, dear wife.”

“And by that, I mean that you will revoke your instructions to the butler to throw out his card should he come to call.” She sniffed, looking shrewdly at him. “Do not think I do not know for one second what you have been up to.”

“Dearest wife.” He grinned at her. “I did not tell the butler to throw out his card—I told him to throw the gentleman himself out.”

“Even worse!”

He laughed softly and gathered her indignant form into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“But Daniel is no gentleman,” he told her with that certain glint in his eyes that never failed to make her weak in the knees. “And you know that neither am I.”

She let out a slight squeak when he easily swept her up into his arms and strode off in the direction of their rooms.

“I think I have had enough of discussing the relationship between my best friend and my sister,” he declared as shewrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder with a smile.

As he closed the door and proceeded to steal her breath away, Alice could only hope that things would turn out well for her sister-in-law. After all, she was still a hopeless romantic, and even against all odds, she believed that true love would always find a way.

But that did not mean that it did not take its own sweet time navigating the twists and turns of heartbreak along the way.

It was now up to the Duke of Ashton to make his next move.

The breakfast hall was enveloped with tense silence when Evie sullenly walked in with a sullen expression. She wore a plain gray gown, and Jane had done a great job of pinning her hair into a simple style, allowing a single lock to hang down her shoulder.

With a bit of rouge on her cheeks, she looked refreshed, if not for the fact that her blue-gray eyes were dull.

“Good morning, darling!” her grandmother called out to her cheerfully. “Come, sit beside me. The cook has prepared your favorite honey cakes, and the eggs are done just the way you love them.”

Evie’s gaze flicked to the selection of food on the table, but her favorites still did not inspire her appetite.

“There is also your favorite hot chocolate,” the older woman continued, as if she did not take note of her granddaughter’s gloomy disposition.

Evie simply nodded slightly as she took her place beside her grandmother, watching silently as she placed a slice of honey cake and an egg on her plate. The sight of food frankly made her stomach turn, but since she had resolved to make an appearance today, she was going to play the act to the very end.

The truth of the matter was that she had hardly slept a wink at all. Instead, she had tossed and turned in bed until she saw the first rays of sunlight filtering through the gap in her curtains and heard the sweet birdsong heralding the start of a new day.

But breakfasts in London were always held much later than in the country estate, and by the time she went down to the breakfast room, the rest of her family had just begun to dig into their meal.

She picked at her food as her grandmother and Alice discussed the latest happenings over breakfast. From the corner of her eye, she could see Colin observing her keenly. When his gaze dropped to her plate, she felt a surge of vexation.

Is he going to take issue with my lack of appetite as well?

Fortunately, her brother did not comment on her dispassionate attitude towards the honey cake she barely scraped with her fork, or else she might have violently thrown the utensil at him.

But the truth of the matter was that not only was she dreading any sort of conversation with Colin, but she was also at the edge of her seat, wondering when the butler would bring in the silver tray bearing the correspondences for that day—as well as that morning’s scandal sheet.

Lady Spalding would be more than happy to announce to the rest of thetonthat after barely one day of marriage, the new Duke and Duchess of Ashton were now living in separate residences.

She stabbed at her cake as she thought of the Earl of Sidmouth and his hateful sister.

No wonder she has remained a spinster.How could anyone want to associate with a woman who would spill her vitriol at whoever she pleased as if they were the cause of her misery?

But the meal passed by in relative peace, and when the dreaded silver tray was finally brought in, no scandal sheet was on it.

Evie frowned slightly. Had Colin perhaps instructed the staff to remove it from the tray?