Page 47

It serves me right.

She had been hiding from him and could not blame him for giving up on her.

He probably thought I would not turn up for dinner either.

It still pained her to see how easily he had given up. After all, she had only made herself absent for one day.

Will I hide in my chambers forever?

She flung off the blankets and rang the bell to summon Cecile.

To the bewilderment of his servants, Robert insisted on personally delivering the parcel. He simply smiled and offered no explanation as he carried the cloth-wrapped box to the dining hall.

“Is Her Grace expected for breakfast?” he asked the butler as he placed the box on the table, close to Georgiana’s chair.

Sinclair’s brow furrowed. “I understand she has sent down for a bath, so I do suppose so.”

“Good,” Robert said, “you may go.”

Sinclair momentarily stared open-mouthed at Robert’s dismissal before hastening to do as he was instructed.

At Emberford they were much less formal about their meals, and Robert had even been known to serve himself on occasion. The ton’s continued insistence on formality was just one more reason why he found being in London so tiresome.

The door opened and Georgiana entered, looking around in puzzlement at the lack of servants.

“Good morning,” Robert said with a smile, as he rose from his seat.

“G-Good morning,” Georgiana replied as her cheeks flushed with color.

Robert hastened to pull out her chair and gestured towards it. “Please. Sit.”

She nodded jerkily as she rounded the table. He pushed the chair in and made sure she was comfortable before returning to his seat at the head of the table.

He smiled at her. “I expect you are wondering where the servants are.”

Georgiana nodded her head in acknowledgment but said nothing.

“Well, I thought, it being a nice, sunny day, we could simply enjoy breakfast on our own, with no one waiting in the wings to refill our cups or snatch away our plates the moment we take the last bite.”

She gave a nervous giggle. “Yes, they do tend to do that.”

He nodded. “I am glad you agree with my point of view.” He pointed to the cloth-covered box. “A gift for my bride.”

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “A gift? Why?”

“Well, I realized that I did not give you any wedding gifts, which was quite remiss of me. I now wish to correct that oversight.”

“Oh…That is… kind of you.”

He gestured to the package. “Please open it first and see if you like it.”

She looked momentarily doubtful, then removed the cloth and saw a large, white box tied with a gold-threaded beige satin ribbon. She pulled on one end of the ribbon and the box opened.

He held his breath in anticipation as she examined its contents. Her face lit up and her large blue eyes turned to look at him in awe.

“How did you know?” she whispered.

He smiled. “I listened.”