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“I wanted to sincerely apologize if I made you uncomfortable. That was not my intention.”

“No, no,” she hastened to say, “you did not make me uncomfortable. I was just… seized with an unreasonable panic. I am not even sure why. I hope you can be patient with me.”

“Of course. We are not in a rush to do anything. I can be as patient as you need me to be. I only ask for the same courtesy, should I also experience anxiousness.”

Georgiana looked at him in surprise, opening her mouth to ask him what could possibly cause him disquiet, but at that moment the butler entered the room and announced that dinner was being served.

Robert held out his arm. “Will you join me?” he asked formally.

“Of course, Your Grace,” Georgiana replied with a small smile.

Her hands were shaking with nerves, but she could not fathom why. They walked to the dining hall, and he sat her down on his left-hand side.

The soup was served, and they ate in relative silence, glancing briefly at each other from time to time. Once the cold meats and vegetables were placed on the table, Robert opened the conversation.

“I must say that I have been meaning to congratulate you.”

“On what?” Georgiana asked, eyebrow raised.

“On the running of this house. Everything is operating very smoothly, and I know that it is because of you. Considering that I left you without any instructions, you have done very well. Outstanding even.” He smiled. “Your parents were right.”

She froze, looking up from her plate to stare at him. “What do you mean by that?”

“Only that they told me you were very proficient in running a household and that you would make an excellent duchess.”

Georgiana ducked her head, her cheeks flaming. “Well, your staff was very well trained. They made things extremely easy for me.”

“Yes… Well, this was my grandmother’s home before she grew too old to live on her own. She was a very particular woman with exacting standards. She was responsible for hiring most of the servants who are now under your care.”

“Ah, that would explain it. I was quite surprised by how long they had all been working here before I arrived.”

“My grandmother is not fond of strangers. She was not one to change staff if it could possibly be helped. Some of her people have been with her for generations.”

She took a sip of her port. “Mmm yes, they are a very cohesive group.”

He smiled. “And you have maintained that cohesiveness.”

She nodded awkwardly at his unexpected praise, looking away from his piercing stare.

“Tell me about your childhood,” he said.

She looked up at him in surprise. “Why?”

“Because I would enjoy knowing all about the life experiences that made you the woman you are today.”

Her eyes widened in alarm at the thought of telling him all her embarrassing family secrets.

She shrugged. “As you know, my family has the mansion, as well as a fair bit of land. Other than that, we possessed little else. We were forced to make do with what we had. The servants who stayed with us did so out of loyalty rather than consistent pay. I…grew accustomed to finding ways to keep things afloat.”

“Why you? Why not your parents?”

She cleared her throat, taking another sip of her drink. “Well…my father has a reputation as a gambler, as I am sure you are aware. My mother…well…she is retiring…accepting. She simply assumes that matters will be taken care of…and so they were.”

“By you?”

Georgiana shrugged and looked at her plate.

“They must miss you,” he said softly.