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Once she was ready, she went downstairs to look for Robert.

She found him in his office dealing with some correspondence. He looked up at her and smiled. “Good afternoon. How wonderful of you to join us in the land of the living.”

Georgiana grinned and kissed him on the mouth. “You are welcome,” she murmured.

He snorted in amusement and then looked her up and down. “All covered but still irresistible; be still my heart.” He draped his hand dramatically over his chest.

Georgiana rolled her eyes and turned away from him. “Tell me about your friend. Why does he wish to meet me?”

“Because you are my wife.”

Georgiana smiled. “I have been your wife for more than a year. Why now?”

He shrugged. “Perhaps because I keep telling him that I cannot spend time with him because I was spending time with you.”

She nodded. “Mmm, I understand that. I am having the same problem with Selina.”

“Butshehasn’t asked to meetme.”

“Not yet,” she smiled, “but perhaps that is because she has already met you. At the ball and the park, do you remember?”

“Yes, but we did not have an opportunity to talk and get to know each other.”

“True. I will ask her if we may come for a visit if you wish it.”

“Doyouwish it?” he countered.

“Of course. I want you to know my friends and like them. Then we can all have endless dinners and talk about art, music, and poetry.”

“Well…for as long as we are in London, of course. You know how little time I spend here.”

She nodded.

“I wanted to speak with you about that. My grandmother grows anxious about my extended absence. I wanted to ask you if you would care to return with me when I go back to Emberford.”

She smiled. “It is funny. I was just thinking today that I need to pay a visit to Emberford. As duchess I have a duty to the tenants, do I not?”

“Yes, I suppose you do…”

She turned a keen eye on him. “What is it? What is wrong?”

“Nothing really. It is just that my grandmother is used to performing that role. She loves to visit the tenants and spread her largesse. She might not take kindly to you taking over.”

“Ah, I would be the interloper, coming to bring change and chaos to her well-regimented system,” Georgiana said jokingly.

Robert just gave her a stern look. “It is no joking matter.”

“No, of course not. And I will try not to trample on anyone’s feelings. Would you rather I not go?”

“I would very much rather you were always by my side, especially during the long, frosty winter months that I spend at Emberford. I have recently discovered the benefits of having a warm-blooded bed mate and I do not mean to lose that.”

“Oho! So, my sole purpose is to keep you warm in the winter?”

He grinned. “The autumn too. Spring is also quite… brisk.”

Georgiana huffed in amusement. “You are incorrigible.”

“And you are irresistible. I feel certain you will convince my grandmother to love you in no time at all.”