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Letitia looked shocked, but Phineas didn’t care. He continued to eat his soup, and after Letitia’s remark, everyone was now watching him.

“They don’t care,” he said, waving his spoon in the air. “We are family, after all.”

Letitia tried to put on a brave face, but it was killing her inside.

“I love the soup as much as Father,” Stephen announced.

“Me too,” Nathanial piped up.

“Oh, my goodness!” Letitia gasped as she looked over at the twins to see soup dribbling down their chins and onto the table.

“Oh, isn’t that funny,” Modesty commented, not laughing or smiling.

Elizabeth and Hannah were deep in conversation, neither having touched their soups, none the wiser to what was going on around them.

“Welcome to my family,” Beatrice whispered to her husband.

“I am beginning to see why you are the way you are,” Edwin replied in a hushed tone.

Beatrice playfully elbowed him in the ribs.

The commotion was soon brought to a halt when the soup bowls were removed from the table. The fish course was served immediately afterward.

Beatrice had experienced two suppers like this before, when her father was trying to impress his guests. He liked to serve up the soup and fish in quick succession before taking a break with refreshments, and then the main course would be served.

The maids brought out small plates of grilled sea bass in a lemon and butter sauce, with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Wilted spinach provided a bed for the fish.

The smell was intoxicating, and even though it was a different fish, Beatrice’s mind was taken back to the smoked salmon she and the Duke had shared for breakfast, along with his comment about her moans.

This is not the place for such thoughts!

The plates were put down before all the guests, and then the maids retreated—some leaving the room and others retreating to the corners. Phineas waved his hand, and white wine was poured into the wine glasses.

“Lots for me,” Stephen said.

“And don’t forget about me,” Nathanial added.

“A mouthful each for the special occasion,” Phineas said.

Both boys gasped excitedly, having not expected to get any.

“I would like to make a toast,” Phineas announced, raising his glass. “To my beautiful daughter and her new family.”

“To the Duke and Duchess,” the others chorused.

“Now,” Phineas said, turning more serious. “Before our main course is served, we should deal with the very serious elephant in the room. The defamation campaign against my daughter.”

ChapterTwenty-Three

On Friendlier Terms

“Iwonder if now is the right time after all, my dear.” Letitia laughed nervously. “We are having such a wonderful time, even with the magic tricks, and spilled food, and confusing conversations. This is the first time Beatrice is back under our roof, and should we really spoil it with talk of gossip?”

“It is a scandal,” Phineas emphasized.

“Still, do we really need to speak about it now?”

Edwin watched everything unfold by Beatrice’s side, and he did not know if he found the evening frustrating or amusing. He had thought his family was crazy, but seeing his wife’s family brought him some levity.