Page 13 of Centerpiece (Infinite Grace #2)

The Duchess shook her head, bringing more honey locks into her eyes. “Do you think he brings every bit of sweet back to his home with him? Look at you, already trying to keep him out of trouble.”

“He seems the kind to get into trouble,” Agreeable answered without thinking.

“He takes the guidance of the Church more seriously than the Church itself does, and he has luxury enough to display his caring heart.” Holburn made a small sound.

His wife blinked rapidly several times. Agreeable sighed.

“I was expecting you to be the one to keep him from risking himself, but you seem the kind to fall out of trees to look at a pretty view, if you don’t mind me saying so.

And now he is caring for you as he has cared for.

..” Agreeable glanced to the bread in his hand and gave a start.

“You can’t treat your wife like your lover!

” he exclaimed to Holburn, only to stare in confusion at the Duchess.

“ Can he? Oh,” he belatedly remembered some sort of manners again, “Your Grace.”

The Duchess smiled wide enough to show a slight gap in her front teeth and a dimple in her cheek.

Agreeable had always liked dimples. They were so friendly, even when the person smiling wasn’t. Although the Duchess didn’t seem un friendly, despite her sharp gaze.

“Eat, Remi,” the Duchess ordered. “You’re clearly hungry.”

Agreeable had the rest of the bread in his mouth before the Duchess had turned to Holburn.

“He found me,” Holburn said again. “Providence. And he needs me.” Holburn moved toward the bed and put a hand on Agreeable’s shoulder. “He wants to be mine. Isn’t that right, Remi?”

Agreeable shivered under the pressure of that hand and the Duchess’ bright, clever gaze. Holburn had heard all of what Agreeable hadn’t said. But once again, Agreeable didn’t mind. He swallowed, then nodded.

“Arrogant.” The Duchess’ lip twitched, leaving Agreeable to wonder if she had picked up the mannerism from Holburn or if he’d learned it from her.

“He will do that, sweet Remi, override your sense and then be infuriatingly right. Not always, but enough. Lure you in with sweet things and gifts, spin your senses around as though you’ve been at the wine.

And then he doesn’t even have the decency to hurt you. Oh no. He only overwhelms you more.”

“I haven’t overwhelmed him,” Holburn objected. “Have I?” He started to remove his hand and Agreeable, rash and foolish, reached up to draw it back to him before remembering that the Duchess would see it.

He dropped his hands. “I jumped into his bed. I wasn’t lured there. I didn’t even know he was a grace—a duke.” He trembled. “I thought he was a danger, but not that much danger. But I can leave. I can . They likely won’t hang me.” Maybe.

“ Hang you?” The Duchess looked from Agreeable to Holburn. “You have had fun.”

“No one is hanging you.” Holburn was firm, then exhaled and gentled his tone. “And we have a dress to return.”

“I had two days of garden strolls and bad cooking.” The Duchess crossed her arms. “All right,” she went on as though Holburn had said something or given her a doubtful look, “and perhaps an amusing bed romp. I still did nothing like this. I leave you alone for a few days, and you have a mysterious adventure and meet an angel?”

“No, no,” Agreeable jumped in, “I’m a thief. Accused thief,” he added to be safe. “Agreeable the accused thief. And I sto— borrowed a dress as a disguise.”

“Remi the future page,” Holburn corrected him. “And we’re returning the dress so you did indeed borrow it. No harm done.”

Agreeable met the Duchess’ curious stare without intending to. Her eyes widened and then narrowed in a foxlike manner.

“Poor lad,” she cooed. It felt a little mean.

Agreeable shivered for that too and found it was something else he didn’t mind.

Not at all. She was welcome to be a vixen to him as much as she liked.

She understood his situation, even if she teased him for it now; Holburn had ensnared her too.

“Entirely at his mercy, aren’t you? You aren’t bothered?

” Her gaze said she already knew his answer.

But Holburn must not have. He removed his hand from Agreeable’s shoulder, for good this time.

Agreeable twisted to look up at him, his stomach quivering until Holburn curled a knuckle beneath Agreeable’s chin to tip his head back that much more.

Agreeable wet his bottom lip and stared into the red-brown warmth of Holburn’s eyes.

“I’m always at the mercy of the powerful.

Of everyone, really. But I like it. Being at his, I mean.

I like it so far.” He didn’t risk touching Holburn in return and grabbed the ends of his scarf for something to hold to.

“He thinks it’s his extortion, but it’s not.

I’m alight all the way through. And I want to help him.

He needs help, I think, or he wouldn’t have come to a thief with questions. ”

“The little, powerless Duke of Dharmin?” the Duchess asked, directing some of her mean cooing at her husband, or so Agreeable thought until she murmured, “He needs more people he can trust.”

“He’s like you,” Agreeable answered her, watching pleasure cross Holburn’s face that meant something Agreeable had done had made him happy.

“Powerful enough, but avoiding the work to be done as long as you can, because it scares you. It’s a lot, isn’t it?

Taking over when someone dies. Knowing all their work is yours now and not feeling ready.

” Agreeable hadn’t been ready, but even if he had been, the Count and the priests had thought otherwise, so it hardly mattered.

Holburn pulled in a breath. The Duchess made not a sound, so Agreeable looked over to find her.

“Parties in the capital must be fun, but now you have things to do, important work, proper justice and compassion as lords are meant to do... or so Holburn hinted. And except for some servants who knew him as a boy, there’s no one to help you.

This Hilde person, maybe. And me, if you want me.

I can serve you both like that, even if you don’t want.

...” He stopped, uncertain over what to say there.

“I can get a tumble in other places.” He settled on that.

“Even if I liked it with Holburn. And I can keep you out of trees, Your Grace. Or at least try to. Better than this Hilde did.”

“Picking a fight with Hilde already,” Holburn remarked lightly.

“Holburn,” the Duchess said again. “Not an angel. A saint.”

“And they haven’t the brains to want him here,” Holburn returned. Neither of them made a lick of sense.

“Maybe they appreciate the danger of associating with saints,” his wife sang back to him, but then tossed her head. “And don’t you dare remind me of the danger of falling out of trees in this moment, Remi. It hurt enough when I landed.”

“Are you bruised?” Agreeable wondered. “There’s herbs that can help with that.”

The Duchess drew her brows together as though she were cross, but her tone was warm. “All right,” she declared, and put her hands on her hips. “Let’s get a look at him. If he’s to be a page, he should be able to look the part.”

Agreeable turned to Holburn, who smiled down at him. “To your feet now, Remi. Stand straight.”

Agreeable stood, staring at Holburn until a flash of color made him turn.

The Duchess was directly before him, only a step or two away.

“You think I could be one?” Agreeable wondered with real surprise. “That is, you think I could be a page, Your Grace?”

“‘Your Grace’ in public.” She sighed it. “You must at least remember that if we are to get you, ‘Agreeable the accused thief,’ out of the village as our long-time page. I assume that is the plan?”

“He said you had a keen eye.” Agreeable ducked his head when she looked surprised. “Your Grace.”

“Villagers won’t know the difference.” She clucked her tongue. “But we’ll have to teach him better than that if we don’t want the Count’s household to know, either.”

“Only his mother, who works there for now.” Holburn slid an arm around Agreeable’s chest, urging Agreeable back and to the side until he was against Holburn’s chest. Agreeable sucked in a breath but went, his eyes wide on the Duchess.

“It’s not a terribly long journey to the Count’s from here, but in the carriage, we should have time. He’s smart. He’ll learn enough.”

“His clothes are not correct either.” The Duchess tipped her head to one side to consider Agreeable. “He’ll need a waistcoat, if not a coat. We can say his coat was destroyed on the journey. He used it to keep me from stepping in a puddle or something. Though I doubt anyone will ask.”

“Servants might,” Agreeable pointed out. “Though they’ll ask me, not you.”

“He should mostly keep to our rooms anyway.” Holburn wrapped his other arm around Agreeable over the first, setting Agreeable’s heart to racing.

“The servants will assume his true purpose and though they might snicker, they shouldn’t bother with wondering why he doesn’t fulfill the actual duties of a page. We can work on those once we get home.”

“I’m to be your centerpiece while I’m there?

” Agreeable’s voice grew husky. The Duchess could see him trembling, almost certainly.

She had gone foxlike again and that only made him tremble harder.

Oh, she was so pretty and clever. Agreeable didn’t know what to do about it except shiver.

“Everyone will know. I’ll be Agreeable again.

Only... only....” He stopped as he realized. “Only I’ll be your Agreeable.”

“You’ll be Remi, who wants and does not merely agree.” Holburn was warm at his back. “And mine, yes.”

If Holburn hadn’t been holding him, Agreeable’s legs would have given way. He pressed his thighs together, for they might as well have been water, and panted, “I won’t be able to listen for you that way. Not if I’m kept in your bed—in your room.”