Page 64 of His Stolen Duchess

She closed her eyes.

And smiled.

Chapter Twenty

Lysander walked through his townhouse garden, still acclimating to the changes Georgina had made. He didn’t care so much that she had made them; it was only that they had been made. He could live with the new additions and old subtractions, but he didn’t enjoy feeling like a stranger in his own space.

“Good morning!”

Lysander turned around to return the greeting, but saw no one. It took him a moment to realize that the words had come from within the converted folly, and when he did, he knew exactly who had spoken.

He moved closer and brought his face near the intertwined wire. Mr. Squawksby sat on a perch inside.

“Good morning,” the bird repeated.

“Yes, yes, good morning,” Lysander replied, feeling like a fool for engaging in conversation with the chaos causer.

“Yes, yes, good morning. Good morning,” it chirped.

“You are far better behaved when you are where you’re supposed to be.”

“Best behavior. Best behavior. A treat? A treat?”

“For what?” Lysander asked. “For acting as you should?” He looked around before muttering, “Am I arguing with a bird? I have truly gone insane.”

Lysander noticed a small bowl attached to the side of the cage that was filled with walnuts and candied fruits.

“You can have this,” he said, picking up one of the walnuts. “If you promise to remain on your best behavior.”

“Best behavior,” the parrot repeated.

Lysander poked the nut through the cage, and the parrot worked its way across the perch and leaned over to take the nut from his hand. Lysander watched as the parrot manipulated it with its beak and one foot, shelling the walnut before consuming it.

“See?” he asked. “If you do as you are told, we won’t have any problems.”

He was feeling particularly generous and took a piece of the candied orange and passed it through the wire.

The parrot took it and guzzled it down.

“If we can keep this understanding, we won’t have any further problems, and you will continue to get treats.Doyou understand?”

Mr. Squawksby didn’t respond. He sat on his perch and tilted his head to one side as though trying his best to understand the Duke’s words.

“Good morning.” The sound came from close to the house this time. “Are you talking with someone?”

Lysander turned to see Georgina standing by the door.

“No, I was taking a walk.”

“Were you talking to Mr. Squawksby?” she asked, slapping her hands over her chest. “Are you finally bonding with him?”

“No, I wasn’t speaking with him at all. Now, let’s have breakfast. We have a swimming lesson this morning.”

“Oh. Are we returning home?”

“No. I have another residence here in London, which has a lake that will be perfect for us.”

“Oh, yes,” Georgina said.