Page 14 of The Duke’s Sworn Spinster (A Duel and a Wedding #1)

Chapter Twelve

“ S o you were serious.” Archer leaned against the doorframe of his study as he looked at Lydia’s handy work. “I’ll admit, when you said my study was next, this was not what I was expecting.”

Lydia tucked a strand of hair behind her head and finished placing the last of the ledgers onto the meticulously organized shelf behind her.

She canted her head towards the Duke. “And what were you expecting?”

Archer shrugged “Significantly more holes. And dust.”

“There was so much dust in here, I could hardly have added more.” Lydia made a disgusted noise. “For a man who is so controlled, your study was in dire shape. You’d almost think we did not have servants to see the state of it.”

“I wasn’t about to let just anyone in here.” Archer made a dismissive gesture. “There is all kinds of information to be found. My financial records, diaries of past dukes. Who knows what a servant could do with that sort of thing.”

“Not very trusting, are you?”

“Because you are an open book.” Archer rolled his eyes. “Have you… reorganized my books?”

“More like organized. Re-organizing would imply there was some sort of system here before, and if there was, I could not make heads nor tails of it.” She shook her head. “It was a miracle you could find anything.”

“It had been on my list, but I just never seemed to find the time.”

“Clearly, you needed a wife.”

“Clearly.” Archer ran his hands along the bookshelves, nodding thoughtfully. “Organized by genre, subgenre, and then by author’s surname. Very thorough.”

“Journals are also further divided into year and month as are the ledgers.” Lydia swallowed. “Speaking of which… I wanted to talk to you… about Iris.”

Archer tensed, and Lydia braced herself. “What about her?”

“I was looking through the records, and it seems like she has just ended her piano lessons?” She thumbed through the book until she got to the relevant page.

Archer’s brow furrowed. “Yes, I thought music might be one of those passions she stuck with, but it was not. Still, at least she learned the basics, and no doubt, she will return to it at a later date as she nearly always does.”

“I was thinking…” Lydia swallowed as Archer’s eyes narrowed. “I was thinking that perhaps, we could get her some painting lessons now that she has a little more free time, and we have the money freed up from the piano lessons.”

“I thought I said that you were not to get involved in my sisters’ or my niece’s education.” Archer’s frown was so deep it was nearly a crater.

“I know that.” Lydia licked her lips, her mouth dry under the intensity of Archer’s gaze.

“I just… I wanted to be useful. To be helpful. I am not trying to meddle, but at the moment, Iris seems obsessed with painting. She vibrates with excitement whenever she sees any of us get out our easels, and if Cora was more willing to teach her…”

“Cora does not have the patience for such things.” Archer made a dismissive gesture.

“I know that. It is why I think we should hire her a teacher.” Lydia saw Archer’s eyes narrow even further, but she pressed on. “Do you not see how she admires the paintings in the halls? Or the doodles she makes in the margins of her homework? I think she would really enjoy it.”

“She is seven! Every other week, she has a new passion. By dinner time, she will have long since forgotten about painting and moved on to something else. In fact, she already has because someone told her about beekeeping. So, now she wants to be a beekeeper.” He shook his head.

“You say that like it is a bad thing. The fault lies with Miss Boyd. She had a lesson on serving tea. Iris kept asking questions about why certain foods had to go with certain teas and where the tea came from and how the teapot was made. Miss Boyd did not answer a single question, not one. All she did was focus on etiquette.” Lydia made a disgusted noise.

“That is a sure-fire way to remove the spark of her curiosity, and that would be a shame. So, after her lesson, I sat down with Iris and answered them. She was particularly fascinated by how the bees made honey. She could have equally become fascinated with pottery. Is that so wrong?”

“It is not wrong; it is just not your place.” Archer sighed. “I appreciate what you have done with my study, and I can see that you care for Iris, but I have asked you not to interfere.”

“I am not interfering. I am making a suggestion.” She tapped the folder on the desk. “Please, I have written everything down here. If you would just read it.”

“I will consider it, but I make no promises.” Archer held up a hand.

Lydia beamed. “Thank you.”

“If you are quite done telling me how I should be educating my niece, then perhaps we might discuss plans for the builders. They will be here in the morning, and I want to make sure we make the most use of them. Especially as Iris will no doubt be determined to be in the thick of things.” Archer ran a hand through his hair distractedly, a lock falling across his face.

Lydia reached up and moved it without thinking, her fingers brushing his warm skin. He sucked in a breath, and Lydia flushed, snatching her hand back and swallowing hard. “You were saying about the builders.”

“Yes.” Archer ran a hand across his forehead. “We need to make the most of them.”

“Then we had best get started.” Iris moved beside him, aware of the heat of his body as she peered at the plans he had drawn up.

To her surprise, he didn’t move away, and the fact that he didn’t sent a rush of warmth through her that terrified her.