Page 86 of The Secret of Flirting

The prince turned to Mr. Danworth. “Thank you for joining me in my carriage. I would never have found the place otherwise.”

Mr. Danworth nodded. “I was happy to help, Your Highness.”

How strange. The two men were cordial, to be sure, but they didn’t seem to be the great friends Lady Ursula had described. Were they putting on a show? Or had Lady Ursula simply been lying about their friendship?

She could tell from Gregory’s face that similar thoughts were passing through his head. But he merely ordered the servants to show the prince to his room.

As soon as Prince Leopold was gone and Lady Ursula and Mr. Danworth had headed up to their own rooms to dress for dinner, Gregory came to her side.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She stiffened. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Gazing up the staircase to where his guests had disappeared, he said, “I don’t know. But clearlysomethingis going on with the prince and Danworth.”

“Lady Ursula said they were friends, but they didn’t seem friendly to me.”

“Exactly. It worries me. The constable told me—” He caught himself.

“What did he tell you?”

His gaze grew shuttered. “Nothing. At least, nothing that I’m sure of the meaning of yet.”

She understood; she wasn’t sure whatanythingmeant yet.

Before she could remark on his words, the entrance opened and his mother came in, laughing along with the count, who looked thoroughly enamored.

“Mother!” Gregory said sharply. “Where the devil have you been?”

“We were having a very pleasant time in town,” Gregory’s mother said, with a knowing glance at Monique’s great-uncle.

The count smiled down at her. “We were, indeed. Your mother is a delightful woman, Fulkham.”

When Gregory bristled, Monique had to suppress a laugh. Clearly, he didn’t approve of any possible relationship between his mother and the count. But Monique thought it was sweet. Much as she resented the count’s behavior toward her and Grand-maman, she also recognized that he needed a softening influence.

Like Lady Fulkham.

“Tell me,” Gregory said in a firm tone, “was Danworth with you the entire day you were in Canterbury?”

The count and Lady Fulkham exchanged a glance. Then Lady Fulkham shrugged. “We lost track of him quite early. I’m not surewherehe went.”

Gregory’s jaw tightened. “I see. Well then, that is that.”

What an odd thing to say. But with no more information to go on, Monique didn’t know what to make of it.

“Dinner is in less than an hour,” he added. “Perhaps you two should go upstairs to change clothes.”

“Oh!” his mother said. “Of course.” She cast the count a flirtatious glance. “I do hope you will sit next tomeat dinner.”

The count took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to it. “I would be honored, my lady.”

Gregory rolled his eyes. And as soon as the pair had disappeared up the stairs, separately, he said, “What is your great-uncle up to, Monique?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps he just likes your mother.”

“I doubt that,” Gregory ground out. “He has some reason for flirting with her, I’m sure.”

The remark made her sad. “That’s the trouble with you, Gregory. Everyone you work with has an ulterior motive, usually political. But sometimes people just want to be with other people for no reason beyond simple liking.”Or loving.