LITMIR.BIZ

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need that title of yours and your fortune if you hope to entice a woman to marry you. Your lack of charm certainly is not to your advantage.’

      ‘Perhaps we can have that tea now,’ Mrs Sommersby called out pleasantly from where she was patiently sitting on the sofa near the fireplace.

      Why had he allowed the Duchess to distract him from leaving the room? It had only delayed her departure from his home.

      ‘Did someone mention tea?’

      Simon turned away from the annoying Duchess to find his friend and business associate Adam Finley lounging against the door frame, openly assessing her with his eyes.

      ‘I thought I heard voices,’ Adam continued as he walked into the room.

      Simon stepped between Adam and his female intruders. It was no wonder that his friend had become curious about what was taking Simon so long to fetch the small marble statue that he suggested would appeal to Lord Bollingbrooke. He only had to go into the Blue Drawing Room where it was stored, which was a few doors away from his study where the men had been meeting.

      The last thing he wanted was to have Adam anywhere near these women. Worlds were colliding and this could be a disaster. While Mrs Sommersby appeared pleasant enough, the Duchess was everything that wasn’t. Her only redeeming quality was that she smelled nice when you were standing close to her. She was opinionated, nosy, and much too condescending for his taste. Not to mention that she measured a man’s worth by what was in his bank account. And while he could manage her probing questions with deflection, Adam’s mercurial nature made it hard to predict how he would react to her inquisition.

      It was probably best to quickly introduce them and then leave the ladies to wait for their tea by themselves, since Adam had already walked around him and was making his way to the Duchess.

      ‘Your Grace,’ Simon addressed the woman who was openly eyeing Adam with an inquisitive brow, ‘may I introduce my friend, Mr Finley. Mr Finley, this is Elizabeth, the Duchess of Skeffington.’

      The surprised look on Adam’s face was quickly replaced with a sly smile before he executed a bow. ‘Your Grace, your beauty has exceeded my expectations.’

      She shifted her gaze from Adam to Simon and then back to Adam. ‘I assume this means that His Grace has been speaking of me or you would hold no expectations of me at all.’

      Adam gave Simon an amused glance before showing off his charming smile to the Duchess. ‘Only in passing, I assure you, but he certainly did not do you justice when he described you.’

      Of course he had. What more was there to say about her when Adam enquired after the reading of the will? She was rather tall for a woman, with dark hair and dark eyes. And she seemed to possess a sense of entitlement that grated on him. Simon thought he had been rather generous in his description.

      The Duchess, however, was eyeing him as if he was something she had brought in on the bottom of her shoe from the stables.

      ‘Adam,’ he said, with a hint of chastisement as he pulled his friend away from the Duchess and over to her companion. ‘Mrs Sommersby, allow me to introduce you to Mr Finley. This is Mrs Sommersby, the Duchess’s aunt.’

      ‘It is a pleasure, Mrs Sommersby,’ Adam said with a bow as his attention became fixed on the woman’s cameo bracelet. ‘That is a stunning piece of jewellery. If I may be so bold, I believe I recall a bracelet similar to that one in Rundell, Bridge and Rundell not too long ago.’

      ‘I bought this recently at that very shop,’ she said, appearing pleasantly surprised by Adam’s admiration for her bracelet. ‘Do you go there often, Mr Finley? I must say I am astonished you remember it.’

      ‘That cameo is quite memorable with the details and the cut.’

      ‘Are you fond of jewellery, Mr Finley?’ the Duchess asked, approaching his side and looking down at the bracelet in question.

      ‘It is one of my many interests.’ Adam shifted his gaze away from the expensive-looking bracelet and gave a wolflike smile to the Duchess.

      Her lips parted and she moved her hand to her chest. Whether she planned it or not she was now covering the emerald necklace she wore which decorated her neck. Simon needed to get Adam away from these women. He couldn’t bear to watch him try to flirt with the Duchess and wasn’t completely certain Adam wouldn’t try to convince the women that he could arrange to sell their jewellery and fetch them a decent price. The unpredictable comments that could flow from both Adam and the Duchess were not a good combination.

      ‘I believe you ladies were in need of tea.’

      ‘Yes, I believe we mentioned that a time or two,’ Mrs Sommersby replied.

      ‘Well, Mr Finley and I will leave you now and I will arrange for it.’

      Adam practically pouted at him. ‘We are not staying for tea?’

      ‘We are not. We have matters to discuss and had been interrupted.’ He shot a pointed glance at the Duchess.

      ‘But I enjoy a good cup of tea in the afternoon.’

      ‘You can enjoy a cup of tea in my study.’ He turned to the ladies on the sofa. ‘I bid you both a fine journey to your next destination. I’m certain you won’t mind if I do not show you out myself when you are finished with your tea.’

      ‘They are leaving?’ Adam asked over his shoulder as Simon practically dragged him towards the door.

      ‘They are.’

      ‘But didn’t they just arrive?’

      ‘This is a very short call.’

      ‘I see.’ Adam extricated himself from Simon’s hold and walked back towards the ladies. ‘It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope I have the opportunity to spend time with you both in the future. Perhaps I will see you here again.’

      ‘I hope not,’ Simon muttered, walking out of the room.

      After a few minutes of what Simon believed to be bowing his farewells to the ladies, Adam sauntered into the hall where Simon was waiting for him.

      ‘She likes me,’ Adam said with an arrogant smile.

      ‘You think every woman likes you.’

      He gave a careless shrug. ‘They all do. I speak their language.’ Adam followed him down the corridor towards Simon’s study.

      ‘And what language is that?’

      ‘The language of luxury goods—of fine jewellery and fashionable attire.’

      ‘I wasn’t aware you considered yourself an expert on women’s fashions.’

      ‘You pulled me away from them before I had the opportunity to compliment the Duchess on the Brussels lace on her gown.’

      ‘She can thank me the next time I see her if, in fact, I ever see her again. I can only hope that I don’t.’ Simon rolled his eyes as they walked into his study and he pulled the tapestry bell pull to call for a servant to arrange tea.

      ‘You didn’t mention she was a prime article.’

      ‘The Duchess? She is not that attractive.’

      ‘If one doesn’t like females with rich dark hair, fine features, radiant smooth skin, expressive large eyes and tempting curves, then I assume that’s true. I, on the other hand, find her stunning.’

      ‘You were in her presence all of five minutes. I assure you, she’s a vixen.’

      ‘You’re exaggerating. I didn’t find her at all shrewish.’

      ‘She barely said anything to you.’

      ‘Which means she was speechless because she was captivated by my charms. I tend to have that effect on women.’ He tugged on the cuff of his deep grey tailcoat.

      ‘You flatter yourself.

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