Page 23 of It's a British Christmas

His mother smiled fondly at Merry’s back. “Miss Chamber has been working very hard. We’ve just about finished the counting of linens and dinnerware. Merry also supervised the young girls from the village since Mrs. Bond was busy with her housekeeping duties.” She squeezed his arm. “Oh I do love the holidays, Penrose. We should entertain more often.”

Her excitement was contagious. He found himself smiling along with her. “Would you really wish to take on all this extra work several times a year?”

She waved her hand in dismissal as they entered the drawing room. “Miss Chambers is such a help, I feel as though I’m doing nothing at all.”

“But Miss Chambers may not be with us forever. Some young man may catch her fancy and she’ll be off planning her own parties.” His gut clenched at his own words.

His mother glanced at him, a mysterious smile on her face. “Yes. Perhaps Miss Chambers will catch the eye of a young man. Or, maybe she already has.”

Penrose’s heart sped up, but he kept his voice cool. “What do you mean? Have there been callers in my absence?”

The duchess sighed. “Sometimes I do wonder at your intelligence, my son.” She turned to the maid she’d summoned and instructed her to fetch tea and sandwiches.

They moved further into the room, settling on the settee near the warming fireplace.

“You still have not answered my question. Has Miss Chambers been receiving callers?”

“No, my dear. No one outside the family has been to see her.”

“Brandon?” He would never allow Merry to seriously consider his brother. As much as he loved the younger man, he had quite a bit of growing up to do before he took on a wife. Although, as the heir apparent to the dukedom, he should be encouraging Brandon to marry. Just not Miss Chambers. He pushed the why not question from his mind.

She shook her head. “Tell me about your trip. Did you, Smithfield, and Eastlake come up with new ways to torture Parliament?”

Not satisfied with his mother’s evasive tactics, but acknowledging her wish to change the subject, he went into more detail about his meetings with the lords.

Tea arrived at the same time as Miss Chambers. She’d changed into another gown, and had fixed her hair. The smudge of dirt was also gone. Too bad, he would have liked to use his thumb to run over her soft cheek to erase it.

Merry sat across from them and poured. He leaned back and watched her graceful hands as she performed the duty. When she wasn’t spewing forth outlandish opinions, she was really quite charming and sophisticated. She glanced up as she handed him a cup, and her smile warmed him for more reasons than where his thoughts normally wandered.

Miss Chambers was kind, intelligent, and from all indications, loved fiercely and protectively. She would be a stalwart wife, and a wonderful mother.

“I see you’ve done quite a bit already to prepare for the Christmas season.” He took the cup from Merry’s hand.

“Yes. We’ve been very busy. I just love the holidays. All the preparations never seem like work to me.” Her eyes danced with glee.

“Did you and your father entertain a lot?”

Merry nodded. “We did. He oftentimes had students over for dinner, and we would all discuss politics or some other subject of interest.”

Penrose’s eyes widened. “You sat in on those discussions?”

Her eyes snapped. “Of course.” Then her defiant chin rose. “And why wouldn’t I?”

God, he loved how quickly she went from sweet little miss to a tigress. “I don’t mean to disparage you, or your father. I’m merely surprised a woman would be interested in such things.”

“Oh, I suppose it would make more sense to you if I preferred to merely discuss gowns, slippers, and gossip?”

He could no longer hold back his chuckle. She narrowed her eyes, and then her lips tilted, turned into a smile, and finally she laughed.

“Ah, see, Miss Chambers. We are able to laugh at ourselves, are we not?”

“And when will it be your turn?” She smiled sweetly and took a bite of a watercress sandwich, as the duchess grinned behind her cup of tea.

Merry’s heart hadn’t gone back to its normal rhythm since Penrose first walked into the dining room. His presence had sucked out all the air. He’d towered over her, staring down with those riveting deep brown eyes that always caused her to feel as though she’d forgotten to put on her gown.

Now with him sitting across from her, his large frame dwarfing the settee, she had a strong desire to whip out a fan to cool her heated skin. With the blood pounding in her ears, she barely heard what he and Kitty discussed. This would not do. The entire time he was gone he’d invaded her thoughts, even while she’d slept.

But, oh, how he vexed her with that superior attitude. She studied him from beneath lowered lashes. His attraction lay not just in his good looks, but the way he held himself. The way he moved across a room like a panther seeking its prey. She shivered. Would that she were his prey.