Duke Looks Like a Groomsman - Valerie Bowman Page 0,27
finally replied.
“By all means, you ask first,” he offered.
She took a deep breath to steady herself before saying, “It couldn’t have been just an idle bet that made you and your friends decide to be servants. What else is the plan?”
He finished loading the basket by putting the empty teapot inside. “What do you mean?”
“I mean there must be some additional reason you’re all playacting the way you are. What is it?” She studied his face. He was handsome, bless it all, but why did Mary have to point it out?
“Ah, quite astute of you, milady,” he replied. He’d drawn up both knees again and his arms rested atop them. “You’re right. There is another reason.”
“Which is?” she prodded.
He bit his lip and seemed to be struggling with himself as to whether he should tell her. “The truth is, Kendall is looking for a wife.”
Julianna’s eyes shot open wide and so did her mouth. “By pretending to be a footman?”
“Yes,” Rhys replied. “It may sound unconventional, but he has his reasons.”
She settled back onto the blanket and managed to close her mouth at least. “I’d say ‘unconventional’ is an understatement.”
Rhys shrugged. “That’s the entire point.”
“What is? I don’t understand.” She frowned.
Rhys leaned back against his wrists. He was casual. That had been something else she’d liked about him. In their world, they’d been born to be prim and proper. Never a hair out of place, never a bend to the wrist, never a sag to the back. But whenever she and Rhys had been alone together like they were now, he’d acted like a human being, not a fastidious duke. And he didn’t seem to mind that she acted normal either. In fact, he’d seemed to like that about her. It was more than she could say for the Marquess of Murdock. No, Richard. She needed to get used to thinking of him as Richard. Richard seemed nothing but pleased when she was perfect.
“Kendall wants to see how the young ladies act when they don’t know they’re in the presence of an earl,” Rhys said.
Julianna’s mouth fell open once again. “You cannot be serious.”
He leaned back farther and narrowed his eyes on her. “I’m quite serious. That is a hazard of having a title, you know?”
She frowned at him. “What is?”
His jaw tightened. “Young women pretending they’re interested in you when they’re really only interested in your title.” His words carried an unmistakable trace of anger.
She dropped her gaze to the pattern of the quilt and traced a fingertip around it. “Lady Emily Foswell,” she said in almost a whisper. The entire ton knew that Lady Emily had tossed over the future Earl of Kendall days before their wedding when an offer from a baron came along.
“Precisely,” Rhys replied, his jaw still tight.
Julianna decided to move the conversation away from things like offers and titles. The look on his face and the anger in his tone made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t risk getting into an argument with him with Mary no doubt on her way back. “I still don’t understand why you all thought no one would recognize you here.”
“Is it so outlandish?” Rhys replied. “Think about it. How many people in the dining room recognize Kendall each night when he’s serving them?”
Julianna pursed her lips and nodded. She knew precisely what he meant. She had thought about it. She’d been astounded, actually, when her own mother had not noticed the Earl of Kendall serving dinner in the dining room. Julianna had watched Kendall surreptitiously for the last two nights and decided the man did an excellent job of pretending to be a servant. But no one seemed to look at him long enough or give him enough attention to realize a peer of the realm was serving them roast duck.
“I find it sad, actually, how easily Lord Kendall has been able to stride about the dining room filling water glasses without anyone noticing him.” She sighed. “It says something awful about our Society, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” Rhys replied. His voice was pensive as well.
“I admit, I didn’t notice myself until halfway through the first meal, which means I’m nearly as bad as everyone else.” She shook her head.
“You’re in excellent company,” Rhys replied. “There is more than one peer in that room from what I’ve been told. None of them have noticed either.”
She plucked at the blanket. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea for Lord Kendall to try to find a wife in that manner.”
Rhys cocked his