Page 5 of Once Upon a Devilish Duke

Max grinned, and so did Marianne. Once they were seated, the footmen came around and poured tea and offered plates of all sorts of different foods. Breakfast was an egg and some toast at Brookhaven. She took a slice of toast and an egg. No use changing her habits.

“What are your plans for today?” Rose asked Max.

“Oh, Aunt Marianne says I have to write a letter to Aunt Gabby and read a chapter of my book.” Her tone was pouty.

“What book are you reading?”

“Good manners for young ladies. It is most tedious. If I finish it quickly, I may be able to see Cordelia.”

“Cordelia?”

“My pony. Don’t you think it a most romantic name?”

Rose blinked. “I had not really thought about it.”

“Max thinks the name is worthy of a heroine who would leap off a cliff for her true love,” Marianne explained.

“It’s from Shakespeare, you know.”

“I do. Which play is it from? I have quite forgotten.” She hadn’t, but what would be the harm in humoring her?

Max rolled her eyes. “King Lear, silly.”

“Oh, my apologies. It has been some years since I read any Shakespeare.”

“Max, leave Rose alone to eat her breakfast.”

“Yes, Aunt Marianne.”

Marianne leaned over and whispered, “She has only read two of the bard’s works but is now an expert on all things romantic and tragic.”

“Pray she does not discover poetry then,” Rose whispered back.

Marianne laughed, and Max’s head shot up.

Rose thought it was better to say something quickly. “I certainly hope that Cordelia will do no such thing as jumping off a cliff. Especially if you are riding her at the time.”

“We have no cliffs here,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I did have hopes she would fall in love with Ceasar, that is Uncle Charles’s horse, but Mister Johns says that Ceasar is far too old now and he is almost three times as tall as Cordelia, so they would not be a good match.”

Rose nodded. “Mister Johns is very wise.”

Max was quiet for a few minutes while she ate. Marianne mouthed her thanks to Rose, who smiled into her teacup. This could be just what she needed. A distraction from her woes.

“I had better go upstairs and start my studies,” Max said, once her breakfast was done. She hopped up and bobbed a curtsy; she left, skipping out of the room.

Rose laughed. “She is a delightful child. Quick as a whip too.”

“I apologize in advance if she talks your ear off.”

“I was the same if you remember. Her governess must be run off her feet?”

“She does not have one at the moment. The last one we had went and got married to the local minister’s son about three months ago. Apparently, they had been making moon eyes at each other for months before we knew what was happening. We have not found a suitable replacement yet.”

“Hence the studies in all things ladylike? Whomever you get, they will need all their energy to keep up with her, I think.”

“You are right. She needs someone young, but then they go off and marry, and we are back to where we are now.”

“Surely, it would be easier to find a governess in London?”