Free The Duke's Daughter by Sasha Cottman

announced as she left the room.
    A watchful look appeared on Avery’s face.
    Curses. How do I get him to stay now?
    ‘So, how are you settling in at Langham House?’ Lucy asked.
    He sighed. ‘It can be a little overwhelming at times, but Lord Langham and the rest of the household have made every endeavour to make me feel welcome. After the difficult circumstances surrounding my brother’s untimely death, it is more than one could expect of them.’
    Lucy nodded. Thaxter Fox, hateful man, was the furthest thing from her mind. She motioned toward the couch. ‘Please; you don’t need to keep standing on my account.’
    She hastened to sit down in a nearby chair. With luck Avery would resume his seat. If her luck then held, he wouldn’t realise that being left alone with her was a serious social indiscretion
.
    Now all she needed was for Eve to play her part and keep Clarice busy.
    Think, Lucy. Say something interesting and intelligent.
    ‘I hope you had a pleasant evening the other night. It must be nice having family around you once more.’
    He frowned at her remark. On the long list of topics she could have chosen to discuss, she sensed family was close to the bottom.
    ‘Sorry,’ she said.
    Avery resumed his seat opposite her. ‘No, it’s quite all right. And yes, it is nice to have family around me, even if we are rather distant relations. I take it from what your brother David has said you have quite a sizeable extended family.’
    Lucy looked down at her hands. The fear she would say something out of order was palpable. Worry over what he thought of her had occupied her mind since the moment she returned home from the dinner party. She shouldn’t care what he thought of her, but she did.
    ‘Yes, apart from Eve, who is my aunt’s eldest daughter, and her siblings, there are quite a number of other first cousins within the Radley family. It makes for a loud and rambunctious Christmas at Strathmore Castle.’
    Avery sat forward on the couch.
    ‘I must thank you for the dinner party, Lady Lucy. Your guidance was invaluable. Without your assistance I am certain I would have made a complete hash of things.’
    Lucy smiled. His good opinion of her suddenly mattered intensely. Her hand drifted to the warm spot under her hairline at the top of her neck. She felt her mouth go dry, surprised at her own outward display of coyness.
    Is this what it feels like? Is this how the spark of love begins? What happened to your wanting to be friends? Oh my heart, tread carefully.
    Whatever this feeling was, she had to admit she liked it. The lure of discovering how deep into her skin it could seep beckoned. The first tentative step forward had been taken.
    Avery cleared his throat.
    ‘Do you have a passion for reading, Lady Lucy?’
    The way he made such a special effort to pronounce her name and title revealed the gulf which existed between them. She noted he clipped the accent off the end of his words in an effort to sound more like a gentleman. She hoped it was not just for her sake. If ever she was to gain his friendship, they had to move past such formalities.
    ‘Lucy. Please call me Lucy. All my friends and family do,’ she replied.
    He looked away and she could have sworn she heard him whisper her name. Almost like a prayer. When he met her gaze again, she could see the vulnerable side of him was once more securely locked away.
    ‘Lucy. But only if you call me Avery when you consider it socially acceptable,’ he replied.
    Lucy felt her mouth forming into a grin and had to muster all her resolve to force it back down to a small smile. She had to play this with a detached air. If she appeared too keen, she feared he would suspect she had some sort of secret agenda and retreat back into his shell.
    ‘Avery.’
    He chuckled softly. ‘I forgot you and I were just beginning to discuss books the other night when we were called in to dinner. You must think me rather foolish for forgetting.’
    As she watched him laugh, the