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Every Lady Wanted the Duke — But He Chose the Chubby Girl Who Didn’t Even Notice Him

Every Lady Wanted the Duke — But He Chose the Chubby Girl Who Didn’t Even Notice Him

Chapter 12

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Mabel frowned. "Why?"Lucien held the ledger against his chest. "Because it concerns my family."Mabel folded her arms. "That is precisely why you're not seeing it clearly."Lucien said her name quietly: "Mabel."The way he said her name made her pause. He had used it without a title or a practical question.Lucien stepped closer. "If someone is stealing from the estate, they may be dangerous."Mabel kept her chin up. "I am aware."Lucien studied her. "You do not need to prove that you can manage everything."Mabel met his gaze. "I'm not proving anything. I am trying to prevent your house from collapsing."Lucien frowned. "It has stood for two hundred years."Mabel smiled slightly. "So has bad bookkeeping."Lucien wanted to argue. Instead, he noticed a smear of flour near her cheek. He lifted his hand; Mabel stepped back."What are you doing?"Lucien lowered his hand. "You have flour on your face."Mabel wiped her cheek. "It is staying there."The moment passed, but not entirely.The next week became a series of disasters that refused to repeat themselves.On Monday, Lady Honoria arrived with a harp and attempted to serenade Lucien in the breakfast room. The harp had been transported badly: it produced one note, which sounded like a goose discovering taxation. Mabel solved the situation by asking Lady Honoria to perform for the trustees instead; Lady Honoria fled before the second note.On Tuesday, Lady Caroline sent Lucien a miniature portrait of herself. Mabel placed it in the household gallery beside a painting of a horse; the horse received more compliments.On Wednesday, the trustees demanded proof that Mabel could host a formal dinner. She organized one using local produce and a menu based on the northern estate. She also designed a seating plan to keep Reverend Thorne away from anyone who enjoyed arguing.The dinner was a success until the third course.One of the footmen discovered that the silver fish knives had been replaced with wooden spoons. Mabel looked at the table. "Who did that?"Mrs. Crest pointed toward the pantry. The steward stood there with the expression of a man who had just swallowed a button.The steward spread his hands. "The silver is being polished."Mabel held up a wooden spoon. "All thirty-six knives?"The steward kept his voice steady. "They were unusually dull."Mabel took one of the wooden spoons. "Then perhaps the fish is unusually soft."Lucien watched the steward's hand disappear beneath his coat. He moved quickly: he caught the man's wrist and pulled out a small leather pouch. Inside were two silver hallmarks and a folded list of coal deliveries.Nobody spoke.Reverend Thorne looked at the wooden spoon. "I suspected the fish."The steward was arrested before pudding.
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Every Lady Wanted the Duke — But He Chose the Chubby Girl Who Didn’t Even Notice Him

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