News
Storytelling

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 22

Theme:
Font Size:
24px
Lucien kept his voice calm. "I am being precise."Mabel studied him. "You also said hiring me was sensible."Lucien nodded. "It was."Mabel raised an eyebrow. "Only sensible?"Lucien looked at her for so long that she forgot what question she had asked. Lucien kept his voice quiet. "No."Before either could say more, a footman ran into the corridor: the north bridge had collapsed. A coal train was trapped on the line; three workers were injured.Lucien turned immediately. Mabel caught his sleeve. "I am coming."Lucien frowned. "It is dangerous."Mabel kept her grip on his sleeve. "You need someone who can count the wagons and make tea."Lucien shook his head. "There will be no tea."Mabel smiled slightly. "Then the situation is worse than you think."They left together.The bridge disaster changed everything. The collapse had not been caused by weather: bolts had been removed; the replacement timber had been cut too short. The trapped train carried coal intended for a hospital and two factories that employed hundreds.Lucien spent the afternoon directing repairs. Mabel organized food for the workers and checked the injured men. She discovered that the replacement timber had been delivered by Harrow and Pike. At dusk, she found a brass button in the mud near the broken bridge; it bore the same fox emblem as Hobb's ring.Mabel held up the button. "Silas was here."Lucien took the button. "Or someone wearing his livery."Mabel frowned. "You keep finding reasons not to accuse him."Lucien kept his voice steady. "I keep finding reasons to build a case that cannot be dismissed."Mabel folded her arms. "That is annoyingly honorable."Lucien raised an eyebrow. "You object?"Mabel nodded. "It slows things down."Lucien smiled slightly. "Justice often does."Mabel smiled back. "So does pudding."He smiled despite the mud on his boots.They spent the night at a small inn near the railway. There was one bedroom, one narrow bed, and a landlady who believed married couples should not be given the opportunity to behave strangely.Lucien gestured toward the bed. "You may take the bed."Mabel shook her head. "I'm not sleeping on the floor."Lucien kept his voice calm. "I will sleep on the floor."Mabel looked at him. "You are too tall."Lucien shrugged. "I have slept in worse places."Mabel raised an eyebrow. "You are a duke."
PREV NEXT

News in the same category

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

29 Part