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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 27

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Mabel smiled slightly. "That must be very embarrassing for a duke."Lucien nodded. "It is."Mabel looked up at him. "How embarrassing?"Lucien kept his voice quiet. "Enough to make me consider apologizing."Mabel raised an eyebrow. "Only considering?"Lucien smiled slightly. "I'm a cautious man."Mabel shook her head. "You hired a stranger to marry you."Lucien nodded. "I was less cautious then."She laughed. He touched her cheek, where the flour had returned. This time, she did not step away. He kissed her gently.There was no audience, no music, and no carefully arranged romance: there was only the smell of butter, the heat of the kitchen, and the Duke's hand trembling slightly against her face.When they parted, Mabel looked at him. Mabel kept her voice steady. "You are still going to pay me the second half?"Lucien nodded. "Certainly."Mabel raised an eyebrow. "Even if I stay?"Lucien kept his gaze on her. "Especially if you stay."Mabel smiled. "I'm opening my catering business."Lucien nodded. "I know."Mabel studied him. "You're not going to tell me to become a duchess instead?"Lucien shook his head. "No."Mabel tilted her head. "You're not going to ask me to give up my work?"Lucien shook his head again. "No."Mabel narrowed her eyes. "You are not going to put a swan near the dessert?"Lucien kept his expression serious. "That is the only condition I cannot guarantee. My aunt owns several."Mabel kissed him again.The trustees approved the marriage three days later. They did not believe the original arrangement was romantic; they believed the household was stable, the accounts were protected, and the Duke was genuinely attached to his wife.Sir Osgood added a note to the file: the note stated that the marriage had begun as a financial agreement; it had become unusually sincere in the course of administrative difficulties. Reverend Thorne objected to the phrase "administrative difficulties"—he preferred "spiritual confusion." Nobody listened.Lady Theodora visited Mabel privately. She brought a box of silk gloves and an expression that suggested she had been forced to apologize by someone more powerful.Lady Theodora set down the box. "You have changed the household."Mabel kept folding linens. "I changed a flour supplier."Lady Theodora narrowed her eyes. "You dismissed three old retainers."Mabel looked up. "They were stealing."
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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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