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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 29

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The shop became famous for practical meals, clever menus, and puddings without moral lessons. Mabel hired two young women who had been told they were too large, too plain, or too opinionated to succeed in fashionable kitchens; she paid them well and taught them to season soup before serving it.Lucien visited every afternoon. He claimed to be reviewing railway documents; in reality, he ate whatever had been left near the stove and waited for Mabel to finish arguing with suppliers.One afternoon, a customer asked whether he was the owner. Lucien shook his head. "No."Mabel looked up from a basket of pears. "He is the husband."The customer looked between them. "Does he help?"Mabel smiled slightly. "He opens doors."Lucien looked offended. "I also carry boxes."Mabel raised an eyebrow. "When supervised."Lucien folded his arms. "I once carried six."Mabel pointed at him. "You carried four and sat on one."Lucien kept his expression serious. "It was a complicated box."The customer smiled. "You seem happy."Mabel glanced at Lucien. "He is less gloomy."Lucien looked at her. "You are less overlooked."She threw a pear at him. He caught it, as he had caught the pillow, and took a bite.Mabel narrowed her eyes. "That was for the comment."Lucien chewed. "The pear is excellent."Mabel folded her arms. "It was aimed at your head."Lucien nodded. "Then it has exceeded expectations."The shop bell rang. A group of ladies entered, all wearing fashionable hats and all staring at the Duke.Mabel returned to her accounts.One lady whispered, "Is that truly the Duke of Caldermir?"Mabel did not look up. "If he is, he owes me £3 for broken crockery."Lucien leaned over the counter. "I broke one plate."Mabel kept writing. "You broke three."Lucien pointed at the shelf. "The third was already cracked."Mabel looked up. "It was not."Lucien kept his expression innocent. "It had a suspicious expression."Mabel finally looked at him. He was smiling at her: he was not smiling at the ladies, he was not smiling at the customers, he was not smiling at the title that had made him the most desired man in every ballroom in England. He had chosen the woman who had not noticed him because she had been busy saving a pear.And he continued choosing her every day: he chose her usually before breakfast, he chose her occasionally after a disagreement about invoices, and he chose her always before dessert.
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Every Lady Wanted the Duke — But He Chose the Chubby Girl Who Didn’t Even Notice Him

29 Part