Dating the Duke (The Aristocrat Diaries 2)

“I am, but I’m not,” I said slowly. “I mean, that’s my friend circle, but I’m not.”

Maggie frowned, reaching for her new glass of wine. “How can you not be?”

“Technically speaking,” I clarified. “My mum is titled, but she didn’t marry into the nobility, so me and my sister don’t carry titles of our own.”

“Interesting,” Florence said, the last of us to still be stitching. She wanted to finish that colour, she’d said. “So she married a commoner, is what you’re saying.”

“Yes. I don’t really like referring to my father that way for obvious reasons.”

She smiled at me. “I can imagine you don’t.”

“So how do you know Alex?” Millie asked, sitting back. “You’re tutoring Olympia, aren’t you?”

“His cousin is my best friend.”

“Gabriella?”

“Yes, do you know her?”

“We’ve met in passing.” Millie smiled. “She’s lovely. Is there anything she ever does wrong?”

“You’d be surprised.” I grinned. “We live in Arrow Woods, too. My parents run the hotel in the village, so we grew up together. I was as surprised as anyone when Alex asked me to tutor Olympia.”

“Are you not qualified?” Maggie asked, tilting her head to the side.

I explained that I was and gave them the same reasoning that I’d given Alex—I wasn’t a fan of too many kids and wanted to pursue a writing career over a teaching one, but I enjoyed one-on-one tutoring.

Millie nodded slowly. “That makes a lot of sense. She’s a sweet kid. She comes into the restaurant often and has the best manners of any child I’d ever met.”

“Oh, you have a restaurant?”

“Grandpa does.” She grinned at Sam. “But it’s a family run thing, really. You should come and have dinner one night. Bring Alex.”

“It’s not like that.” I shook my head.

Sam stood up with another slap to his thighs. “It will be after another glass of wine.”

“Oh, no, no! I have to drive back. One is probably already too much,” I protested.

“Nonsense.” Florence tied off her stitching and set the hoop back into her bag. “Alexander will collect you. I daresay he’s expecting this.”

I held up my hands. “I can’t ask him to collect me. He has too many things to do other than babysit me.”

“Ask him.” Maggie nodded her head towards my phone on the table in the middle of our little sofa circle. “I bet he will.”

“I can’t.”

“Fine, I will.” Millie picked up her phone and tapped at the screen.

My jaw dropped. “You cannot!”

She peered up with a grin. “Oops. Too late.”

“Oh, my gosh.” I cupped the lower half of my face with my hands as I stared at her.

This was why I didn’t associate with people. I had no control over them. They did very silly things like this.

“He replied.” Millie’s grin got even wider, if it were at all possible.

“Oh, no. What did he say?”

She held out her phone.

I didn’t want to see this, did I?

Ugh.

I took the phone and peered at the screen.

ALEX: I assumed you’d all corrupt her. What time shall I rescue her?

“Corruption is a strong word.” Florence sniffed, peering over my shoulder. “I’m quite offended by that.”

“He says it as if we’re leading a coup against the Palace of Westminster,” Maggie responded, crossing her ankles and resting her hands on her knees. “Do I look like a lady who’d lead a coup against the government?”

Millie paused. “Didn’t you get arrested in the seventies for leading a march in favour of gay rights in Cardiff? Didn’t you threaten to burn down Cardiff castle unless they listened to you?”

My eyebrows shot up, and I turned to look at Maggie.

Her gaze darted from side to side. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Millie. Perhaps you’ve had enough alcohol for tonight.”

Florence threw back her head and laughed. “Yes, she did! And she was threatened with arrest fifteen years ago, shortly after she moved here, because she was the ringleader of a feisty little group who wanted the council to fill the potholes.”

“Well, there’s a movement I can get behind even now,” Millie said slowly, tapping away at her phone. “I’ve had to get my suspension looked at twice in six months thanks to the potholes on Cobblestone Lane.”

“That’s the cobblestones on Cobblestone Lane doing that to your car.” Sam set a tray of drinks in the middle of the table. “I told you to stop going down there.”

“Grandpa. Shh.”

I laughed and accepted the glass of wine Sam handed me. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

He winked at me and sat down after distributing all the drinks. “So? Is His Grace coming to collect our newest member?”

“He is,” Millie answered. “We have exactly one hour to corrupt Adelaide and send her back a changed woman.”

Florence laughed and sipped her whiskey. “It’ll take more than an hour for all that, Millie. We’ll need a good week, at least.”

“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I’m easily convinced.”