Belinda watched as the older woman followed Colin toward the store entrance.
They’d only gone a few yards when a real Waitrose employee spotted them, froze and then hurried over.
On a mischievous impulse, Belinda started forward herself.
“Oh, dear,” she announced in a voice meant to carry.
Colin and the Chanel lady turned back toward her.
“So sorry,” she said, looking at Colin apologetically, “but I forgot to tip you.”
Colin cast her a droll look, and she returned it with an impish smile before lifting her handbag from her shoulder.
A male Waitrose employee stopped before them. “May I be of assistance, my lord?”
Belinda caught the sudden arrested expression on the other woman’s face. The my lord was, of course, a giveaway. Only certain members of the aristocracy were addressed in that fashion.
“Oh, my.” The Chanel lady looked abashed as she glanced from Colin to Belinda and back. “I had no idea. I’m new to the area—”
“May I introduce you to the Marquess of Easterbridge?” Belinda deadpanned.
The older woman’s eyes widened as she continued to regard Colin.
“I’m happy to be of assistance, madam.”
“I—oh, goodness.”
“It’s all right,” he said smoothly. “I usually go by the code name Colin.”
The Waitrose employee looked baffled.
Belinda nearly giggled.
Colin bent toward her and murmured, “If you can go by the alias Belinda Wentworth, why can’t I be Chuck the grocer?”
“First of all, your name is not Chuck,” she whispered back. “And secondly, you’re to the manor born.”
“So are you.”
She cast him a sidelong look. “It’s different. I didn’t grow up as the heir, nor am I the current holder of a marquessate.”
Colin looked ready to say more, but she turned back to the other woman.
Belinda leaned forward conspiratorially. “He’s a good-looking clerk but not nearly as impressive as a lord, don’t you think?”
If possible, the other woman looked even more flustered. She glanced up at Colin. “My husband and I would be delighted to have you over for tea, my lord. To thank you for your assistance, of course.”
Colin scanned the cart beside him. “I suppose espresso is out of the question?”
The woman tittered. “The coffeemaker can be replaced.”
Belinda smiled. “We’re most appreciative of the invitation.”
Colin sighed. “May I introduce my wife…?”
He proceeded to do so.
The store employee looked undecided as to what to do.