Page 16 of The Language of Love

Miss Bowman bit her lower lip and made a choking sound.

Henry stood to look out the window. A turkey was strutting back and forth in the small back garden, its plumage in full display for a mild-looking turkey hen a fraction of the tom’s size.

“That is a turkey, my lord,” Henry said through clenched teeth.

Good God. Colin had sworn to him he didn’t need the spectacles Henry had seen him wear—and then furtively hide—on more than one occasion. Clearly, he’d lied if he couldn’t tell the difference between a bloody turkey and a chicken.

“No… is it?” Colin squinted and leaned close enough that his nose bumped the glass. “Ow!” He rubbed his nose. “I believe you’re correct, Parker.” He turned away from the fowl in question. “Hmm, interesting. I thought the only birds in London were pigeons.” He gave a loud bark of laughter. “Lord, we’re lucky turkeys can’t fly. A pigeon overhead is bad enough, what?”

A strangled laugh burst from Miss Bowman.

“The owner of the house has always kept a pair of turkeys in residence,” Lady Sedgwick explained, her speculative stare heavily tinged with… something as she studied Colin.

“Good eating, I s’pose,” Colin said.

The countess’s gray eyes turned positively frosty. “They are pets, my lord.”

“We call them Mr. and Mrs. Vickers.” Miss Bowman said in a more conciliating tone, her eyes still shining with mirth.

“Married, are they?” Colin guffawed at his own jest. “Jolly good, jolly good,” he said, nodding enthusiastically, a vapid grin on his face as his eyes moved from the two women to Henry, and then froze, his smile draining away.

Henry gave Colin a glare that should have set his hair on fire, silently commanding him to shut his mouth and keep it closed.

The other man’s eyes widened, and his lips snapped shut.

Henry reckoned he had perhaps three minutes to finish their business and get the hell out of Lady Sedgwick’s sitting room before the effect of his glare wore off, and Colin did something that would force Henry to throttle him on the carriage ride home. He extracted an appointment book from the satchel at his feet and pasted a smile on his face before turning to the countess.

“I’ve brought along the earl’s appointment book, my lady. Perhaps you might offer a few dates and I could jot them down for his lordship?”