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“It is refreshing to see you again, my lady,” he remarked.

She lifted an eyebrow. “You invited me.”

“I did.”

“Then I trust you will not appear too astonished that I accepted.”

The corner of his mouth moved.

Marina felt an unreasonable sense of triumph. There was the man she remembered—the one who seemed to find her most entertaining when she was least inclined to be agreeable. It was only then that she noticed the butler was behind him.

“Shall I have tea brought in?” he asked.

“Yes, Ernest. Thank you.”

The butler bowed to them both and withdrew, closing the door with a quiet click.

For a moment, Marina and Ambrose regarded one another across the study. Then he smiled. “I hope you do not mind my ordering you tea. You look a little chilled.”

She was indeed a little cold but she hadn’t planned on admitting it to him.

“Very kind of you.”

“Good. I know from your last encounter that your hosting skills were somewhat lacking, so I did not want to startle you with mine.”

That man. That insufferable man.

And yet, he was so charming at the same time. How was such a combination fair?

She had prepared herself for a formal interview, perhaps an uncomfortable discussion of settlements and responsibilities. Instead, she found that the most difficult thing about standing before him was resisting the urge to smile.

“Well, you may have found my hosting skills lacking but I must say,” she said at last, “I have seen your manor, and I must admit that I am disappointed.”

Ambrose raised an eyebrow. “Already?”

“Not a single gargoyle. I was assured that the Beast of Griffin inhabited a most terrifying residence.”

“I shall have some installed as soon as possible.”

“How considerate.”

“I should hate to disappoint a guest.”

Then, from somewhere beyond the study, Emma cried again.

The sound drew their attention toward the door.

Marina smiled.

“I believe,” she said, “that someone is growing impatient with us.”

Ambrose looked toward the corridor, and when he turned back, his expression held an uncertainty she had not expected from him.

“She is indeed. And I am eager for you to meet her. First, however, we must discuss particulars.”

She watched the way his lips moved as he spoke. They were soft and warm—or at least she imagined they were warm. A faint stubble had grown on his chin, something she’d always found attractive in any man.

“Particulars?”