Page 23 of The Villainess Chose Naps Over Death Flags

"Your Grace," Sterling said, bowing slightly before taking the other chair. "I trust the meal was... pleasant?"

"Define pleasant," Caspian said.

Edwin leaned forward, grinning. "Did she try to poison you again? Slip something in the dessert this time?"

"No. She..." Caspian paused, trying to find words for what had just happened. "She asked about my day."

Both men stared at him.

"I'm sorry," Edwin said slowly. "She what?"

"She asked how my day was. What I did. How things went." Caspian picked up a letter opener and turned it over in his hands, a habit when he was thinking. "She made conversation."

"Conversation," Sterling repeated. "The Duchess Caroline. Made conversation. With you."

"Yes."

"The same duchess who spent the last two months locked in her chambers writing bitter letters to her family?" Sterling's eyebrows climbed toward his hairline.

"The same duchess who tried to poison your wine three weeks ago?" Edwin added.

"Yes and yes."

Another beat of silence.

"Well," Edwin said finally. "She's definitely plotting something."

"Obviously," Caspian agreed.

Sterling steepled his fingers, his expression thoughtful. "What exactly did she say during this... conversation?"

Caspian set down the letter opener. "She thanked me for inviting her to dinner. She complimented the estate, the gardens, my training technique—"

"You're training?" Edwin interrupted, his grin widening. "How would she know about your training?"

Caspian gave him a flat look. "She was watching this morning. From behind the western hedge."

Edwin burst out laughing. "She was spying on you?"

"Observing," Caspian corrected dryly. "From a respectful distance. While concealed behind foliage. For approximately seven minutes."

"That's spying," Edwin said, still laughing. "Your wife was spying on you."

"It gets worse," Caspian continued. "When I noticed her, she fled."

"Fled?" Sterling looked intrigued despite himself.

"Walked quickly," Caspian amended. "With purpose. And a noticeable degree of embarrassment."

Edwin was practically wheezing now. "This is the best thing I've heard all week. The terrifying Duchess Caroline, who throws plates at servants and plots murders, was caught lurking in bushes watching you train and then ran away."

"I'm glad you're finding this amusing," Caspian said, though there was no real heat in his voice. Edwin's laughter was infectious, even when it was at his expense.

"Oh, I am. I really, really am." Edwin wiped his eyes. "So what did you do?"

"I told her at dinner that if she wanted to watch my training, the eastern viewing terrace had a better vantage point."

Both men stared at him again.