Page 84 of A Scandal for the Beastly Earl

"Accurately adequate, then."

"You're impossible."

"I'm your impossible."

"That's true," he agreed, pulling her from the chair arm into his lap, completely ignoring Julian's delighted laughter and Morrison's strategic exit.

"Really?" Julian said. "At the breakfast table?"

"It's our breakfast table," Lucien replied, not taking his eyes off Arabella.

"It's about to be my awkward table if you keep being this sweet."

"Then leave."

"But I haven't finished my eggs."

"Take them with you."

"You're evicting me from breakfast?"

"I'm encouraging you to breakfast elsewhere."

"This is what I get for helping you prepare for the ball. Eviction and egg theft."

"You're not being evicted. You're being... relocated."

"To where?"

"Anywhere that isn't here."

Julian stood with dramatic affront. "Fine. I'll go visit Morrison. He appreciates me."

"Morrison tolerates you."

"Tolerance is a form of appreciation."

After Julian left, Arabella said, "That was rude."

"That was necessary. He would have stayed all day making commentary."

"I like his commentary."

"You wouldn't like his commentary on what I was thinking about doing to you in this chair."

"Lucien!"

"What? It's our chair. In our breakfast room. In our house."

"The servants..."

"Are delighted we're happy. Mrs. Fielding told me yesterday that the house hasn't felt this alive in years."

"She did?"

"Right after she mentioned that Thistle had reorganized her linen closet."

"Oh no."