Persuasion in the Pantry [Maid for More #1]

Chapter 12: Getting to know you

Mina  took a bite  out of her apple. It was not the first time she had pilfered from the garden of the Bexley's but it was definitely the first time that she had conducted the stealth operation with a Lord. She sat once again on the uppermost branches of an apple tree swinging her legs, laughing and chatting with more ease than she thought possible. They had spent the last hour climbing trees and poking fun at the clandestine meetings below. Mina had showed him her favourite spots in the garden - the wall she once scaled and fell from, the hedgerow of strawberries and the log by the lake bank which caught the best sunlight during the mornings. To be fair, she talked a lot and not about anything particularly important but he seemed to enjoy listening and his few but witty comments made her laugh.  She often found him watching her with some intensity and then he would lean in and brush his lips with hers. It was wonderful and unexpected, but then he would pull away before the sparks began to flicker into a flame. She wondered what that was all about but hesitated to ask. Regardless,  he always distracted her with pointing out something new, or giving her a bit of London trivia and asking her opinion. But, now as they sat together eating stolen property that never tasted so good before, she realised she had learnt very little about him.

"So, Jay- do you live in London?"

Jay took a bite of a crisp red apple before replying "Yes. I don't live far from here actually."

"Have you ever travelled? I would have thought a Duke like you would have gone off to Oxford or Eton."  She angled for a bit of history

Jay smiled, "Yes, in fact that's where I met Cain. We studied together for a long while but then he took off to Rome for his second degree and I made my way back to London.  I suppose I do have my country estate but I generally leave that for my manager to take care of."

"Okay....." Mina stuffed her mouth with more apple. This investigation wasn't going anywhere fast. For a man who seemed so casually at home with himself, he was very secretive.

"Is there something you want to know?" Jay asked with a small grin.

"If I said yes, would you answer?" She countered

"I would try." came his response

"Well then... why are you out here, up in a tree with me than inside with your friends and all those beautiful women?"

Jay seemed to relax at the question. "Because I want to be out here. Cain is always least exciting when in a large crowd. And let's not forget- the most beautiful woman is here with me.

Mina had chucked her apple core to the ground and was midway through wringing some lake water out of her still damp hair. She looked up at him warily.

Jay smiled endearingly. Mina scowled.

"So, let me ask you this Mina- why are you still out here with me?"

"Oh no. Don't turn the tables on me. I'm asking the questions." Mina swung one leg over the tree trunk to straddle the branch. "So what do you do every day? Most of the ton don't work, they just go to parties every day and the men drink and gamble. Please tell me that isn't you!"

Jay grimaced internally. That was the precise image he had been trying to cultivate for the past few years.  He obviously couldn't tell her the truth, but then again he also found himself not wanting to lie to her.

"Is there something so wrong with enjoying life?"

Mina frowned. "No. But I just don't get that vibe from you. Something tells me you would go stark raving mad if you had to just visit clubs and balls day after day."

A fleeting look she couldn't read flashed across his face before he replied, "It's not really so bad. Sometimes it's quite amusing."

Mina looked at him incredulously with a doubtful turn to her lips. She looked away and sighed. The lake looked so calm, so serene in the moonlight, but she had a feeling that like Jay, the lake and him were both still waters that ran deep. She knew that about the lake with certainty;  she once lost  one of Liara's trinkets in its depths and had never been able to find it.