“He was trying not to grin, but it was exceedingly difficult with Lady Penwood gasping like a fish on land.”

“You’ll be seeing him tomorrow night, anyway.”“I am?” Hyacinth asked, at precisely the moment Mr. St. Clair said, “She will?”“You’re accompanying me to the Pleinsworth poetry reading,” Lady D told her grandson. “Or have you forgotten?”Hyacinth sat back, enjoying the sight of Gareth St. Clair’s mouth opening and closing in obvious distress. He looked a bit like a fish, she decided. A fish with the features of a Greek god, but still, a fish.“I really…” he said. “That is to say, I can’t—”“You can, and you will be there,” Lady D said. “You promised.”He regarded her with a stern expression. “I cannot imagine—”“Well, if you didn’t promise, you should have done, and if you love me…”Hyacinth coughed to cover her laugh, then tried not to smirk when Mr. St. Clair shot a dirty look in her direction.“When I die,” he said, “surely my epitaph will read, ‘He loved his grandmother when no one else would.’”“And what’s wrong with that?” Lady Danbury asked.”

“Hyacinth,” Lady Bridgerton said in a vaguely disapproving voice, “do try to speak in complete sentences.”Hyacinth looked at her mother with a surprised expression. “Biscuits. Are. Good.” She cocked her head to the side. “Noun. Verb. Adjective.”“Hyacinth.”“Noun. Verb. Adjective.” Colin said, wiping a crumb from his grinning face. “Sentence. Is. Correct.”

“That sounded good,” Daisy said with surprise.“It sounded like a fish vomiting,” Sarah said into the piano.“A charming image,” Honoria remarked.“I don’t think fish do vomit,” Daisy remarked, “and if they did, Idon’t think it would sound like—”

“I cannot feel like a duchess in mymother’s sitting room.”“What do you feel like, then?”“Hmmm.” She took a sip of her tea. “Just DaphneBridgerton, I suppose. It’s difficult to shed the surname inthis clan. In spirit, that is.”“I hope that is a compliment,” Lady Bridgerton remarked.Daphne just smiled at her mother. “I shall never escapeyou, I’m afraid.” She turned to Gareth. “There is nothing like one’s family to make one feel like one has nevergrown up.”

“What are you doing here?"Lady Vickers asked, turning her frosty glare to Sebastian."Exactly what you think, my lady," he said.”

“Eloise,” Penelope said, somewhat breathless from trying to shake offHyacinth.“Penelope.” But Eloise’s voice sounded curious. Which did notsurprise Penelope; Eloise was no fool, and she was well aware that herbrother’s normal modes of behavior did not include beatific smiles in herdirection.“Eloise,” Hyacinth said, for no reason Penelope could deduce.“Hyacinth.”Penelope turned to her husband. “Colin.”He looked amused. “Penelope. Hyacinth.”Hyacinth grinned. “Colin.” And then: “Sir Phillip.”“Ladies.” Sir Phillip, it seemed, favored brevity.“Stop!” Eloise burst out. “What is going on?”“A recitation of our Christian names, apparently,” Hyacinth said.”