The Duke of Winchester gave Maggie a curt smile when she entered the drawing room in accompaniment of her betrothed.
"Welcome, Lady Blanchard. Ah, maybe this is the right time to drop all formalities and call you Marguerite instead."
"It will be my honor, Your Grace," Maggie dropped into a curtsy.
"You too do not have to stick to the formalities. It is alright to refer to me as 'Father' in informal settings."
"I see. I will remember that, Father."
The only father she'd ever known, the Earl of Huntington, had departed this world just a few months ago. A pang of grief shot through Maggie at the unwelcome reminder. Oh, how she wished he were by her side.
