Adeline turned her attention to the Duke who was standing stiffly across the room. She didn't miss the dissatisfaction on his face. He clearly didn't like them being here and Adeline had every intention of using that to her advantage.
Adeline smirked. The Duke noticed her gaze on him and quickly hid his discontentment.
He looked like he was about to say something but Adeline beat him to it.
"Your Grace," she began, her voice light and friendly, "Thank you for receiving us on such short notice. Dimitri and I are looking forward to out stay in this marvelous estate."
As she spoke, she kept her eyes on the Duke, carefully observing every shift in his expression. She ignored the slight fidgeting from Dimitri at her side, knowing he must have been wondering what she was planning.
He knew her well enough to sense that she was up to something, and she was counting on him to play along for now.
