Sarah's Duke: and Ellie's Gentleman (The heir and the spare, book 1) by Fiona Miers

he had in days.
    “Your Grace, Lady Charlotte,” Archie bowed politely to them both, low enough to indicate their rank but also his intimacy to Oliver himself.
    Oliver scowled at his life long friend. “If you call me Your Grace in company again, I’ll give you the cut direct.”
    Archibald Turner smiled at that, the expression lighting up his rather solemn face.
    “Oliver, what are you doing here? I thought you had decided one ball a month was enough? And didn’t you already fill your quota with Lady Charlotte’s ball?” Archie nodded towards Charlotte politely and she glowered in turn.
    “I didn’t realize you had attended my birthday,” came Lady Charlotte’s prompt reply.
    “Of course you wouldn’t. I was with your brother in the card room most of the night. Why would I need to circulate the ballroom?” Archie’s eyebrows rose with his question, which was a longer response than Oliver had gotten in years.
    “Oh, I don’t know. Isn’t it good manners to greet the person for whose birthday the function was being held?” Charlotte’s eyes were fiery and Oliver noticed with interest that so were Archie’s. How strange!
    “I hadn’t realized you cared if I greeted you or not, Lady Charlotte.” Archie returned politely, but his words had an edge of steel that Oliver had never heard before.
    “I do not,” Charlotte snapped back. “I just assumed that, as a gentleman, you would have wanted to wish me happy birthday.” She lifted her chin and she was breathing rather quickly too. Did she really dislike Archie so much?
    Archie’s brown eyes were still flickering with lightning but his face was calm and his voice polite. Oliver had always wanted the type of control Archie had. It was impressive.
    “Why would I wish you happy birthday last week when your birthday isn’t until tomorrow?”
    Archie raised one eyebrow and Oliver could not help chuckling softly. Archie remembered everything. His brilliant memory was one of the many reasons he did so well on the stock market.
    Charlotte opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Archie took the rare silence to continue talking.
    “I assure you that you will receive your customary bouquet of flowers tomorrow which will only add to the fifty or so that I’m sure already decorate your home.” The tone, again, was polite, but Oliver noticed a tightening around Archie’s mouth.
    Charlotte blushed furiously in acknowledgement of the truth of Archie’s words.
    “I do not get… I do not expect…” At a loss for words, she stopped talking.
    Oliver smothered his laugh with a cough and covered his mouth in an attempt to hide his smile as well. He had never seen Charlotte bested by anyone in a conversation. She had been trained by her mother, a true dragon of the ton .
    “Excuse me,” Lady Charlotte bobbed a shallow curtsy and turned on her heel before she could say anything else.
    Oliver shook his head and turned back to his friend. “What was that about? That is the first time I have ever seen Charlotte back down from a fight.”
    “She probably doesn’t think I’m worth fighting with.”
    Archie’s eyes were following Charlotte’s retreating figure and Oliver wondered about what he had just witnessed. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought Archie was interested in Charlotte, but he couldn’t be. Could he? Their group of friends didn’t think of her like that, having brotherly feelings towards her.
    “John tells me you have shown interest in someone. Is she here?” Archie carefully pitched his voice so that no one else could hear him.
    “No, she’s not. And I’m not interested in her.” He should have thought before opening his mouth.
    Archie chuckled softly.
    “Where is she, then?” Archie asked just as quietly.
    “Not here, that is for sure. Let’s join John for a brandy in the card room. I’m in the mood for a night at the cards.”
    They retreated to the card room and had a drink. Oliver didn’t stop at one drink.