Chapter 45 The Hunting Party

• A few days passed, and little Lyra noticed the imposing guests arriving at the estate with increasing frequency. She did not know exactly what complex political matters her stepfather was discussing with Duke Alistair, but every single time the Lancashire carriage appeared, the sprawling house became suffocatingly busier than usual.
• This morning, Duke Reginald had gathered everyone for a grand, al fresco breakfast in the manicured back gardens. A long, heavy mahogany table had been flawlessly set. There were heaping baskets of warm, crusty bread, thick cuts of savory bacon, sweet fruit jams, and elegant porcelain pots of fragrant, steaming black tea.
• Every now and then, Lyra stole a highly cautious glance at Rex, who was seated just down the table from her stepfather. The young nobleman appeared perfectly calm, yet his dark, piercing eyes seemed to be constantly, unsettlingly fixed upon her, making her small stomach twist with a strange, heavy unease.