“Flour?” Dare asked at the same time that Charles the footman helpfully offered, “Bulldogs?”

Charlotte transferred her glare to the hapless man for a moment before returning it to Dare. He glared right back at her. “The question, madam, is what are you doing here?”

“I needed to speak with Crouch about something.” Dare’s lip curled in a snarl at her mention of the butler’s name. She ignored his lip and continued. “Since you seem to have an abrasion to him, I thought it best to meet him here rather than at home.”

“I have an aversion to him, wife—”

“Whatever you wish to call it,” Charlotte interrupted, waving her hands again until Dare captured both of them in his. “It’s a silly thing.”

“It is not silly, the blasted thug kidnapped me.”

“That was years ago!”

“He knocked me unconscious.” Dare still had a scar on the back of his head where Crouch had used a lead pipe to immobilize him.

“Five years ago.” Charlotte’s hands twitched in his. He tightened his grasp on her fingers. “That’s a very long time to be holding a grudge against Crouch.”

“The coward had two men hold me down while he beat me on the head.”

“Crouch is not a coward, Dare.”

“Thank you, m’lady,” a deep voice said behind him. Dare turned and narrowed his eyes at Weston’s brute of a butler as the man marched down the stairs, a dainty bead-encrusted reticule dangling from his hook. “’As it ’appens, I needed the two other blokes to keep ’is nibs ’ere from killin’ me. ’Eard enough about ye to know I’d be carryin’ my ’ead ’ome in a basket if I’d tackled ye by my lonesome.”

“I’m not quite certain—I never am with Crouch; the way he mangles the King’s tongue is utterly atoastious—but I do believe he’s praising you,” Charlotte whispered in Dare’s ear. He was distracted for a moment by the sweet sensation of her breath teasing his suddenly sensitive ear, but he quickly reminded himself he was outraged and angry, and outraged and angry husbands did not kiss their wives silly in the presence of their rival’s servants, especially ones who made it a practice to kidnap him.

“Regardless, I would remind you that I have good reason to demand you not continue your acquaintance with Crouch or any other of Weston’s servants. You have an entire house full of servants. If you need serving, ask them.”

“We are economizing,” Charlotte protested as Dare hustled her toward the door. She pulled one hand free long enough to snatch the reticule from Crouch’s hook as they passed him. “I cannot ask our servants to take time from their employment to tend to my…er…little project.”

Dare stopped and frowned down at her. He’d completely forgotten to ask her what was so important she had to seek the help of a roughneck like Crouch. Where had his wits gone? One glance into her lovely blue eyes was the answer—he was so besotted with her, he’d couldn’t think logically when she was near him. “What exactly is the nature of your little project?”