I get to work relatively early, settling on my desk and working on the notes I had promised Harrigan. Terry comes in, a steaming mug of something in his hand.

"Good morning Terry." I chime warmly at him

"Morning love, you alright?" He pries and I nod my head and gesture towards the bunch of white Dahlias I'd brought for the amnesia duke who had gone through the trouble of chasing Marie Frances off of me.

"I'd like to see a man about some gratitude." I tease as he smiles

"Estelle said to give you this. She saw you come in." He says handing the mug over

"It's Moroccan mint tea with peppermint and a few drops of Moroccan jasmine oil." He says as I sip on the delicious tea

I didn't know who Estelle was, had never met the woman, but I already liked her.

"Perhaps I should bring her some dahlias too." I sigh as the tea washes over me in the most delightful of ways

Terry lets me finish the tea before leading me to one of the many entrances of Lucas' posh house.

"This is the chef's kitchen. If you go straight down the corridor there's stairs, go up two flights, take a left and he should be in the room, the second door to your right." He instructs

The chef's kitchen was a design dream in dark marbles and shiny bronze, fully fitted and stunning. It was empty and clean as I walked past it towards the corridor I'd been instructed to use. I had to remind myself that I was here to see the duke, not gawk at the lavish insides of the Earl's house. With the dahlia's clutched in hand I found my way up two flights of stairs, took a left and counted two doors. I considered knocking when I thought I heard footsteps on the stairs. In a panic, I opened the door and stepped in without much thought.

I wasn't sure if I had entered the wrong room, because this was another luxurious office, something I hadn't expected. I thought it'd be a bedroom or a lounge. It would have been empty too if a figure hadn't emerged from a corner where a bay window was, a ball in his hand. I didn't know how many handsome sad bois London, the royals or even this house could contain but I'd just about had enough myself. He looks me over as if I was brand new, someone else entirely, and then slowly he starts to realize who I am.

"Hiya." I say rather unsure of myself right now

This was definitely the man that had carried Marie Frances off of me last week. Terry had said he was a grumpy recluse though and I didn't know that he would appreciate my barging into his office like this. Was he going to attack me?

"Hi." He says moving closer to me

I stretch the white dahlias towards him like they were a sword to keep him at bay. Terry had warned me he was a bit off it and now I was a bit uncertain as the door opens and Lucas Roland barges in like the bargain store Ryan Phillipe that he is. Had I walked into a danger zone?

I knew I'd heard footsteps on the stairs! How had he seen me? I'd been so careful! I'd done my best impression of Bond, checking each floor, pinning myself to the walls, trying to keep out of eye lines.

"I wanted to say thanks for saving me from...you know... Marie-Frances. I woulda been in a bunch of ...you know... proper trouble if I'd knocked her out." I shrug wistfully at the duke as he takes the flowers gently from my hand

Was I supposed to curtsy? I didn't know shit about royals and protocols despite the fact that I'd been working for one for this long. Lucas hadn't been about decorum, which you can imagine is why he'd do such dastardly things in the name of a rivalry.

"You're welcome. No one's ever really bought me flowers." He mumbles back, studying the dahlias as though they were precious

"Figured you were already filthy rich and there wasn't much I could give." I shrug bluntly as Lucas steps further into the room

I step distinctly out of his way, more determined to avoid him than I was scared of the handsome sadboi duke who'd already saved me once.

"Glad to see you're all better Funke." Lucas says, as if I wasn't giving him air, as if it wasn't him tattling for rivalry reasons to his girlfriend that had gotten me into the fight, as if he hadn't seen me just yesterday at the site visit.

if I let him, I knew he'd just pat me on the back and say something foolish like "no hard feelings, old chum, it's just the rivalry.", which he'd said to me numerous times before when he did something stupid to irk Luna. I have to stiffen my body against any bonkers ideas of saying anything back. He didn't exist to me, sorry to this man.

"Thanks sir." I say to the duke, realizing I didn't know his name, my eyes on the floor and my lower lip completely swallowed into my mouth to stop me from saying anything further.

A beat of quiet passes in the room, as I anticipate my exit from the room, preferably without Lucas.

"That's a pretty name." the duke says, breaking into the tension

I'd had just about enough, my curiosity sated, my gratitude expressed, the man was standing there with his dahlias hadn't been the mad hatter Terry warned me he'd be.

"Yeah, anyway I just wanted to say thanks and that if you need anything or to grab lunch or whatever, I'm in the office across the garden." I mumble wholly to the duke, in the hopes Lucas doesn't hear or consider the invitation open to him.

It wasn't open to the duke either, I was sure he would never venture out of his room for something as trivial as lunch with me! I turn around and maneuver past Lucas without making eye contact. He'd drawn the bloody battle lines himself.

"Bye boss." I state as coolly as possible, just to let him know to not follow me down the stairs

I step out of the room and then rush through the corridor, run down the stairs and out the house through the chef's kitchen, as fast as I can too.