Clearing her throat, Kit said, “Last night, the queen and I were speaking about Pierce.”

“Whatever for?” Cassius asked her

“Ha! That is a good question. She was trying to persuade me in favor of him, as usual. At any rate, I made a remark that he just wasn’t for me, and she said just because he can be a little rough sometimes, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t make a good duke.” Kit took a deep breath, not sure she’d gotten that exactly right. Cassius looked confused.

“Rough? What do you think that meant? Rough around the edges, as in he’s not as refined as some of the others, such...