“Thank you.”
Joan served the tea and then sat back with her own teacup and waited. “Proceed, Professor.”
His expression froze for only a fraction of a second before he seemed to collect himself, and then a pleasing smile lifted his lips. “Very well. I agree thatsomeexcesses can be detrimental. Some examples would include whiskey, laudanum, greed, the famous seven deadly sins, if you will.”
“Agreed.” Joan nodded. “But it sounds as if you are proving rather than challenging my point.” She sipped her tea. “I’m waiting to be impressed, Your Grace.”
He smirked. “That’s ‘Professor,’ to you.”
“Ah, apologies.” She tilted her head and studied him through lowered lashes.
Good Lord, she’d flirted. With the Duke of Westmore. No. Shewasflirting with the Duke of Westmore. Her brother’s best friend, the one who had, by all evidence, had quite the altercation with her brother. His next words interrupted her internal revelation.
“I said ‘some.’ Now, I can agree with a fraction of your premise, but the whole is incorrect. As a wholly applicable statement, it’s false.”
“Why?” she asked, fascinated.
“What about kindness?” he asked, then grinned as if he knew he’d won the battle before the fight had even started.
Joan twisted her lips, then took a slow sip of tea, stalling and allowing herself time to come up with an intelligent reply. “Ah! Yes. Kindness in excess isn’t a good thing.”
“Defend.” He gestured to her and leaned back, sipping his tea. When he lowered the cup, a welcoming expression illuminated his face, adding a twinkling depth to his blue eyes. Even with his purple-ringed eye, he was handsome. Distractingly so.
Joan turned her attention down to her teacup to collect her thoughts. “If I am kind to my own detriment, then I might be kind to someone but not to myself, which, in fact, negates the kindness, does it not?”
The duke nodded, his expression thoughtful as if considering her words. “Indeed. However, would that be kindness? As it is defined? Or a lack of self-preservation?”
Joan frowned. “How would one define either? What decides the line between kindness and it moving into something less of a virtue?”
“Excellent question. What is a virtue? And can those be in excess?”
“Virtues are purity of action and thought, selfless in nature.”
The duke spoke with warmth. “So eloquent. Indeed. But can they be, in their pure form, excessively used to the point where they are no longer good? Say, forgiveness. Can you forgive too much?”
“According to the Bible, no.”
He nodded.
“But it also depends on how you define forgiveness.”
“Well, I’d argue that one is forgiveness, and one is counterfeit.”
“It is too bloody early in the morning to be discussing the finer points of theology.” Morgan’s voice broke through Joan’s thoughts, startling her.
She gave a jump and leaned back, smoothing her skirts. “Maybe for you,” she replied.
The duke stood abruptly and set his tea service to the side. Joan’s scrutiny shot from her brother to the duke and back. It would have been comical if not for the tension pulling the room into a tight knot. Morgan had the opposite eye sporting that same shade of purple, only his lip was split as well, and he took a seat with some tender care, as if his abdomen were sensitive.
“Sit down.” He waved a hand toward the duke. “I’m not in the mood to wax romantic over apologies. We’re both idiots, and I started it, so…” Again, he waved off his friend.
The duke sat back down, but kept a watchful eye on Morgan. “I apologize.”
“We were both quite drunk,” Morgan added.
Joan gave an irritated snort. “Drunk? Really, Morgan?” She couldn’t exactly chide the duke, but her brother? That was a different story.
“I’ll take your tongue-lashing later, dear sister. And I’ll take it without complaint as long as you let me suffer in misery for the moment.”