"I'll tell her..." Tristan said, because pretending that his maid had actually cooked the meal was less awkward than admitting that he had hired a young lady from a good family who through personal tragedy had become a penniless and had now turned maid even though she had never even heard of a copper before. Yeah, that would be awkward. Not to mention the fact that the little green monster didn't allow him to draw Douglas' attention to said pretty maid.

"Let me get them so you can see," he told his new friend, and he went to the drawing room to collect the four bottles of whiskey he had bought. It was easier than to tell the Earl which ones he had, for in all fairness, he had already forgotten what he had bought. He had trusted the salesman's judgement too, and the random assortment and the fact that the bottles hadn't been opened would probably expose him pretty soon as someone desperate to impress a new friend with a 'whiskey collection' that hadn't actually existed when he had announced it.

When he returned to the room, he sheepishly placed the four bottles of mediocre whiskey on the table for the Scotsman's inspection. Then he stepped back and folded his hands behind his back like a student nervous for his teacher's evaluation.