"Shall I not sit with you, papa, whilst you are eating it ?" she asked; but he merely told her that he would not trouble her to do that.

Even in saying this he was so unusually tender to her that she assured herself that her lover had not as yet told his tale.
The Duke's meals were not generally feasts for a Lucullus.

No man living, perhaps, cared less what he ate, or knew less what he drank.
In such matters he took what was provided for him, making his dinner off the first bit of meat that was brought, and simply ignoring anything offered to him afterwards.

And he would drink what wine the servant gave him, mixing it, whatever it might be, with seltzer water.

He had never been much given to the pleasures of the table; but this habit of simplicity had grown on him of late, till the Duchess used to tell him that his wants were so few that it was a pity he was not a hermit, vowed to poverty.
Very shortly a message was brought to Lady Mary, saying that her father wished to see her.