His hand tightened on the door as he glimpsed two light figures making their way down the lane towards him. One would be the Dowager Countess, Ralph and Harriet's grandmother. Harriet's co-conspirator. The other would be Harriet.
I was overbearing when she arrived at Penhaligon three days ago. I should have been gentler, but the sight of her in what amounts to the dress of a servant was too much. She deserves far more.
His eyes were fixed on Harriet as she approached, and he felt a thrill at the thought that she could see him, that she was looking back. He alighted from the carriage and stood patiently, waiting for them to reach him.
There were, in truth, better uses of his time than awaiting a lady on his arm to promenade through Hyde Park. But if that was her wish, he would yield. The dinner had been a success; now he needed to build on it. And for that, he required Harriet’s full and willing cooperation.
Happy wife, happy life.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” the Dowager Countess called out upon drawing a suitable distance closer.
“Good morning to you, too, Your Ladyship, and a fine morning it is,” Jeremy smiled back.
“A fine morning, indeed. For travel and for visiting with friends. Harriet is to be spending the evening with the Sullivan family of Beckwith House.”
She looked at him pointedly, and he bowed his head in acknowledgment of the lie they were telling.
“I am grateful that Harriet has such a trusted ally in you, Your Ladyship.”
She arched a brow. “I can be an implacable enemy, also, and will not hesitate to be so if my granddaughter is taken advantage of,” the Dowager Countess continued, stepping close to Jeremy and fixing him with a steady stare.
“Grandmama, His Grace has no intention of taking advantage of me in any way,” Harriet murmured sideways. “If anything, the advantage is mine. He needs me, and I mean to use him for a taste of freedom.”
She wore pale cream and soft yellows. It emphasized her femininity. Her scent was subtle and fresh, floral with a hint of citrus. It made him want to breathe deeply, to lean closer to her and bury his face amid her dark hair. He had moved half a step toward her before regaining control of himself.
“We have entered into an agreement of mutual benefit,” he said to both women.
“We have,” Harriet replied with a bright smile, “though I feel I am benefiting more, I am sure.”
“Only because I have not explained the entirety of the benefit I am deriving from this arrangement.”
“And that is?”
“Unnecessary to discuss. You know that I must be well thought of by the Winchesters. That is all.”
Gently now. This is too important to drive her away.
Jeremy suddenly felt the weight of every Penhaligon Duke that had gone before him. The soldiers and the politicians. The great men who had left their mark on the country. It made his chest constrict, left him anxious to achieve his goals, to earn his place among them.
“Shall we go then?” Harriet began hopefully, her smile brittle, “It is a long way to London.”
She bade farewell to her grandmother and stepped into the carriage. Jeremy followed. The Dowager Countess turned and began to retrace her path back towards the house.
“Is this really necessary?” He could not help but ask as the carriage began to pull away.
“My friend Jane is promenading through Hyde Park with her beau. I have never seen Hyde Park up close and wish to,” she furrowed her brows. “Why do you object?”
“Because it takes me away from my business. I have much still to plan, and walking in public simply to be seen seems frivolous to me.”
“And spending money at the gaming table or getting drunk is not?”
Jeremy looked at her sideways and saw the challenge in her brilliant emerald eyes. He found himself smiling despite his irritation at being so challenged. She was bold as a lion.
“And who told you I spend my time embroiled in such activities?” he asked.
“It is how Ralph used to spend his time before he inherited his title and grew up. I know that you and he were as thick as thieves along with Jane's older brother, Lord Nash,” she answered.
Jeremy felt an unreasonable need to justify himself, simply to impress this woman.
