Simon opened his mouth to retort, but Harriet’s fierce gaze stopped him.
For a moment, they stood there, gazes locked together in the dim light coming from the window. Simon let out a slow breath, his initial anger melting into something more complicated as he watched Harriet’s profile in the dim light. For the first time, he noticed how beautiful she was. Her petite frame, and her delicate features. Her hair was wrapped in a bonnet, that let him see her face properly, no longer framed by her hair. Even when not dressed in proper clothing, she seemed to have a certain magnetism about her appearance.
It took a moment for him to realize that he was staring, and he quickly looked away — ignoring the unwelcome feeling that stirred in his chest. Catherine stirred gently in her sleep, alarming them both.
“We should cover her with a blanket,” he suggested, attempting to divert his thoughts.
Harriet gave him a withering look. “Your Grace, pardon me but I do not think that you know very much about babies. She’s already comfortable. Adding another layer might disturb her.”
Simon’s jaw tightened. “I am only trying to help, Harriet. Besides, I do not see how your experience in the matter surpasses mine.”
“It does, even if it is only slightly. I’ve been taking care of her since she arrived,” she replied, not backing down.
Simon was quickly learning that Harriet was not one to back down from an argument. She stood up for herself, which wassomething he liked usually. But he was not used to anyone answering back to him, so it only annoyed him in her case.
“She only arrived a day ago. If you really were such an expert at childcare, she would not be crying in the first place,” he spat. “Which, might I add, disturbed my sleep.”
Harriet pressed her lips together, “My apologies. But perhaps you should have thought about the inconvenience before you decided to father a child with a paramour.”
Simon felt his blood boil. Was she going to start with this again?
“I have already told you that I have no knowledge about the origins of this child,” he whispered furiously. “Consider this your final warning, because the next time you hurl this accusation at me, I shall not be so kind.”
“Mercy me,” she replied, sardonically. “I cannot wait to find out what punishment awaits me. Surely, it cannot be worse than being left alone a day after my wedding.”
“Need I remind you that it is your fault we are in this marriage to begin with?” he said, irked. “If you had not walked into that room, and closed that door — none of this would have happened.”
Their hushed arguments caused little Catherine to stir in her sleep, and both of them froze at the spot.
“Your Grace,” Harriet whispered, looking as though she was using up her last drop of patience to compose herself. “It is best if we continue this conversation outside.”
They slowly exited the nursery, and Simon wondered if he should storm off without engaging her at all. She had already said more to him than she ought, crossing all lines.
But he decided to stay put. After all, if he was not going to teach her how to respect her husband, who would? A man had to put his foot down.
Harriet, however, seemed like she had forgotten all about their argument already. She paced the length of the hallway outside the nursery, looking worried.
“Your Grace, I do not know how we have found ourselves in this peculiar situation but I believe that bickering amongst ourselves is not going to solve anything,” she started.
Simon raised an eyebrow. Perhaps Harriet was more mature than he thought, which came as a shock to him.
“And what do you propose the solution to be?”
“For one, we must learn to put our differences aside, only if momentarily. It is clear that the baby needs constant support,” she sighed. “We need a nursemaid, someone experienced who can help us.”
Simon nodded, though his irritation still simmered. “Very well. I will find a few candidates for you to choose from.”
Harriet nodded curtly. “Thank you. It will make things easier.”
Simon turned to leave, but Harriet’s voice stopped him. “And Your Grace, we need to communicate better. This affects both of us, and it is in both of our best interests that news of this does not leave the estate.”
As irritating as she was, Simon had to admit that she had a point there. Arguing amongst themselves would only make matters worse, but that seemed impossible not to do given her tendency to answer back to him.
“Fair,” he replied through gritted teeth, “But know this — I shall not be commanded. You must amend your behaviors at once.”
Harriet’s chin lifted defiantly. “And I will not be ignored.”
With that, Simon exited to his room, leaving Harriet standing there without saying a proper farewell.
