Harriet shrugged, her attention already wandering. She spotted her mother across the room speaking to one of the valets, and she sighed inwardly. Albina had been acting oddly of late, her attempts to match Harriet with a suitable gentleman becoming more desperate by the day.
What is she up to now?It seemed that Albina never had a moment of peace.
As if on cue, the valet approached Harriet, bowing respectfully. “Miss Cooper, your mother requests your presence in the orangery. She says it is a matter of urgency.”
“Thank you,” Harriet said politely, turning to face her friend. “You must excuse me, Lady Arabella. It seems that I am being summoned to participate in another one of my mother’s schemes.”
“Godspeed, my lady,” Arabella chuckled.
“I will surely need it,” she muttered under her breath, slowly extracting herself from the busy crowd.
Harriet did not have to wonder too much to guess what her mother likely wanted from her. It would be another attempt at introducing her to some gentleman, trying her hardest to secure a match even if there was no mutual liking to speak of. It was embarrassing, and greatly tarnished the unbothered reputation that Harriet had built for herself.
It made her seem tacky, snobby and more than a smidge desperate.
She arrived at the orangery, which was dimly lit to the point that she could not see a thing. The scent of citrus and flowers was heavy in the air.
Strange,she thought to herself. Why did her mother choose this of all places to meet? The place seemed rather desolate, with none of the guests lurking anywhere nearby. If she knew one thing from her upbringing, it was that ladies should never lurk in discreet corners like this. If spotted, one could give rise to a whole plethora of unwarranted rumors.
Still, if her mother called her here, it must not be without reason.
Without wasting another moment, Harriet ushered her way inside. “Mother?” she called out, her voice echoing softly.
Harriet could not see anything at all. She squinted her eyes, trying to feel her surroundings to locate any candles.
“Are you here?” she called out again, feeling a chill as the wind begun to blow from the open window. It was an overcast night, and any moonlight pouring in through the window was sparse.
There was no response, but a gust of wind blew the door shut behind her.
“I wouldn’t close that door if I were you,” a deep voice emerged from the shadows at the same time.
Startled, Harriet turned to see a tall figure stepping into the faint light. She could not make out his face properly, and strained her eyes to see. When he stepped a bit closer, she realized that he had a pair of the most striking green eyes.
“I… I was trying to…” she found herself growing a bit flustered. Running into a man in a darkened orangery had been the furthest thing from her mind when she had made her way over here.
“No, I do not think you understand,” the man seemed to regard her with a cool, assessing gaze. “Youreallyshould not have let that door close. Now both of us are stuck in here.”
“Stuck?” Harriet repeated, surprised. She made her way over to the door herself, pulling at the knob to open it but finding that it did not budge. “Why is it not turning?”
She heard a deep, disappointed sigh, followed by a series of footsteps, and the gentleman was in front of her. “I have been locked here for the better part of the hour. This door only opens from the outside.”
Harriet felt her stomach turn, uncomfortably. “I am Lady Harriet Cooper. Introduce yourself.”
“The Duke of Atherton,” the man replied.
“Your Grace,” she bowed immediately, even though he could barely see her.
“But I suspect you knew that already, did you not?” he continued, his tone turning a touch accusative.
He turned to face her, his countenance menacing. She could not make out much in the darkness but felt the intensity of his gaze as though he were the sun. It made her squirm.
“I beg your pardon, Your Grace?”
“This whole thing, it was merely a clever ruse to entrap me, was it not?” he said. “When did you plan this?”
Harriet began to feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “Why, I could ask you the same thing. What business did you have lurking in this empty orangery, if not to trap me?” she replied, feeling appalled.
Harriet had a tendency to grow defensive. Whenever she felt that she was being unfairly accused, she would flip the table and accuse the other person of the same thing. It was something that she had learnt while growing up with her sisters.
