With that, Harriet left the two alone. She felt as though Emma deserved that much privacy, given the difficult year she had.
It was a few moments later when Emma finally re-emerged from the nursey, her eyes damp.
“Your Grace,” she said, sniffling.
“Harriet,” Harriet corrected her.
“Thank you for letting me see my daughter,” Emma’s voice was all choked up. “I am forever indebted to you, that you took her into your care.”
“She’s grown quite a bit, has she not?” Harriet smiled. “It is astounding the rate at which she is growing up.”
Emma nodded, “It brings me great anguish that I am not here to witness it.”
Then, Emma did something that Harriet was not expecting. She immediately grabbed Harriet’s hand, and looked at her with a pleading expression.
“Your Gr—Harriet, please listen to me. I beseech you now as a woman,” she started, “As a mother, as someone with a heart. I do not wish to marry someone else. I know that Lord Tobias has caused me great turmoil, but he is the man who still has my heart. I wish to make things right with him. You must speak sense into him. You must make him realize…”
Harriet felt herself pressured by the request. “His Grace has promised that he will see to it that his brother sees reason.”
Emma shook her head, “No. But you must speak to him, too. You understand a woman’s perspective. You will know the right thing to say. Please, Harriet. My marriage is scheduled in two weeks — if I am to go through with it, then I shall never get the chance to see Catherine again, let alone have the family that I dream of.”
Harriet nodded. “I shall do whatever I can, Emma.”
“Please.”
Without warning, the woman wrapped the duchess into her embrace. “Please. You have done me a favor already by taking care of my daughter, and now I ask of you an even bigger favor.”
Even though the physical pressure on her torso seized when Emma released Harriet from her embrace, she still felt a weight settle on top of her.
“I shall do whatever is in my ability.”
Emma nodded, “Thank you. I shall take my leave now, as I do not want my parents to grow any more suspicious than they are. But thank you — you are my only hope.”
CHAPTER 27
Upon Emma’s departure, Harriet made her way into Simon’s study. She knocked once before entering to find him sitting at his desk.
“Simon,” she quickly ushered herself in, “Emma is to be married off in two weeks. What are going to do regarding the Tobias situation?”
Clearly, they did not have any time to waste.
Simon pursed his lips, “I have sent him a letter already, asking him to come see me tomorrow. I shall try and speak some sense into him.”
“Do you believe that would work?” Harriet asked, taking a seat near Simon. A frown tugged at her lips.
“In earnest? I am not so hopeful. But I know that I can at least persuade him to take some responsibility. He cannot sell me the excuse of not knowing the mother anymore.”
Harriet nodded, thinking deeply about the issue. It seemed as though they were at a dead-end.
“From what little I know of your brother, he does not seem like someone who appreciates being held responsible for something,” she commented.
“You’d be correct. It is truly his least favorite thing in the world,” Simon frowned. “I believe that if I goad him with the idea of increasing his allowance, he might agree.”
“Increasing his allowance?” Harriet folded her hands into her lap, her voice now tinged with sadness. It felt too much like a bribe — and Harriet felt that it was unfair to both Catherine and Emma to convince Tobias in this manner. “Do you not think there could be another solution?”
“You heard Emma. She only has two weeks,” Simon said. “I do not think two weeks is enough of a timeframe to correct habits that have taken a lifetime to form for my brother.”
Harriet knew that Simon had a point. But she was not convinced that his way was the best one moving forward.
