"What?"
"I'm coming with you," Sebastian repeated. "As a chaperone, if nothing else. Your mother will never allow you to travel to a bachelor's home alone, and you are very well aware of it.”
Harriet opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. He was right, even though she was vexed by the knowledge.Lady Fordshire would have an apoplexy at the mere suggestion of her unattached daughter visiting Lord Davies's estate unaccompanied.
"Fine," she said. "But I do the talking. This is my family's debt, and I'll negotiate it on my own terms."
"Agreed." Sebastian's expression was unreadable. "I'll arrange for the carriage. We can leave first thing tomorrow morning."
***
Lady Fordshire's reaction to the plan was precisely what Harriet had expected.
"Absolutely not." Her mother's voice carried the particular ring of aristocratic horror that had been perfected over generations of Englishwomen faced with impropriety. "You cannot travel to Lord Davies's estate. The man is a notorious libertine. I can only imagine what tactics he will employ.”
"Lord Vane will accompany me," Harriet said. "As my chaperone."
"Lord Vane is an unmarried man. If anything, his presence makes the situation more scandalous, not less."
"Then what would you suggest? We send Mr. Thornton? I hardly think a solicitor carries the same social weight."
Lady Fordshire's eyes narrowed. "You might bring a maid. Several maids. And stay at an inn rather than at Davies Hall itself."
"Lord Davies specifically invited me to stay at the hall. Refusing his hospitality would be an insult that might doom the negotiations before they begin."
"Then let Lord Vane conduct the negotiations on your behalf. He has more experience with such matters."
"Lord Vane is not a member of this family. He cannot speak for our interests the way I can." Harriet took her mother'shands, trying to project calm confidence she didn't entirely feel. "Mama, I know this is unconventional. But our situation is unconventional. We cannot afford to let propriety stand in the way of survival."
"Pretty words. But propriety is what separates us from the animals, Harriet. Without it, we have nothing."
"Without Fordshire Park, we also have nothing. Which matters more?"
Lady Fordshire was silent for a long moment, her face a study in conflicting emotions. Finally, she sighed.
"Lord Vane will accompany you," she said. "And you will bring a maid. And you will conduct yourself with absolute propriety at all times. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Mama."
"And Harriet?" Lady Fordshire's voice sharpened. "Be careful of Lord Davies. Men like him do not invite young ladies to their homes out of pure charitable interest in debt negotiation."
"I'll be careful."
"See that you are." Lady Fordshire released her hands and turned away. "I shall begin drafting letters to explain your absence, should anyone inquire. We shall say you've gone to visit a distant cousin. The Crawford connection should serve, they’re obscure enough that no one will think to verify."
Harriet left her mother to her machinations and went to find Sebastian, who was overseeing the preparation of the carriage in the stable yard. He looked up at her approach, his expression questioning.
"She agreed," Harriet said. "With conditions."
"I heard. Sound carries remarkably well from the drawing room."
"Then you know I'm to bring a maid and conduct myself with absolute propriety."
"A wise precaution." Sebastian's voice was carefully neutral. "Mary seems capable. I'll ask Mrs. Briggs to arrange for her to accompany us."
"Sebastian." Harriet hesitated, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say. "My mother suggested that Lord Davies might have... ulterior motives. For inviting me."
"Did she?"
