"Apparently so." She looked up at him with an expression that made his heart stutter. "Speaking from experience."
"Extensive experience, yes."
They left the attic as the afternoon light began to fade, carrying a few carefully selected treasures, Richard’s drawings, the poetry book, a small portrait of the family from before everything had gone wrong. Harriet handled each item with tenderness, and Sebastian understood that she was reclaiming something. A connection to her past. A foundation for their future.
He loved her more in that moment than he had ever loved anything in his life.
***
Dinner that evening was a warm affair.
Lady Fordshire seemed invigorated by the day's news, her conversation lively, and her wit sharp. She told stories aboutHarriet's childhood that made Sebastian laugh and Harriet groan. She asked questions about Thornwood Park, about Sebastian's plans for the estate, about their life together.
"And children?" Lady Fordshire asked, with the particular lack of subtlety that mothers seemed to cultivate. "I trust you've discussed the matter?"
"Mama." Harriet's voice carried a warning.
"What? It's a perfectly reasonable question. I should like to know if I'm to expect grandchildren in the foreseeable future."
"We've been wedded for less than a month."
"Time enough to have discussed it, surely."
Sebastian intervened before Harriet could expire of embarrassment. "We've spoken about it in general terms, Lady Fordshire. We're both open to the possibility, when the time is right."
"When the time is right." Lady Fordshire's expression suggested she had opinions about this phrasing. "And when, precisely, would that be?"
"When we've had a chance to establish our life together. To learn each other properly." Sebastian met her gaze steadily. "I want children, Lady Fordshire. But I want a strong foundation first. Harriet and I have spent seven years misunderstanding each other. I'd like to spend at least a few months understanding each other before we add new complications."
Lady Fordshire studied him for a long moment. Then she nodded, something like approval in her expression.
"A sensible answer. I suppose I can wait a few months." She returned her attention to her dinner. "But not too many months, mind you. I'm not getting any younger."
"Yes, Mama," Harriet said, her voice resigned.
Sebastian caught her eye across the table and smiled. She rolled her eyes in response, but her foot found his under the table, a small secret contact that made his heart race.
This was his life now. Family dinners and good-natured teasing and the warm weight of belonging.
He had never imagined he could have this. He was still learning to believe it was real.
***
After dinner, Lady Fordshire retired early, claiming fatigue but fooling no one. Sebastian suspected she was giving them privacy, and he was grateful for it.
He and Harriet settled in the drawing room with glasses of wine, the fire burning low in the grate. The evening had turned cool, and Harriet had drawn a shawl around her shoulders, making her look soft and approachable in a way that still surprised him.
"I've been thinking," she said, after a comfortable silence.
"That sounds dangerous."
"Hush." She swatted his arm. "I've been thinking about what happens when we go back to Thornwood."
"We live there. As husband and wife. That was rather the plan."
"I know, but…" She hesitated, swirling her wine. "What does that actually look like? What do we do with ourselves? You have estate business, I suppose, but what about me? What's my role?"
It was a fair question. Sebastian had not given much thought to the practicalities of their life together, he had been too focused on the monumental achievement of winning her love to consider what came after.
