“Have you ever been in one?” she asked.
“No, but I would go if the circumstances were right. I still have some reservations about how safe they really are.”
She smiled at him fondly. There was something going on here, between them. No man had ever paid this much attention to her nor seemed to care what she said. He definitely listened to what she said.
“I look forward to seeing them with you,” she replied.
His lips formed a smile. “As much as I’m enjoying this time with you, I don’t want to overstay. Let me return you to your cousin and I will take my leave until tomorrow.”
“Very well. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you as well.”
They walked back to the terrace and into the drawing room. As soon as they entered Sam could be heard squawking on his perch. Sam wouldn’t be Sam if he didn’t share his love of curse words.
“A bloody man!”
Harriet walked towards the macaw. “Yes, Sam, a man. His name is Lord Lucien, so be nice to him.”
“Sam nice. Sam bloody nice. To man.”
Lucien neared Sam and Harriet while Daphne sat in the background with her embroidery. “Nice to meet you, Sam. You’re a handsome fellow.”
“Sam bloody handsome.”
“Yes, you are,” Lucien replied. He turned in Daphne’s direction. “I would like to take Lady Harriet to see the balloons in Hyde Park tomorrow afternoon, if that meets your approval.”
Daphne smiled broadly. “Yes, I approve. Hyde Park is always a nice place to go.”
“Yes, it is,” Lucien replied.
“Sam go.” The parrot had gotten off his perch and was now walking across the floor, flapping his wings much to everyone’s amusement.
“Where are you going, Sam?” Daphne asked.
“Mama! Sam go.”
“He’s quite entertaining, isn’t he?” Lucien stated.
“Yes, he is. He loves being the center of attention,” Daphne said with an amused look on her face.
“Who taught him to swear?”
“My father got him for me, and he already knew how to talk. We assume he probably learned from sailors on the ship,” Daphne replied.
“Most likely. Sailors are notorious for their colorful language,” Lucien said.
“He makes quite the conversation piece when we have visitors,” Harriet said.
“Though a lot of the ladies are scared of him,” Daphne said with a grin and added, “They think he’s vulgar.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Lucien added.
“He’s very smart. He’ll walk on the floor looking until he finds Daphne,” Harriet said.
Lucien chuckled imagining the sight. “I can see where that would terrify them.”
They spoke among themselves for a few more minutes about Sam and childhood pets they’d all had. Finally, Lucien took his leave. He had spent way more time than was appropriate for a first visit, but no one seemed to mind.
“Thank you for a lovely time. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow,” he said to Harriet. He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Something Harriet was sure had her face blushing the deepest red.
