The second balloon began to lift into the blue sky. Harriet was completely mesmerized by the sight. “Will they land back here, or will they go down wherever they can?”
“They are hard to steer, as you can imagine. If there isn’t a breeze to carry them off, they’ll descend here.”
“Do they turn the fire low so no more gas keeps it in the air? Then the balloon is caught with those hooks and tied down?” she asked without taking her eyes off the balloons.
“That’s exactly how they accomplish it. How did you know that? A book?” He appeared amazed by the fact she knew things most women didn’t.
“From watching them rise, I concluded they must repeat the process in reverse,” Harriet replied.
“And you’d be correct.”
“My mother certainly wouldn’t like my telling you that. In her eyes, women are to remain silent even if they know the answer or something about the discussed subject.”
He gave a lopsided grin. “She and I would have to disagree on that. I find it refreshing hearing a woman share her knowledge.”
Harriet smiled back at him. She wasn’t sure how she should respond, so she kept her eyes skyward where the first balloon was hovering over the crowd ready to descend.
“I’m glad of that. I’ve never understood why women aren’t to be heard speaking about anything that doesn’t include the weather or other simple subjects.”
Lucien’s eyes were fixated on the balloon now descending. “Look, he’ll be on the ground momentarily.”
“The hooks will help steady it, correct?”
“Yes, that and shutting off the flame. I understand it can be rough landing like that.”
Both continued to watch in awe as the basket was secured and the passengers were helped off. Out of the corner of her eye, Harriet caught Lucien looking at her. Not wanting him to catch her, Harriet repositioned herself on the blanket. Doing that gave her an excuse to look at him and try and decide why he’d been staring at her.
“I’m sorry, we’ve been sitting for a while,” she said.
He nodded. “We have. Would you like to walk for a while? It’ll be a while before the balloons are ready for new passengers.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
Lucien helped her up from the blanket. He then gathered his hat and placed it back on his head. “Why don’t we walk along that path? There’s a pond where the swans sometimes gather.”
“I love to watch the swans. They are so regal,” she replied.
As they began to walk, he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. There were more people out now. All were taking advantage of the lovely day. Even this time of year, it wasn’t uncommon for rain or storms to pop up and send residents scurrying back home. The one thing she disliked about warmer weather was having to wear a bonnet. Her mother had made sure she wore one to protect her face from the sun and the sun burn it could cause.
“Where do you stay in London?” Harriet suddenly asked. It was none of her business, but she was still intrigued enough to ask.
“At the family house. It’s not far from Jameson House,” he replied.
“London has certainly grown in the past few years.”
She caught him nod ever so slightly. “It has but I don’t mind it. I assist my father with the family estates because he’s slowingdown, and it gives me an opportunity to make sure everything is as it should. One day my father won’t be here, and I’ll inherit the dukedom. I’d rather be on top of it than have surprises.”
“How many estates?”
“Three. One outside York, another in southeastern Sussex, and the other in Scotland.”
“Scotland?” she asked.
“Yes. I don’t get up there but maybe once a year. It’s in the highlands. My great-grandfather inherited from his wife’s father after he died. They had no sons and he didn’t want to leave it to her extended relations, so it became part of her dowry.”
“Do you have a favorite?”
He shook his head as they continued on their walk. “Not really. The one in Sussex is convenient and has been used as the family seat for generations. York is farther away but there are coal mines on the far side of the property and of course the estate in Scotland is beautiful but very hard to get to.”
