“Bloody hell!” the parrot said excitedly. “There’s a stranger.”
“Lord Newton is a friend of Arthur’s, so you need to be on your best behavior.”
Harriet leaned over and took another slice of apple and handed it to Sam. Either the apple or a change in mood had the macaw quiet.
“I cannot believe Arthur would allow such a beast in his house,” Newton said.
Harriet wasn’t sure if Newton meant that. She glanced back at the man and he had a brow arched, watching the scene in front of him play out. Did he now find the bird fascinating or was he wary of what might come next?
“Ah, I see you’ve met Sam,” Daphne said as she and Arthur entered the room. She went over to greet their guest.
Newton glanced at Arthur as he took Daphne’s hand. “Yes, I have. I can’t believe your husband would allow a wild animal in the house.”
“They were a package. It was either Daphne and Sam or nothing. Besides, Sam is quite entertaining.”
“Interesting,” Newton said. He accepted a glass of whiskey from Arthur. All the while he was watching Lady Harriet and Her Grace as they sipped on the wine Arthur had given them.
Harriet noticed his brow arch as though he disapproved of her drinking wine. He was not the friendly sort of gentleman. She was certain he would be a very domineering husband. If he ever found a woman who’d agree to be his wife. Life would be a living hell with him.
“I understand Lord Kingston is courting you,” Newton commented. “Where is he this evening?”
“With the Prince of Wales, I imagine. The prince placed an order with Lord Kingston’s company, and the prince is signing off on the project,” Harriet replied.
“An aristocrat having a job? Building rail cars? Appalling,” Newton said distastefully.
Saying nothing, Harriet looked to Arthur to help her. She’d never encountered such a man, and this one made her uncomfortable.
“It’s the future, Newton. Having someone like the prince as a customer has brought in three new clients for Kingston.”
“I see your point. He must have a lack of funds at the moment. I’m sure once he inherits his father’s title, he’ll give it all up.”
The door had opened, the butler nodding his head. Dinner was ready and Harriet was relieved. Perhaps he and Arthur would engage in their own conversation about Parliament or something manly. She didn’t care about the idea of conversing with a boor at dinner.
She was seated to Arthur’s right while Daphne sat to his left, with Newton on Daphne’s left. At the spur of the moment, Newton asked if he could be seated where she was so he andArthur could chat. Harriet said nothing but stood and stepped back from the table.
“Thank you, my dear,” Newton said as he held a chair out for her. “Men just sometimes need to carry out subjects which interest them both.”
Nodding slightly, Harriet tried her best to ignore his nonstop talk and concentrate on everything going on around her at the table. Looking across the table, she saw Daphne watching her, gifting her with a smile before speaking to a footman who’d just walked up to her.
The man is so condescending, Harriet swore to herself,that carrying on a conversation with this man is virtually impossible. He knows everything, and women are for one thing. To produce the next generation.
When he made a remark about how lovely her dress was and how the color suited her, it took every ounce of energy she had to keep from bursting into laughter. Either he was color blind or he was goading her into conversation.
As dinner came to an end, she and Daphne left the men to their port and cigars while they returned to the drawing room for tea. The ritual turned out to be a lifesaver, an escape for Harriet.
Daphne poured them both a cup of tea. “The color of your gown looks good on you. Looks like your scheme of wearing the worst dress went astray.” She let a giggle escape her lips as she handed the tea to Harriet.
Harriet snorted. “Either he’s that dense or he set me up.”
“How do you mean, ‘set you up’?”
“He’s trying to prove that I, a woman, can’t even choose a dress and therefore I need a husband to show me my errors,” Harriet replied.
Nodding, Daphne agreed. “That does sound like something Newton would do.”
“He seems a nice gentleman and there’s no need to act the way he does.”
“Men have huge egos in case you haven’t learned that yet,” Daphne said. “Newton’s is one of the worst.”
