Harriet pretended to be mortified. “No! You mean there are men who are worse?”
“Yes. I hear a lot of men like that become worse once they marry,” Daphne said.
“I wouldn’t be able to deal with that. I’d have to do something drastic.”
Daphne leaned over and placed her hand on Harriet’s. “Fortunately, Lucien is not like that. I think your marriage is going to be one of the best.”
“I’m fortunate to have found him,” Harriet said.
“The two of you complement each other so well. You’re perfect for each other.”
“Thank you, Daphne. Would you mind if I retired upstairs before the men return?”
“Not at all. In fact, I was going to suggest it.”
Harriet finished her cup of tea and rose from her chair. “I had best go. They’ll be back any time. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you then. Pleasant dreams,” Daphne said.
As she walked towards the staircase, Harriet thought she heard the dining room door open. The sound of Newton’s voice couldn’t be hidden. She bolted up the stairs and to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and walked across the room to the fireplace. She wasn’t the least bit tired, but she was thankful she’d been able to get away from Newton. If she was lucky, Lucien would be finished with the prince after this evening and she and Lucien could spend some uninterrupted time together. Daphne was correct; she was fortunate to have Lucien in her life.
*
No one washome when Harriet entered the breakfast room the following morning. She remembered Arthur having said he had a full day at Parliament and would be there all day. Daphne had an appointment this morning, but Harriett for the life of her couldn’t remember with whom.
Making her selections, she took her plate and placed it at her place at the table. To the right were two missives. She immediately recognized the handwriting on one of them. Setting the other aside, she opened the one from Lucien.
In his letter, he mentioned Onyx was no better but had hope in the next week they’d begin to see an improvement. His journey with the Prince of Wales went quite well. So well that the prince ordered two more cars to accommodate his wife and have food prepared in another should he need a meal.
Lucien inquired if Harriet would like to go to the park for a walk and afterwards stop at Gunther’s for an ice. He would await her reply at home.
Of course, she would! She’d have to bring her maid along, but that was fine. The girl knew how to be discreet.
She summoned one of the footmen to bring her paper and a pen in order to reply to Lucien immediately. It didn’t take long before she handed the reply over to a waiting footman.
She took a bite of egg and opened the other note. She’d known it was probably from Newton. Her eyes scanned over his words. The flowery words weren’t him. He was attempting to impress her, telling her how he’d enjoyed the night before and hoped she felt better and would walk with him through Grosvenor Park this afternoon. She wrote out her reply. There was no way she’d join him. Last night had been more than enough of Lord Newton’s company.
Knowing she needed to find a dress to wear, Harriet left and returned to her rooms. Her maid was tidying things up. She walked past the girl and into the dressing room.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
“Lord Lucien has invited me out for a walk this afternoon. You’ll of course have to chaperone, but what I need is to choose a dress to wear.”
“May I suggest the periwinkle dress or if you want a fresh look the sage-green cotton?”
“I haven’t worn the sage green. It’s just the right weight for the weather right now.”
The girl nodded. “I’ll take it downstairs to press it. Would you be wanting to take a bath, milady?”
“Yes. While you’re downstairs, I’ll take a bath.”
“Let me get the water going for you,” she replied.
Minutes later Harriett dipped her toes into the warm water. She lowered herself into the tub and sighed as she submerged herself to the neck. The water and the orange-vanilla scent of the bath oil were divine. She laid her head against the back of the tub and closed her eyes.
By the time she was ready to receive Lucien, Harriet felt refreshed and ready to go out. It was an odd feeling to her when she thought about spending time with Lucien. Waiting in the drawing room for him, she visited Sam, handing him a piece of banana which he greedily snatched from her hand.
“If you’re going to be like that, that piece is all you’re going to get,” she said as she turned and walked back to the other side of the room.
