Lucien helped her off the bed. He kissed her softly. “I believe Rex is in the dressing room waiting for you.”
“Very well. I’ll see you in the drawing room then?”
“I can wait if you like.”
“That’s not necessary,” she replied.
She stood in silence as Rex, her lady’s maid, helped her out of the day dress she’d been wearing and into a forest-green gown. The bodice and front panel to her skirt were a lighter shade of sage green. Other than that, there was nothing special about the dress, which was something she liked about it. Jewelry could easily be added to dress it up if she wished to. Tonight, she would wear a double string of pearls her parents had given her for her last birthday. Harriet remembered it well because her mother let it be known that she thought it was too extravagant.
She checked herself one last time in the looking glass before turning and walking to the sitting room where she found Lucien waiting by the fire for her.
“You look magnificent. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that dress before,” he said.
“That’s because I don’t wear it often,” Harriet replied.
“You should. It’s quite becoming,” he said nearing her. He gathered her in his arms and began to kiss her slowly, but thoroughly. “Shall we join the others in the drawing room?”
“I’d rather not, but there’s no way we cannot show ourselves.”
They entered the drawing room and were immediately greeted by Lucien’s parents.
“We haven’t been here too long ourselves,” the duke said. “Whiskey, Lucien? Harriet, what would you like?”
Harriet glanced at the goblet her mother-in-law was holding in her hand. “Wine, please.”
She settled herself on the opposite side of the couch the duchess was sitting on. It would be easy to talk with her and the men.
“I’m going to my modiste tomorrow if you’d like to accompany me. We both need a couple of gowns for all these balls we’re going to be attending. One especially for the one we will be hosting for you and Lucien.”
“A good way to spend part of the day.”
Lucien and his father returned, each holding an extra glass. He handed Harriet her glass of wine. She thanked him for it and took a sip. Conversation was easy with the duchess and duke. A lot easier than with her parents. At least, her mother. Her father tried to make up for her mother’s brashness. She’d always wondered if her mother had been like that all her life or if it was something she picked up once she became an adult. The duchess was warm, kind, and picked up when people were having difficulty in a social situation. Harriet couldn’t wait to ask her about how she gave clothing and food to their tenants at their country estate. Lucien had mentioned it, and Harriet was immediately fascinated by how a duchess had no problem helping the people who worked for them.
The duke cleared his throat and gave his wife a look only the two of them understood. “There is something your mother and I have done.”
“What would that be?” Lucien asked.
“We have arranged a wedding trip for you. The duchess and I know you’d keep putting it off, so we took care of that. Your mother can tell you better where you’ll be going,” the duke continued.
“You’ll go to Calais first, then Paris, Vienna afterwards. Italy will be your destination. Milan, Naples, Florence, and of course Rome. If there is somewhere that doesn’t interest you, feel free to make changes.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Lucien said. “This is too generous.”
“We thought waiting until next year was too long,” the duchess said.
“When do we leave?” Harriet inquired. She glanced over at her husband who was attempting to maintain control.
“In three weeks,” the duke replied. “Everything is set up. If there’s something needing your attention, someone will be in touch.”
“Do my parents know?” Harriet asked.
“They do, and I must say your mother was most gracious about it. She was relieved to have extra time to plan social events,” the duchess replied.
Harriet smiled. “I’m not going to question my mother’s thinking or actions about this. I’m just going to accept that she’s fine with the changes.”
“That’s probably for the best,” Lucien said with a straight face.
There were a few moments of silence. Harriet and Lucien had discussed it a few times but thought waiting for a year would allow them time to get into a routine. She was afraid waiting would mean more postponements. Something would come up with Lucien’s businesses. He had estate managers who were more than competent to handle things while he was away. If they had questions, they could always get in touch with him or his father.
