“It’s one of Lucien’s favorite meals. He loves Scottish salmon,” she replied.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“He also enjoys a good roast. Beef, of course, and on the rare side.”
“I do know that. He enjoys it with roasted potatoes,” Harriet replied.
Smiling demurely at her husband across the table. Her mother had him engaged in some sort of discussion and when he was able to glance in Harriet’s direction it was with an eye roll. Maybe now Lucien would better understand why she reacted to her mother as she did. That she wasn’t overreacting or imagining her mother’s actions.
As the meal finished, the three men stayed behind for port and cigars while the ladies retired to the drawing room for tea and dessert.
The duchess poured tea for them and encouraged the marmalade cake be eaten. As Harriet picked up a slice of cake, she heard her mother clearing her throat. A reminder she didn’t need a slice. Harriet chose to ignore her and picked up a fork and plate and placed it on a table in front of her. Next, she sat down with a cup of tea and waited for the two older women to do the same.
Everyone engaged in small talk at first. That was fine because Harriet didn’t feel like listening to her mother give opinions on broader subjects. Once she got started, it was almost impossible to stop her.
“Have you spoken to Lucien about how long you’re going to be on the Continent?” her mother asked.
Harriet set her tea down and instead picked up the cake. “I know we’ve discussed this before, Mother. We’ll be there for at least two months. There’s no way to see all we want to do in any less time. It would be nearly impossible.”
“Personally, I would cut the time in half and go back later for the second half.”
“Lucien’s afraid if we did something like that, we might not have a chance to go back for a long time. Life would get in the way, so we’re doing it now.”
Her mother stayed silent. Lucien’s mother had been quiet, observing mother and daughter.
“You should see an opera either in Italy or France. It’s not the same as what comes to London,” the duchess said.
“Lucien mentioned that. I had no idea he was keen on opera.”
“Only the performances found on the Continent,” she replied. “He also likes music.”
“I hope you remember your French, because it is hard to find people speaking English,” her mother blurted out.
“Lucien says Paris has more English speakers than farther out in the country,” Harriet replied.
“That’s true with most of the Continent. The larger cities have more visitors; thus, their people learn a second language and sometimes English is taught in school,” Her Grace said.
Harriet stood and poured herself another cup of tea, refreshing the two older women’s cups before she sat back down.
“How is your sister?” her mother asked the duchess.
“She’s about the same. First, she’ll seem to improve and next you know she’s sleeping a lot and not responding to anyone.”
Harriet shook her head. “That is so heartbreaking to hear.”
“I plan to go relieve my sister in a few days. Stay a week or two like the last time,” the duchess said.
“At least the two of you aren’t too far apart,” Harriet’s mother said.
“True. Her husband has a couple of new doctors coming to see her. Perhaps with that they’ll be able to give us a better understanding of what she has.”
“That’s smart. Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to look things over,” Harriet replied.
“I agree. My sister said she took her outside on one of her more lucid days and the sun and breeze seemed to be just what she needed.”
“There’s a lot to be said about going outdoors,” Harriet’s mother said.
“Yes, they open the windows in her room and let it air out. That helps.”
