Harriet chewed on her bottom lip. “I suppose so.”
She tapped her fingers against the smooth velvet of the sofa, thinking of the way the little girl’s face had lit up. Her heart swelled as she thought of her, and unbidden, the image of the Duke’s mouth quirking upwards sprang to mind. It made her frown.
This was about his niece, not him.
“I just… I suppose I see her and him, and it seems so obvious that something is missing but…” Harriet looked down at the floor. “I just wish I understood why the girl was so drawn to me.”
“In my experience, children often see the truth far before adults do.” Catherine took Harriet’s hands in hers and squeezed it gently. “Oliver understood the truth of things far before I did.”
“But that is different.” Louisa insisted. “There was a heart beneath the cold façade your husband put on.”
“And who is to say that the same is not also true of Irondale?” Catherine countered. “If he was truly a beast, why would he beso determined to find someone to help his niece? Why would it matter so much to him? He would just let her waste away or ship her off to some school far away in the country.”
“Perhaps he is ashamed of her. After all, I did not even know the man had a niece until Harriet told me.” Louisa popped a biscuit in her mouth.
“I do not think he is,” Harriet said without thinking.Please.His voice had been soft, as though he were a man running out of options – the realization hit her as her next words came tumbling out. “I think he is scared of losing her. He cares for her, Louisa, I am certain of it.”
Louisa looked uncertain, but she said nothing, and Harriet was relieved. Fiona poured them all another cup of tea. “What exactly did he propose?”
“He said I would want for nothing.” Harriet bit her lip.And he is the only man to have asked me.
Something of her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Louisa shook her head and gave her a small, sad smile. “You do not have to accept the first proposal that comes your way, Hettie. Just because he is the first, does not mean he will be the only one.”
“But will I find a better match than a duke?” Harriet pointed out. “He did not seem particularly cruel. Distant, but not unkind.”
“You have only met him once.” Louisa pointed out reasonably. “This is the rest of your life we are talking about. Not to mention… Well, wifely duties.”
Harriet choked on her tea and Fiona thumped her hard on the back. Catherine shot Louisa a look and said, “I think we are putting the cart before the horse. All that matters for now, is what Hettie wants.”
What do I want?Harriet drew in a shaky breath, massaging her throat as she tried to school her thoughts. When was the last time anyone had asked her what she wanted? The Duke certainly had not. The thought was like a thorn driving into her hand, and she seized on it.
He had made the whole mad thing sound so simple, and here she was considering it without question?Perhaps Louisa has a point.“I am not sure.”
“Then perhaps it is best to find out.” Catherine.
The clock chimed three o’clock and Fiona and Louisa sighed. Fiona stood and slipped on her coat. “We should be heading to the theatre. Phillip and Antony are escorting us for the evening.”
“You should join us, Hettie.” Louisa gestured to the door. “The Blackwoods have a private box after all, so you would not need to worry about crowds.”
On another evening, the offer might have been tempting, but Harriet suspected that Fiona learning of her potential for engagement might only further her attempt to see at least one of them married to one of her brothers.
That is the last thing I need.Harriet liked Fiona’s brothers well enough, but none of them ever seemed to pay her particular attention. Like most men she had met, they were polite, but their gazes never lingered.
The Duke’s quiet intensity stole into her mind, and the air around her thickened, crackling with the memory of it. She pushed it away.He is intense, that does not mean he was looking at you intensely.
Harriet shook her head. “No, I need to think about all of this. I fear I would be terrible company. Perhaps next time.”
She embraced Fiona and Louisa and watched as the steward escorted them to the front door. When she turned back to Catherine, she saw that she was standing.
Catherine hugged her. “I know I am biased because of everything that has happened, but I am also the only one who knows what you might be going through.”
“What do you think I should do?” Harriet asked, her voice small as she gazed into her friend’s kindly face.
“Listen to your heart.” Catherine placed a hand gently on her chest. “It will know what to do.”
Harriet laughed, though it came out more bitter than she intended. “I thought my heart longed for spinsterhood, for a little cottage somewhere up North. Peace and quiet.”
“That sounds rather lonely.” There was no judgement in Catherine’s tone, nor was there a question, it was simply a soft and gentle nudge.
