You are treading dangerous ground, Theodore.
He could not tell if the voice was his own or his father’s. For one moment, he did not care.
CHAPTER 23
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Theodore swatted away a leaf that was floating towards his head.
Harriet bit back a laugh, curling her fingers into the fabric of her dress to keep from brushing the stray hair from Theodore’s face. They had been home for several days, and she had thrown herself into planning the family day she had proposed to Theodore the night of the ball and the day had finally arrived.
It had been a good distraction from her conversation with her mother. Her stomach churned as she thought of it and she gave herself a gentle shake.
Now is not the time.
She forced her mind back to the present, adjusting the wide brimmed hat on her head as she looked out at the gardens around them. As soon as she had told him her plan, his facehad fallen as though she had suggested running naked under the light of a full moon.
She pushed that image away, her cheeks coloring at the thought. She tugged at the sash on her dress and looked back at him with as much dignity as she could muster. “How many more times are you going to ask me that?”
Theodore shrugged. “Until you give me a satisfactory answer.”
“You agreed to this, remember?” She arched an eyebrow at him. “I have it all planned out. We shall go for a short walk to the meadow over that hill, it will be lovely and sheltered by the time we get there. We will have a picnic and after lunch, we will play some games.”
Theodore still looked uncertain. “But we will get filthy. It rained all of yesterday and the day before.”
He gestured to the muddy puddles all around them as though to illustrate his point.
“A little bit of dirt never did anyone any harm.” Harriet waved away his concern. “Besides, Phoebe has been looking forward to this.”
“We have a perfectly good table.” Theodore pointed out. “One that we could sit at and remain dry and clean.”
“And that would not be a picnic.” Harriet spread her arms wide, spinning beneath the cloudless blue sky. “It is a gorgeous day, and we should make the most of it.”
“It is now, but what if it changes?” Theodore folded his arms across his chest. “We will get soaked.”
“That is what the parasol is for, and why I have packed a basket with coats.” Harriet stopped her spinning and pointed to the hill. “We will not even be that far from the house. If it rains, we can come back and have our picnic by the fire in the living room.”
“We could skip the part where we get muddy and wet, and just do that now.” Theodore took a step towards her.
“And where would the fun be in that?” Harriet tapped her foot on the ground.
“It would save us having to lug all of this about.” Theodore gestured to the things Harriet had prepared. “You really mean forusto carry this?”
“It is not that much. A picnic basket, the blanket, the coat basket, a parasol and a bag for the games.” She let her eyes drift across his arms, her voice teasing. “Or are those only for show?”
Theodore’s eyes flashed, and he let out a soft sound that was somewhere between a growl and a purr. It made every part of Harriet’s body erupt in gooseflesh and she tugged the sleeves of her gloves self-consciously.
“I assure you, Duchess, I am more than capable of carrying this.” He leaned across her, not breaking eye contact and hefted most of the things into his arms. “I dare say I could carry you and all of this.”
“A bold claim.” Harriet swallowed, dancing out of her grip. “But you do not have to carry everything yourself.”
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I did not?” He shifted, adjusting the parasol slightly.
“You would let the servants carry it.” Harriet pointed out.
“That is different.” Theodore shrugged and moved the basked between his hands, balancing the parasol somewhat precariously as he did so. “It would be the footmen and that is their job. I am a gentleman; if you insist on doing this without servants, I must bear the load.”
“Ever the gallant hero.” Harriet rolled her eyes, smiling.
“I would not need to be if the servants were here.” Theodore frowned at her, but she could hear the mix of exasperation and amusement in his voice.
