“No, he is not,” Greydon readily agreed.
Harriet waved her hand over the tea service on the table. “Would you care for some tea?”
“I would not, but I would be remiss if I did not warn you against continuing your liaison with William. You are in mourning.”
“I am well aware of my situation.”
Greydon gave her an expectant look. “If my father did discover the truth about you and William, he would show no mercy.”
Harriet looked displeased. “I understand, but I am a widow now. We are allowed some indiscretions, assuming we are discreet.”
Knowing that nothing else needed to be said between them, Greydon said, “Good day, Harriet.”
She replied in kind.
He turned to leave but stopped himself. He had one more thing he needed to ask her. “Have you ever been to Phineas’ apartment?”
She pursed her lips. “Why would I ever have set foot into that place?” she asked, as if the mere thought insulted her.
“Fair enough,” Greydon replied.
Harriet leaned back in her seat. “Is it true that you are pursuing Lady Enid?”
“I do not wish to discuss that with you.”
She gave him a haughty look. “I would not cast the first stone at me since you are entangled with a ruined woman.”
Greydon grew rigid. “I did not ask for your opinion on the matter.”
“You did not, but I see the contempt in your eyes for me,” Harriet said. “I am doing no different than what my husband did.”
“We both know it is different for a woman.”
“How is that fair?” she asked.
Greydon sighed. “I never said it was fair—”
She spoke over him. “No, it most assuredly is not.”
With a shake of his head, he said, “Just be careful, Harriet. You are playing with fire, and I worry that you might get burned.”
“Isn’t that the fun of it all?”
He had just about enough of this conversation. They were getting nowhere, and he was beginning to see a side of Harriet that he did not like. He had always considered her to be prim and proper, a very capable wife of a viscount, but he had been wrong. She was no better than his brother. Harriet just did a better job of hiding it.
Greydon turned and walked out of the room. The butler hurried to open the main door and he stepped out onto the pavement. He took a deep breath. He found that he needed a walk to clear his head.
A footman stepped off his perch and went to open the coach door.
He put his hand up to stop the man. “I do believe I shall walk home.”
The footman tipped his head in acknowledgement. “Very good, my lord,” he said.
As he started walking down the pavement, he realized that he didn’t want to go home right away. He wanted to see Enid again. Besides, he needed to update her on his investigation. He knew that he could make up a million reasons as to why he needed to see Enid, but the truth was, he just wanted to be with her. His best moments were when he was with her. They made him smile no matter what was transpiring in his life.
ChapterSixteen
Enid sat on her settee in her bedchamber as she read her book. She was grateful for the silence that was afforded to her because she knew she wouldn’t be residing in the lap of luxury for long. She would move out of her parents’ townhouse, and she would be responsible for running a household- a small household.
