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“I believe she has driven even the servants insane with her anticipation. I do hope the poor elephant lives up to her expectations.” Harry took her hand and assisted her into the carriage.
“Good morning, Miss Drake,” Charlotte said politely, concealing her excitement.
“Good morning, Charlotte.”
Harry took the seat next to Charlotte for propriety’s sake when all he wanted to do was sit next to Louisa, inhale the light scent of her lilac soap and dream of stripping her naked. What the bloody hell was wrong with him? He could never have her. And his daughter was in the carriage with them. A wife was precisely what he needed to take his mind off Louisa.
“Are you well, Your Grace?” Louisa asked with a smile. “You seem to be lost in thought.”
“Pardon me, Miss Drake. I was thinking about some business.”
“Of course, I understand you have much on your mind.”
The woman had no idea of the thoughts that plagued him. He’d hoped to have a private conversation at some point during their outing so that he could inform her of his decision regarding a wife. Hopefully, she would find him, someone, quickly.
The drive to The Exeter Exchange seemed endless with the stifled conversation. Perhaps it was Charlotte’s presence that caused them both to struggle with a topic appropriate for her tender ears. Harry stared over at Louisa. With her bonnet on, her hair seemed to stay in place today. Finally, they arrived where the menagerie was located. Harry assisted Louisa out of the carriage and then pulled Charlotte into his arms.
“You must stay with either Miss Drake or me. You mustn’t wander off, poppet.”
“Yes, Papa.”
He let her down to walk but took her small hand in his large one. Once inside, her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped.
“There are so many animals!”
Louisa laughed as she saw the expression on Charlotte’s face. “Did you not know there were others?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No.” She pointed and said, “There’s a monkey! And a camel!”
They stopped and watched the two monkeys chasing each other in the cage. Their antics had Charlotte giggling.
“Good afternoon, Your Grace. Miss Drake.”
Harry turned to see Mrs. Mary Gardiner stroll by with her daughter in tow. She had married a friend of his from Eton only to become a widow after three years of marriage.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Gardiner.”
“What a beautiful little girl. Is this your daughter?” she asked with a genuine smile.
“Yes, this is Charlotte.” Harry appreciated Mrs. Gardiner’s sincerity. After the reaction of the ladies in the park, he wasn’t certain anyone in town would treat Charlotte with kindness.
“And this is my daughter, Elizabeth.”
The two girls appeared to be near the same age and immediately started chattering to each other about the animals. Louisa took a step back as if to give him more room with Mrs. Gardiner. He frowned over at Louisa. She should be next to him, not feet away like a servant.
They walked up to the cage where Chunee was kept, passing the lions and tigers with barely a notice. Louisa stayed in her spot as if unable to move.
“I read he is over seven hundred pounds,” Mrs. Gardiner said as they approached the elephant. “I also heard you might want to watch your hat, Your Grace.”
Harry took a few steps closer to the cage and turned toward Charlotte. “Now why is that, I wonder?”
Just then, he felt his hat lift off his head. Charlotte’s eyes grew as large as saucers and Louisa let out a husky laugh. His gaze moved to Louisa, who immediately stopped laughing.
“He took your hat, Papa!”
The hat came back down on his head. It was all he could do to contain his laughter. “Charlotte, an elephant cannot take a hat off a person’s head.”
“He did, Papa! He did it with his trunk!”
