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“Where are you going?” Belinda asked as she entered the sitting room and saw her going toward the door. A footman behind her bore a salver with her dinner.
“To have dinner,” Bridget answered with a smile.
“Oh, but the physician has recommended ample rest for you, my dear. Your dinner is here.” Belinda motioned toward the footman.
“Her Grace looks very well, my lady,” Sarah said from behind her, and Bridget grinned at her.
“I have been in these chambers long enough,” she said. “I am sure the duke would be pleased.”
Belinda still looked as though she disapproved but she nodded and allowed Bridget to leave.
She found Andrew and her father in the drawing room. The redecoration was completed while she was ill, and this was the first time she was seeing it. A smile touched her lips as she looked about. The dull drapes had been replaced with rose-hued ones, and the cream-toned walls were now a light blue. The chairs and sofas were a lovely combination of cream, rose, and blue. She had selected the colors because she was fond of them, and she was pleased to see they made a wonderful harmony.
Mortimer and Andrew rose to their feet when they saw her, and her father smiled.
“You look well, my dear,” he said, coming to take her hand.
“Thank you, Father. I feel quite well.” She allowed him to lead her to a chair.
When her eyes met Andrew’s, he was apologetic. She smiled to ease the guilt she knew he was feeling, and he returned it with a more relaxed mien.
Harry appeared just then, handsomely attired in his new evening clothes. His pleasure at seeing her was immediately apparent, and as soon as he had nodded his greeting to her father and brother, he came to bow before her, taking her hand and kissing it.
Bridget had seen him several times throughout the day, but every time she did, her heart would flutter sweetly in her chest.
Andrew cleared his throat before he began to speak. “Your Grace, Bridget, I wish to beg your forgiveness. My accusations were unfounded, and I regret making them.” Bridget was surprised by his admission.
Harry regarded him for a moment before saying, “I forgive you,” his tone welcoming. “And please, call me Harry.”
“I can see how happy Bridget is here now,” he continued. “I must confess that I asked Sarah how my sister has been faring and she only had high praises for you…Harry.”
“You would have learned all of that if you had patiently observed,” her father said, smiling. “I am happy you understand each other now.”
Bridget held her hand out to Andrew and squeezed it affectionately as Belinda arrived and dinner was announced.
Since the incident, Harry had made a rule that everything she ate must be tasted in front of her by a servant selected at random. This was to ensure she was not poisoned again, and anyone with the intention would refrain because they might happen to taste their poison. It was a temporary arrangement, of course, because it would no longer be necessary once the culprit was discovered.
Dinner was a pleasant affair, and when Harry was not using both of his hands, he reached for hers underneath the table, caressing her palm and interlacing their fingers.
After dinner, they had an enjoyable time in the drawing room before everyone retired. Harry had business to attend to in his study, and Bridget went up to his bedchamber to wait for him. Now that she was better, she had resumed her quest to make him completely hers.
At midnight, when he still did not return, she decided to find him. She was donning her robe when she caught something in the garden through the window. Upon peering out, she saw him wandering, the lamplight illuminating his strong features.
Smiling, she went to join him. After all, what could happen in their bedchamber could also happen in the garden.
Chapter 28
Harry heard Bridget approach before he saw her, and she grinned when he turned around.
“What are you doing out here at this time?” he asked, closing the distance between them.
“I was looking for you.”
“I was going to join you in a moment.” His arm circled her waist and he drew her against him.
“And I was growing impatient,” she murmured as her arms went around his neck and she pulled his head down.
His lips brushed hers before he murmured, “You haven’t seen your garden.” He straightened and took her hand. “It looks like a proper garden now.”
