Page 34 of Tempting Harriet
“The offspring of a country parson, I believe,” she said,“and for several years a paid companion.”
“Ah,” he said, “you have been making inquiries.”
“Of Sophie,” she said. “Sophie knows her well. She was going to employ the girl herself, but she managed to snareherself a wealthy husband in time to escape that fate. I donot blame the girl. She had every right to look after herown interests. But she cannot expect to look as high as aduke. At least not as high as Tenby.”
She watched his jaw tighten.
“I do not believe she aspires to my hand,” he said. “I do not believe she is in any way conniving, Grandmama. I believe she loved Wingham and was good to him.”
“I will grant you,” she said, “that the sweetness of her disposition seems genuine enough. And I believe she is avirtuous woman. If you cannot think of yourself, Tenby,and of what you owe your mother and me and your position, then perhaps you should think of her reputation. Howdo you think thetonwill interpret the sort of glances withwhich you were favoring her last evening?”
“I don’t know, Grandmama,” he said. “Perhaps you will be good enough to enlighten me.”
She looked at him severely. “I do not expect impertinence from you, Tenby,” she said. “Thetonwill be well aware of the fact that you cannot offer Lady Wingham marriage. But she is no young girl. She is a widow. It will bethought, then, that your dealings with her are of anothersort.”
“I will meet any man who dares say any such thing aloud,” he said.
“In order to defend the lady’s honor?” she said. “Would it not be better to defend it by never putting it in jeopardy,Tenby? For her sake, if not your own? I will not have youdistracted during the very time when you are engaged inmaking one of the most important decisions your positionwill ever call upon you to make.”
“And Lady Wingham is a distraction,” he said, getting to his feet. “She is of no more significance than that.” Thatwas when he tossed his napkin with vicious impatience sothat it landed on the floor and when he stalked from theroom after the iciest of bows and the assurance that hewould do himself the honor of joining his grandmother andhis aunt for dinner.
The Duchess of Tenby was far more discomposed than she had been when she came into the breakfast room. Thenshe had been merely angry. Now she was a little frightened.For perhaps the first time she realized that her grandsonwas a grown man and a determined and a strong-willed onetoo. She realized that he was a person quite separate fromherself and quite capable of defying her and—more important—of defying his duty. She had held duty most dearsince the day she had shut her mind to the man she hadloved and married the Duke of Tenby in obedience to herfather’s command. The situation was far worse than shehad thought. Her grandson was not infatuated with LadyWingham. He was in love with her.
The Duke of Tenby was in no better humor when he arrived home late in the afternoon with only enough time to get dressed for dinner. He had been at White’s and at Tattersall’s and at the races during the afternoon with LordBruce. But he carried with him his anger, which was onlyworsened by his knowledge that perhaps his grandmotherhad had a point. If he really had shown his admiration forHarriet the evening before, then he had put her in danger ofbecoming the subject of gossip.
“Bruce, my good fellow,” he had asked languidly at the races, eyeing through his quizzing glass a couple of ladiesof doubtful virtue who had been momentarily abandonedby their escorts in favor of the horses, “would you say Iwas in any way, ah, indiscreet last evening?”
“As pretty a piece of horseflesh as I ever saw,” Lord Bruce had said, his eyes moving appreciatively over the favorite for the coming race. “Last evening? Oh, you meandancing with the chit twice? Most indiscreet, Arch, my lad.I would say you are a goner. The sound of wedding bells isalready deafening me. It’s a good thing you did not choosethe horsy girl. She giggles so incessantly that one wondershow she catches her breath.”
“Ah,” the duke said. “Pretty, I grant you, Bruce. But lame in all four legs I would wager. And will wager. Mybet goes elsewhere with better and surer odds. You observed no other indiscretion?”
“Did you steal a kiss behind a potted palm?” Lord Bruce asked. “No, it was not apparent, old chap.”
Ah. His grandmother had seen only what she was looking for, then. It had not been obvious to anyone else.
“If I were you, Arch,” Lord Bruce said, “I would reserve certain looks you were giving the little Wingham for thebedchamber. Is she good there, by the way?”
“What looks?” The duke raised his glass to his eye again the better to observe the parading horses. Inside he froze.
Lord Bruce chuckled. “Eyes that devoured her and undressed her and set her back to a mattress and mounted her,” he said. “You had me reaching for my cravat toloosen it, Arch. Is she good in bed? If not, there is yet another new girl at Annette’s. Very accomplished.” He madea circle of his thumb and forefinger and extended the otherfingers wide.
Eyes that devoured her. Exactly what his grandmother had said. Obviously he had been very indiscreet “Bruce,”he said softly, continuing his languid survey with hisquizzing glass, “when you refer to Lady Wingham, oldchap, you will keep a respectful tongue in your head. Unless you are prepared to name your seconds, that is.”
Lord Bruce threw back his head and guffawed. “Name my seconds!” he said gleefully. “Arch, Arch, you are headover ears for the woman. I never would have thought it ofyou. She must be very good indeed.” But he held up hishands quickly, palms out “My apologies. I have to say Iadmire your taste, old fellow. Yarborough was almost panting over her last evening. Did you notice?”
The race was about to begin at last. The duke lowered his glass. “Yes,” he said. “I might have to have a word withhim if his interest develops in its usual manner. LadyWingham is not for the likes of Yarborough.”
Lord Bruce chuckled and then whistled. “If he has four lame legs, Archie, my boy,” he said, “I will eat my hat.”
“Bon appétit,”the duke said dryly as the race began.
By the time he arrived home much later, he was still feeling angry, but more at himself than at his grandmother. It was unpardonable of him to have exposed Harriet to possible gossip and speculation by the unguarded way heseemed to have looked at her while waltzing with her theevening before. Looks apparently that he should have confined to their bedchamber. He would not for worlds publicly compromise her virtue. And yet he seemed to havebeen in danger of doing just that.
His grandmother at least had put her mood behind her, he saw when he entered the drawing room later and foundboth her and his aunt there, ready for dinner. The duchesssmiled graciously at him. “Ah, you are punctual, Tenby,”she said. “You know how I hate tardiness for meals.”
He knew it well. He bowed over her extended hand and then over his aunt’s.
“You are a handsome lad, dear Archibald.” Lady Sophia said loudly. “You look quite ravishing in pale blue. Like anice prince.”
