Page 42 of Tempting Harriet
She set Laura down and smoothed her hands over her dress. She could see errant wisps of hair from the corners ofboth eyes. She was not even wearing a bonnet.
“Children?” he said. “Mingay’s, are they? And you have the charge of them, Harriet?”
“Their nurse was quite ill, poor woman,” she said. “She looked quite done in when I peeped in at the nursery. I senther off to bed.”
“You peeped in?” he said. “Are you fond of children?”
She flushed. “Yes,” she said. “I miss— Yes, I am fond of them.”
“You’re a stupid, stupid girl!” George cried suddenly. “And I don’t care if you tell, Papa, so there.” He went intohis characteristic taunting dance, tongue and fingers waving.
“Oh, dear,” Harriet said, turning and preparing to wade into the fray.
“Is this, ah, a gentleman I see before me?” The duke’s voice was at its haughtiest and iciest. Harriet was not surprised to find when she turned her head that he had his quizzing glass to his eye again. He strolled toward the twoolder children. “Or is it a particularly nasty overgrown insect? It appears not to have enough legs.”
Sarah tittered.
“I believe,” the duke said, “it is a young gentleman who has temporarily misplaced his manners. Doubtless when herecalls in a moment that he has been discourteous to a lady,he will beg her pardon.”
George gaped. “She’s my sister,” he said.
“Indeed,” the duke said. “Are you a gentleman, sir?”
“ ’Course I’m a gentleman,” the boy said crossly.
The duke raised haughty eyebrows., “Is not a gentleman’s sister a lady?” he asked.
“Papa will cane you for sure, Georgie,” Sarah said spitefully.
“Ah, quite.” His grace silenced her with his quizzing glass. “You have something to say, sir?”
“You aren’t my papa,” the boy said sulkily.
“For which fact I shall be eternally grateful,” the duke said. “Your papa apparently has a cane, sir. I merely havetwo hands.”
George looked at them shiftily. “I’m sorry, Sare,” he muttered, a note of defiance in his voice. He glared at theduke. “There. Are you satisfied?”
“I am accustomed to being addressed as ‘your grace,’ ” the duke said, lowering his glass. “But you are merely agentleman in embryo. Doubtless you will remember to include it the next time you speak to me.” He looked atSarah. “Are you satisfied, young lady?”
“It was just because he says I can’t throw the stupid ball right,” she said.
“Yes, I did notice that myself,” the duke said. He stared down the crow of delight that came from George. “But onedoes not expect ladies to be as accomplished at sports asgentlemen. Ladies almost invariably have more useful accomplishments. If you wish, young lady, I shall give you instruction.”
“Oh,” Sarah said, preening herself on being so addressed. “Will you, your grace?”
His grace proceeded to do so while Laura, with renewed energy, resumed the running and swinging game with Harriet.
“You handle children quite beautifully,” Harriet said later when the children had finally been persuaded to startback for the house. It was the duke’s hand on the handle ofhis quizzing glass that had persuaded them, Harriet’s suggestion having been met with a chorus of rebelliousprotests.
“Nasty little specimens, are they not?” he said. “Are all children the same, Harriet? I have had almost nothing to dowith them until today.”
“My own d—” She bit her lip and took his offered arm. “Not all children are as unruly,” she said. “I suppose it isinevitable that three children will sometimes quarrel. I believe these children are hedged about with too many rulesand not enough opportunity to work off their energy. Theyare a great deal calmer now than when I first brought themoutside.”
“Gracious,” he said. “You must have felt the need of a leash, Harriet. You made the little one feel important. Youwould make a good mother. Blushes? Ah, good. I have accomplished something worthwhile this morning.”
“Only one thing?” she asked. “I thought you were to spend the morning with the earl.”
“We were closeted together for upward of an hour,” he said. Silence fell between them, for a few moments. “It wasall quite satisfactory.”
