Page 45 of The Duke of Scandal

“Forgive me, cousin. I overreacted. Why is it that we always seem to be at odds?”

“We are just different people I suppose. Perhaps, I should also offer my support to the Duke? Two of us expressing our concern and sympathy must stand our family in greater stead with him than just one.”

Harriet was momentarily caught off guard. “Yes, I suppose it will at that,” she was forced to admit.

“Very well. To show that I do not oppose everything you do, as you perhaps were suggesting, I will also write to His Grace regarding the matter of Rebecca. That way he will know that he is in my thoughts as well as yours,” Eleanor said.

Her eyes never left Harriet’s and she had the ghost of a smile on her sultry lips. Harriet experienced a blazing, white-hot stab of jealousy at the thought of Eleanor and Edward corresponding. But she knew that she could not let that show. It would be a victory for Eleanor and would make her even more determined to win the Duke for herself.

And would Edward be strong enough to resist her. When I am with him, I would say never. But while he is so far away…Eleanor is beautiful and no doubt very seductive when she wants to be.

“That sounds an excellent notion, cousin,” Harriet heard herself saying. “Why don’t you do just that. If you’ll excuse me, mother calls.”

She turned and walked away, her insides boiling with jealousy and anxiety. The last she heard of Eleanor was a soft, throaty chuckle.

CHAPTER 31

Lauren was sipping tea in a drawing room. Some of the furniture had been removed since she was last a guest, antiques that Simon had now been forced to sell. As Harriet entered the room, she could see that Lauren was aware of the omissions. The old lady’s eyes kept darting to certain parts of the room where the remaining furniture had been rearranged to hide the gaps. The missing pictures were harder to disguise. There were three rectangular patches of slightly darker wallpaper where paintings had hung for many years.

Forcing a smile and trying to keep Eleanor from her thoughts, Harriet walked to her mother and kissed her cheek.

“I did not expect you today mother. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Harriet asked.

“Do I need a reason to visit my only daughter?” Lauren asked querulously.

“Of course not. It’s just that I know how busy your social diary is. I am used to being fitted in weeks in advance and this time I have no appointment.”

She took a seat next to her mother and poured herself some tea, taking a sip for the sake of appearance.

“Yes, well, perhaps my reasons for coming to see you outweigh the other appointments on my calendar for today,” Lauren said with an air of mystery.

“Oh, do tell,” Harriet replied.

“The Viscount of Middleton,” Lauren said.

Harriet’s heart sank. She had been putting off dealing with him, making excuses to evade his invitations to meet. Her fear had been that he would approach her mother to intercede on his behalf. And now she had to find a way to deflect her.

“Yes. What of him?” Harriet replied with as much innocence as she could muster.

“You no longer wish to marry him,” Lauren replied.

This is a day of surprises. I surely have not made it obvious that I want to escape the engagement. Have I?

“What makes you say that?” Harriet asked.

The look she got in return was shrewd, a look she had not seen on her mother’s face before. A look Harriet did not believe her capable of.

“He writes to me to inquire after your health. He has been told you are too unwell to receive him, even for a morning. I see the…conditions here at Erdington and I see why you entertained him at all.”

It came as something of a relief. For so long, it had been a secret held by her and Simon alone. And that secret was a bond between them. Harriet had begun to believe that Simon secretly liked the existence of that bond. Now, the secret was shared without Harriet having to break her promise to Simon.

“Yes, I was seeking a husband in order to save Erdington,” Harriet admitted.

Lauren sniffed, sipping tea and looking about the room with disdain. “Shameful how young Simon has undone all of your father’s hard work.”

“He has not. We are in this mess because of father’s mistakes!” Harriet exploded. “Simon and I have been trying to remedy the situation as best we can. But Simon inherited the hole, he did not dig it.”

She felt that her mother needed to understand the full truth. Harriet would not let her believe Simon to be a worthless rake, spending the fortune he had inherited and which rightfully belonged to someone else. Still, Lauren watched her with bird-like eyes.

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