Page 13 of The Marquess and the Maiden

She held up her hand to stop him. “Please say nothing about the way I look. Or my clothes. I am not in the mood and don’t quite feel up to your mockery.”

He nodded, then turned to face Agnes. “Lady Agnes,” he said. “Would you be so kind as to walk behind us so that I might have a conversation with Lady Harriet?”

Agnes eyed Harriet and when she gave her friend a nod, Agnes agreed. She was the perfect sort of chaperone, not that Harriet actually required a chaperone, as no man had ever tried to take any liberties with her. Then again, aside from dancing with gentlemen, none of them sought her attention. But Agnes would be more aware of her duties to the Ladies of Virtue than she would in protecting Harriet. Of course, they were also surrounded by fellow Londoners, so there was no actual privacy.

He held his free arm out to her so she could grab onto his elbow. Then he led with his cane and began to walk. They strolled in silence for a while, and Harriet found herself relaxing in the quiet camaraderie between them.

She passed several people she knew and spoke to those close by and waved to the others. Lord Davenport walked quietly beside her. She couldn’t help but notice on more than one occasion, she got a strange expression when people recognized her companion.

“Do you still wish for my assistance in finding a wife?” she asked.

“I do.”

“Have you resigned yourself to cease spending so frivolously?”

“No, quite the contrary. Just this morning I commissioned a new stable to Brookhaven, and the work is nearly complete in my indoor shower for my townhome. I already have a larger version at the estate, but seeing as I’m in London more often, it seemed fitting I install one here as well.”

“I’ve heard of those. They’re exceptionally expensive and such an unnecessary indulgence.”

He tapped his cane on his bad leg. “’Tis nearly impossible to lower myself into a tub.” He shrugged. “The shower is much easier for me.”

He wasn’t shaming her, not intentionally; still she felt the sting in her cheeks. Perhaps not all expenses were merely for luxury. She wasn’t quite certain how to recover from such a thing.

“I didn’t realize he could be charming,” Agnes said as Lord Davenport walked away.

“He was far more charming today than he has been of late.” Not to mention his blunt cruelty to her six years ago, but she had never told Agnes about that night. There was no need to bring it up now.

“Do you suspect he’ll seek permission to court you?” Agnes asked.

Harriet swiveled her head so abruptly to look at her friend she nearly dislocated something. “What would give you that notion?”

Agnes shrugged. “He seems rather taken with you.”

Harriet snorted. “He enjoys tormenting me.” He did not want her. He’d told her as much.

Her friend stared at her with those unsettling eyes of hers. “Perhaps I misread the situation.”

“You obviously did. He has asked me to assist him in finding a bride.”

Agnes nodded as if this were an excellent use of Harriet’s time. “And are you going to help him?”

“Not unless I can get him to agree to cease his extravagant spending. It’s quite obnoxious. That is the bargain I offered.”

“He is not cooperating with your attempts to rid him of his deadly sin?”

“Obviously.” She had, quite deliberately, suggested the entire scenario for specifically that reason. Yet another secret she would keep from Agnes.

“He has refused to cease his greedy ways?”

“Yes. He says eventually I’ll want something else from him. Something I’m willing to trade.”

“Fascinating,” Agnes murmured.

But Harriet refused to take the bait. She would not even entertain the idea that Lord Davenport wanted anything more than to torment her.

“If it makes you feel any better, Lord Wakefield is not too keen on being rehabilitated, either.”

Harriet chuckled. “Men. They are a stubborn lot.”

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