Chapter Seven
Lord Lucien decided taking one of his carriages to pick Harriet up would be best. The afternoon was gorgeous and he decided that after tea with his mother they could go to a park near her cousin’s home and take a leisurely walk.
He hadn’t been able to spend much time at all with her the last few days due to the Prince of Wales’s demands.
The prince ordered his own private rail car, and it had morphed into something larger than first envisioned.
But he was the queen’s son and heir and they both knew the prince would win out on whatever he wanted.
It was a game and a tactic they both played, and Lucien knew he would benefit greatly.
Businessmen would hear the prince came to him for a private car and would do the same.
To do business with someone the prince trusted was incentive enough for some men.
Arriving at Jameson House, Lucien was immediately ushered indoors and taken to the drawing room where he found Lady Daphne and Lady Harriet waiting.
Lucien went through the motions required of a man in polite society.
He couldn’t help but notice how elegant Harriet looked.
She had already awoken the dragon within, but today she was even more appealing than she usually was.
“I take it everything with the Prince of Wales went well?” Harriet inquired with a shy smile.
He returned her smile. “I certainly hope so. The car is all but finished and he’s eager to do a test run to Edinburgh.”
“Would you go along?” Daphne asked.
Lucien nodded. “He’s very particular and won’t deal with anyone else but me. I tried having an associate deal with a meeting because I was in another meeting, and he was not happy. To answer your question, probably.”
“I know your mother is probably waiting so I won’t keep you,” Daphne said and turned to look at Harriet. “Enjoy yourself.”
He watched Harriet nod shyly and turn towards him. “Shall we?” she asked.
“Yes.” He turned to Daphne. “I thought we might go for a walk in the park down the street when we’re done, if that’s all right.”
“It’s a gorgeous day for a nice walk. Enjoy yourselves.”
Once in the carriage, Lucien sat next to Harriet. “Are you nervous about meeting my mother?”
She nodded slightly. “Yes. I vaguely recall meeting her at something my mother took me to.”
“Don’t be nervous. I promise my mother will do everything she can to make sure you’re at ease.”
“I’m sure she will,” Harriet replied. She turned her head slightly to get a better view of Lucien. She smiled ever so slightly at him before focusing on the landscape outside the carriage.
He sat back, continuing to watch her. She wasn’t at all like the hot-house flowers vying for a husband of the ton.
Harriet, while painfully shy at times, was morphing into something more.
He understood her own mother to be quite overbearing and expected her daughter to seek perfection.
Arthur and Daphne, both, had told him that much and not having her mother control her every move was helping transform Lady Harriet into a woman he was falling madly in love with, and a young woman her own mother wouldn’t recognize.
“The house should be coming up around the next corner,” he said.
The carriage turned the corner before Harriet sat back near him. “Is your family home the one in the middle of the block? The deep-red brick home?”
“Yes, yes it is,” he replied. “Have you been here before?”
“I remember coming here years ago with my mother for a tea your mother gave.”
He put his hand over hers and patted his hand. “Yes, my mother loves to do teas for the up-and-coming debutantes.”
At that point, the carriage pulled into the circular drive in front of the house. The coach came to a stop and a second later the door opened. Lucien exited first, holding a hand out to assist Harriet.
“You’ll do fine,” he whispered.
He led her into the house to the massive receiving hall.
It boasted two identical staircases that met together at the top.
The butler and a footman took their outerwear, and Lucien led them to the stairs.
They walked up to the first level which was where the public rooms were.
He took her to a large oak door. A footman opened it and the inside held a small parlor where his mother liked to entertain guests.
It wasn’t as overwhelming as the larger drawing room.
The parlor was more intimate and welcoming.
Done in shades of blue with white accents, the room was soothing.
Before Lucien could get them seated, his mother entered the room. She was elegant, graceful, and welcoming as she walked straight to Harriet and took both Harriet’s hands in hers. “Lady Harriet, you have grown into a beautiful young woman since I saw you last.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you remember coming here with your mother for one of my teas? I hold them in the drawing room where the terrace can be used on beautiful days.”
“I did remember the house when we arrived, and I do remember you. You helped rescue me from my mother’s harsh words if I remember correctly,” Harriet responded.
His mother started to respond, but Lucien took the time to interject a proper introduction. “Mother, Lady Harriet’s the young woman I was telling you about, but it seems you two have already met.”
“Come, let’s stop being so formal and sit down. Tea ought to be here momentarily,” she said.
She led them to a group of gold-and-white damask chairs and a couch sitting in the center of the room. Lucien knew his mother had taken a liking to Harriet when he told her he was interested in her.
Lucien made sure both women were seated and comfortable before he sat down across from them. “The Prince of Wales now wants me to accompany him on a ride to Edinburgh to test his new train car out.”
“That man certainly is demanding of your time. Why can’t one of your associates go instead?” his mother asked.
He shook his head. “I’ve tried that tactic. He won’t work with anyone but me, but I haven’t committed to the Edinburgh run just yet. I’m hoping he’ll reconsider.”
In the background the door opened, and a footman appeared with the tea service. The footman left it on a table near Lucien’s mother and disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared. His mother looked but didn’t make a move as she and Harriet had engaged in some topic of conversation.
He made a noise in his throat to remind his mother why they had come. She turned in his direction. “Don’t mind Lucien. He thinks the world should adhere to a steady schedule.”
“Things run so much smoother,” he replied.
The older woman rose and glided to the tea tray.
Lucien noticed Harriet watching him with the corners of her perfect cupid-bow lips slightly curved up.
He had to tamp his thoughts down. In front of his mother wasn’t the place to have thoughts of kissing this woman.
It had been on his mind quite a lot. Probably more than it should be, but Harriet was the first woman in a long time to stir his male lust.
“Lucien. Lucien,” a voice said. He cast his head in the direction of the sound. His mother with a cup of tea. Harriet was now grinning with a teacup in her hand.
“What?”
His mother handed him the cup of tea, which he nodded his thanks for and put down on a table next to him. “I’m sorry, my mind drifted to that blasted rail car of the prince’s.” He wasn’t sure either woman bought into his explanation but they didn’t say otherwise.
Accepting a plate of cake, Lucien thought he’d just have to sit and listen to the women talk amongst themselves, but they kept dragging him into their conversation. He really had no knowledge of what they were speaking of in the first place.
“I was telling Harriet there’s going to be a falconer at Hyde Park later in the week. He’s supposed to be quite well known and has trained them for royalty all over Europe. You two should go see him.”
“Would you be interested?” he asked Harriet.
She nodded and took a sip of tea. “Yes. I’ve never seen a falcon up close.”
“Really? Very well, it’s settled. You need to see these majestic animals at least once in your life,” Lucien replied.
They continued to discuss falcons and their history for several more minutes. Lucien glanced up at the clock sitting above the fireplace. They’d been here about an hour. It was time they said their goodbyes and left.
Lucien stood and glanced fondly at Harriet and then his mother. “Thank you for having us, Mother. As much as we’d love to stay, Harriet and I thought we’d walk in the park near Jameson House.”
“You should,” she said and turned towards Harriet. “If you have time, there are some nice shops on the far side of the park.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Harriet replied.
His mother and Harriet stood. “It was very nice to finally meet you, my dear. I look forward to our next meeting,” the duchess said.
A few minutes later they were in Lucien’s carriage headed to the park. He turned towards Harriet. “My mother really likes you.”
“Really? How can you tell?”
He smiled slightly. “If she didn’t, we wouldn’t have spent as much time as we did with her. She would have ended tea earlier.”
“That’s good to know. I’ve been so worried about whether she’d like me,” Harriet said.
He leaned over and patted her hand. “You worried for nothing.”
“I suppose I did,” she replied shyly.
The carriage turned onto a side street and stopped.
The park they were going to walk in was right across the street.
The door opened and Lucien descended, holding out his hand to help Harriet down.
Once she was safely on the ground, he whispered to her and walked over to the driver.
The carriage then headed away, leaving Harriet and Lucien in front of the park.
“I dismissed the carriage to one of the entrances to the park. It’s such a beautiful afternoon, I thought we could walk back that way.”