Chapter Twelve #2
Traffic in London could be horrific and today happened to be one of those days. No one was moving at any great speed today. He sat back in his seat and tried to imagine what it now was keeping all these people from their destinations.
Hopefully the man meeting them at the office wasn’t caught up in all this either.
The man was wanting an exact replica of the prince’s car.
He and his wife were going on an adventure, traveling by train all the way to India.
Even though they could stay in one of the cars the railroad offered, he wanted himself and his wife to be as comfortable as possible.
The railroad had offered to purchase the car once they made it to their destination to add to their collection.
The man agreed solely because of that. They were going to be traveling by ship when they came back to England.
That might make way for other clients. Lucien would find out the particulars once he arrived at his office.
His father had spoken to him about turning the day-to-day operations over to someone else.
He’d thought about it and knew that his father was correct.
He would do just that. It made the most sense, and the business had been a wonderful learning experience, but it was time for him to expand his business world.
*
Harriet was going through dresses of hers she thought would be appropriate for her wedding.
Since it wasn’t a church service, and they were marrying in her cousin’s drawing room, she knew she had dresses that were almost new and would suffice.
There were two that caught her eye, and she had Rex remove them from the closet and place them on the bed.
One was sage green with forest-green trimmings and the other was a shade of dark, dusty purple with piping the color of a gem. Either one would be perfect.
At that moment, Daphne and Lucien’s mother, the Duchess of Northumberland came gliding into the room. They were followed in by two footmen carrying two pieces of luggage.
“I apologize for being tardy,” the duchess said. “I brought a couple of gowns along with hats, in case you’d like to wear a hat.”
“Are these ones you had?” Daphne asked.
“Yes,” Harriet replied.
“I brought two. An apricot dress and a dusty rose,” Daphne said.
The duchess nodded. “I brought one in periwinkle and another in a sapphire blue.”
“This isn’t going to be easy, is it?” Harriet quipped.
“I don’t know about you two ladies, but I think I like Harriet’s purple dress,” the duchess remarked as she lightly fingered the dress.
“I do too. I’ve always loved that shade on you, Harriet,” Daphne said.
“Why don’t you try it on?” the duchess added.
Harriet looked at both women knowing she wasn’t going to be able to get out of this.
So, instead she smiled and motioned to Rex to ready the dress for her.
In the meantime, Daphne and her future mother-in-law helped her out of the dress she was wearing.
By the time they finished fussing over her and helping her step into the purple dress, she wondered why women went through all of this.
“That’s the one, don’t you think, Lady Daphne? It’s perfect,” the duchess announced. “You do have slippers to wear with it don’t you?”
“Yes, I do, Your Grace.”
“Excellent. Now let’s get you out of it so your maid can press it,” the duchess replied.
Daphne looked at both women. “I thought we could go to the parlor and discuss the breakfast.”
“I was wanting to go over the menu one last time,” the duchess said with a smile.
“I’m going to be starving by the time we finish with that discussion,” Harriet said.
Daphne shook her head. “You’ll not starve. I’m having a light tea served. You’ll be fine.”
“Has the duchess met Sam yet?” Harriet asked.
“Who is Sam?” Her Grace inquired.
“He’s my macaw, a parrot. My father gave him to me years ago.”
“What an unusual gift,” the duchess replied.
“Would you like to meet him?” Daphne asked.
“I’ve never seen a parrot up close. Yes, I’d like to meet him.”
“I will warn you he can swear like a sailor,” Harriet told her future mother-in-law.
Minutes later they were all in the drawing room. Daphne led them to the corner where Sam’s perch and cage were kept. Sam was busy eating a piece of orange and didn’t see them as they approached.
“Sam, are you a good bird?” Daphne asked.
“Sam always good.”
“He understands what you’re saying?” the duchess inquired.
“Yes, and probably a lot more than we’re aware of,” Daphne said.
“Sam, can you say hello to the duchess?” Harriet asked the macaw.
“Bloody hell, hello, duchess,” Sam said.
“I think he likes you,” Daphne said.
“Those are his favorite curse words and he said hello to you,” Harriet added.
“I’ll admit, he is fascinating. May I try to pet him?”
“Yes,” Daphne said. She handed the duchess a small apple slice. “Give this to him after you’ve petted him. Pet his cheek and offer the apple. You’ll gain a friend for life.”
Nervously, the duchess reached out and rubbed Sam’s feathers on his neck and then the top of his head. Finally, she offered him the apple. “Here, Sam. I’m told you love apples.” She passed it to him and he began to chew on the fruit.
“He’s amazing,” the duchess said.
“Yes, he is. You should have seen him when he first met Arthur. He was certain Arthur was a bad stranger and let me know, but he soon settled down.”
“We could have tea here,” Harriett said.
“I’d like that. It won’t upset Sam, will it?”
“Oh no, quite the opposite,” Daphne replied.
“Wonderful. What we need to do right now is to make sure everything is ready for Thursday.”
Harriet handed the duchess a menu she’d been working on. “This is what I’ve come up with for the breakfast.”
Both other women scanned the paper. Harriet hoped it met their expectations. It was her first time planning such a breakfast.
“Scottish salmon? It’s wonderful. Have a sauce made to pour over it. I see steak tartar as well. Lobster or crab bisque would serve nicely instead of the steak. The steak will be rather heavy since the salmon’s going to be served.”
Harriet and Daphne agreed with the older woman’s evaluation.
“I can spare a couple of kitchen staff if you need them,” the duchess said.
“Let me have Cook come out and speak with us. I did show her the menu but hadn’t heard what she thought of it.”
Daphne went over to the door and opened it. She let a footman know what she needed before returning. “She should be here momentarily.”
“The duke and I would like to contribute to the cost of the breakfast and anything else. If you and Lucien are open to it, we’d like to host a soiree after you return from Somerset.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Harriet said.
“Yes, we do. But that can wait. This breakfast is what we need to prepare. It should be the best for you and Lucien, even if family are the only guests.”
She was right too. Here she was—about to marry a man she loved with her whole heart. Her life was about to change forever.