Chapter Eighteen #3
Harriet stepped inside the stall and ran her hand along the stallion’s muscular neck. “I know you’ll both be happy for that day, and I’m sure he’s going to be full of energy after months of being idle.”
“Yes, he’ll be a handful,” Lucien replied. “There will be some exercises to put him through before I get back on him.”
“To tame his pent-up energy?”
“Yes. I may have him put in one of the detached paddocks so he can walk there and have different scenery.”
Harriet smiled. “I’m sure he’d appreciate that. Could we do it now?”
“We could but I’d rather speak with the stable manager before making changes. He sees Onyx on a daily basis, so if there’s anything going on I don’t know about, he would know.”
“That makes sense,” she replied.
“Why don’t we walk to the house and have a light luncheon brought to us on the terrace. I hate wasting a beautiful day like this being stuck inside.”
“You are so in tune to everything around us. You are more than I ever imagined my husband would be,” she said. Her face said it all. As they began to walk towards the house, she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.
“I’m glad you approve,” he snorted.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, where are we going to catch the ship to Calais?”
“At Dover. That’s where the majority of the ships depart from, especially if they’re going to visit Paris.
They continued to walk at a brisk pace when they neared the house, which loomed over them. Harriet paused for a minute to take it all in. “I’m so glad you found such a peaceful place to call home.”
“So am I. I haven’t quite figured which one we should make our permanent home.”
“My vote is cast for this one.”
Lucien nodded. “I have to agree with you. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it.”
Inside the great hall, Lucien found one of the footmen and gave him directions to have a luncheon brought to the terrace, where they would be waiting.
Grabbing Harriet’s hand one more time he led her to a table and pulled out a chair.
She sat down and looked around their surroundings.
One could look about and take in all the wonderment of the estate.
Whoever had owned the estate before had been fully aware of how to keep it natural and in its true form.
A small herd of deer ran across the meadow, right next to the woods, something she’d never seen on her own family estate because her father had always said they lived farther from where humans were living.
“Did you see the deer?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s one of the things I immediately fell in love with. The deer and other wildlife enjoy the entire estate. The estate could be completely self-sustainable on the wildlife alone. There are deer, partridges, fish, wild boar, though I’ve yet to see any boars.”
“They can be quite aggressive I’ve heard,” Harriet said.
Lucien nodded, his eyes still watching the deer grazing, their ears fluttering around for anything unfamiliar.
He held his breath as he watched them interact without saying a word.
Harriet wanted the peacefulness of the moment to stay a little longer but unfortunately the herd wandered back into the forest.
Lunch was served at the table.
Cold roasted chicken, chilled asparagus, a fruit platter, cheese, and hardy brown bread awaited them.
A pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade sat to one side.
Harriet watched as Lucien quietly dismissed the two footmen so they could dine alone.
It was one of the small pleasures he enjoyed because if he didn’t do it now, when he became duke, it would be harder to initiate.
He sat down across from Harriet. She rose to take hold of the lemonade pitcher and poured two glasses.
She passed one to him and set the other to her right.
“This looks divine,” she said as she picked up a piece of bread and set it on her bread plate.
She watched as Lucien speared a large piece of chicken before getting some of the asparagus.
“It’s one of my favorite lunches. Easy and filling,” he replied.
“I know. Easy to serve too.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes. That was one thing Harriet loved about their relationship. There was never the feeling that you had to make conversation all the time. They felt as comfortable sitting in silence as they did talking.
“Do we head back to London tomorrow or the day after?” she inquired.
“Since seeing Onyx was my reason for coming and I see he’s well and on his way to recovery, we could return tomorrow. It’ll give me a day to make sure the business is ready to continue without me.”
“That’ll give me some extra time to make sure everything is packed correctly. My new dresses and other items should have arrived today,” Harriet said.
Lucien sliced an apple and popped a piece in his mouth. He offered his bride a slice, but only if she allowed him to feed it to her. “London tomorrow then.”
“Yes. I thought I’d invite my mother over for tea before we leave. I don’t want her to think I’m avoiding her.”
“I’m sure she won’t think that. She knows what’s involved in a trip like the one we’re taking,” Lucien quipped.
“You’re quite right. I know she drives her maid mad with all her changes. I don’t think her trunks are ready until the last day when they’re ready to leave.”
“At least our parents worked everything out about a ball in our honor. I think waiting until we return is a far better scenario,” Lucien said with a sly smile. A piece of his hair decided to be rebellious and hung down his forehead.
Harriet had a hard time concentrating if she looked at him. As handsome as her husband was, he never let on that he cared one way or another. He was sly though. He knew what turned her lustful feelings for him on.
Reaching across the table, he picked up her hand and brought her fingers for what started as a kiss that was an invitation to something far more lustful.
One by one Lucien put each of her fingers in his mouth.
He sucked on each one before moving on to another.
Harriet felt as though her breath had left her.
Before things heated up further, the sound of footfalls stopping abruptly caused Lucien and Harriet to part. There stood the butler holding a letter of some sort.
“I apologize for interrupting you, my lord, but there is a message which just arrived for Lady Harriet. There’s a young man waiting on a reply.”
The older man came forward and handed the missive to Harriet. She thanked the man and broke the seal. She immediately had recognized it as her mother’s handwriting and the family seal. Harriet read the letter twice to make sure she’d read it correctly. She shook her head.
“What is it? Nothing serious I hope,” Lucien said.
“She is telling me she’s invited your parents to dinner tomorrow evening and expects us to be there as well since we leave the following day.”
“Well, her lack of interfering didn’t last long,” Lucien said.
“I don’t believe she intended not to step in. Unbelievable!”
“What do you want to do? I think we should go since we are leaving and since her ball’s been postponed.”
Harriet arched a brow at what Lucien just told her. “Let me write something out quickly so she’ll get it this evening.”
As she folded the letter a footman came forward with paper and a portable writing table with a pen. Thanking the young man, she began to write.
“What are you going to tell her?” Lucien asked.
“That we’re traveling back tomorrow and will see everyone then.”
Lucien grinned. “It must have taken some effort on your part not to add more to your reply.”
“Not at all. I was blunt. I have nothing to say to her other than to answer her missive.” Harriet began to fold the paper and put it inside an envelope that was on the desk.
She passed it to the butler. She sat back until the footman removed the desk.
Then she reached and grabbed a hunk of cheddar cheese.
“What would you like to do now?” she asked in between bites.
“Would you like to see what I found?”
“You’re not going to give me more of a hint than that?” she asked.
“I found two tunnels under the house.”
“Where do they lead?” she asked.
“One comes out on the other side of the front meadow. The second one ends in that grove of fruit trees.”
“I didn’t realize they still did that,” Harriet responded.
“I think it’s optional with new homes. Ones like this one and older have at least one. There’s also supposed to be a hidden passageway here, but I’ve yet to find it.”
“None of the staff is aware of it?”
“No.”
Harriet grabbed another piece of cheese. This one Stilton. “When we return from the Continent, maybe we should see if we can find it.”
“I’d like that. I’ve got the estate manager looking around to see if the original blueprints can be found.”
“Do the family estates have tunnels?” Harriet asked.
“Yes, they do,” Lucien replied with a wink. “Some of them have been sealed up but there are a lot that are not.”
“That would be exciting to actually go through one,” Harriet said.
“There’s also a couple of hidden rooms and walkways that take you down to the tunnel entrance.”
“Not priest holes?” she asked.
“No, these are completely different. There’s enough room for a small family to hide in one of these.”
Harriet arched her brow. “Do any of the staff know about all of this?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
It would be an adventure for the next time they were in residence. Harriet loved the fact that they both found things in common to do together. It was a great way for them to spend time together and strengthen their growing bond.