Chapter Two
Felicity sighed and sank into one of the large chairs in the drawing room. Arabella and Harry sat across from her on a sofa. They snuggled into each other, reading a book. The two of them squabbled often, but they were as close as could be for a ten- and eight-year-old.
She hadn’t realized how drenched their clothing was until they entered the townhouse after their fountain fun, dripping all over the place. She’d forced them to change immediately. Though now she wondered if letting them sit in the damp clothing might have helped with the hot weather.
A smile tugged at Felicity’s lips as she continued to watch them. The slightly improper fun had been a wonderful reprieve from the heat. She pulled a serial from her pocket. The story was a continuation of an adventure set in America. Books were her favorite type of escapism.
Arabella giggled, and Felicity’s gaze flitted to her and Harry again. She was showing him something in the book. They were done with her for now, she supposed. She opened her serial but didn’t get any further because Morrison entered the room.
“My lady, the Duke of Swan and the Dowager Duchess of Swan.”
She shot up from the chair. The book went flying, knocking over a bowl of sweets sitting on the table in front of her.
Blast it! Felicity leaned down and started collecting them.
They were hard candies she kept out for the children and, truthfully, herself.
She adored them. Distracted, she didn’t realize the duke and his mother had entered the room until a large hand placed two red pieces of candy in the bowl.
Felicity glanced up, her eyes connecting with piercing blue ones.
The duke had appeared reserved standing by the window earlier, but up close, he presented a formidable sight.
She straightened, and he still towered over her petite size.
Felicity barely reached his shoulders. She swallowed, nervous.
Finally remembering herself, she shakily curtsied. “Your Grace.”
His intense eyes studied her. She stared back at him, unsure what to say next.
“Harrison, move out of the way. I can’t see the woman,” a light, motherly voice said from behind him.
A flash of annoyance flared in his eyes as he moved to the side. “This is my mother, the Dowager Duchess of Swan.”
The older woman smiled at Felicity. “It is so lovely to meet you. Please call me Clara, and my son Harrison.
“I’m named after you,” Harry piped up, staring at the duke in awe.
Felicity could understand why. He was an imposing and handsome figure.
Did she just think of Collin’s childhood friend as handsome? What was wrong with her?
The duke’s solemn face broke into a smile as he stared at her son, changing him completely. “What is your name?”
“Harry.”
Sadness flickered in the duke’s eyes. “Your father used to call me that when I was a boy.”
“He always told me I was named after his best friend. That must be you. Do you want to see our fountain?”
Horror flared in Felicity. Harry couldn’t invite a duke to traipse around the garden. The dowager giggled.
“Your Grace, there is no—”
“Please call me Harrison,” he said, and then turned to Harry. “Lead the way.”
Both Arabella and Harry raced to the drawing room doors leading out to the terrace. Clara smiled at her. “He is not as serious as he seems. I tell him often he should smile more.”
Felicity laughed. “Thank you for your reassurance.”
They followed the children and Harrison out to the terrace. Harry pointed at the fountain. “It is right there. Mother let us play in it today because it is so hot. We thought England would be cold.”
A husky laugh escaped Harrison. The sound caused her stomach to dip, making her feel flustered.
“The heat is always insufferable for a few weeks in the summer, but this year has been the worst to date,” Harrison explained to the children.
Harry glanced at her. “Can we go down to the fountain again?”
Felicity shook her head. “We’ve messed up the carpets enough for one day. Why don’t you return to the drawing room and read your book? I’m sure His Grace visited for a specific reason. I’d like to speak with him and the dowager duchess privately.”
Arabella and Harry both waved at their visitors and raced back inside. Felicity turned back to Harrison. “How may I help you?”
“My mother and I wanted to introduce ourselves, and perhaps we could set up a time to discuss your allowance and the estate.”
Felicity frowned at him. An allowance? She’d managed Collin’s business dealings abroad. No one had given her an allowance since she was a child. “Did you receive my husband’s missive about my taking control of the estate until Harry comes of age?”
He blinked at her, seemingly shocked by her words. “I haven’t seen the letter you are describing.”
Clara said, “Why don’t we discuss this in the study? We can request the housekeeper bring us something cool to drink.”
Felicity nodded, but dread filled her.
*
Harrison and his mother followed Lady Hastings to the study. Alarm surged in him that this woman assumed he would give her control over his friend’s property and businesses. He’d received no letter from Collin. Was she making it up?
Once inside, he said, “My lady, there seems to be a misunderstanding.”
“Please call me Felicity,” she said, pulling a silk rope to summon a staff member.
Mrs. Hartley arrived. She’d been the Hastings’s housekeeper since Harrison was a boy. She smiled at him and his mother kindly. “Your Graces.”
Harrison nodded back at her. “It is wonderful to see you doing well, Mrs. Hartley. It has been a while since I’ve been over here.”
The woman beamed at him. “You are a very busy person, Your Grace.”
He did check in on Collin’s staff from time to time.
When he’d left more than ten years ago, they’d been worried about their jobs, but Harrison had made the decision not to let any of them go.
Most of them had been with the family for years.
He didn’t believe Collin would have done anything different.
Felicity said, “Mrs. Hartley, would you bring us some lemonade?”
“Yes, my lady.”
She smiled at the housekeeper, who departed to fetch the refreshments.
Collin’s wife sat behind the desk, and it almost made Harrison smile. He was impressed. He didn’t doubt she’d done it as a power move. Harrison took a seat in one of the wingback chairs facing her, and his mother sat in the other.
“Your Grace, my husband, prior to his death, sent you a missive stating I was to take over management of his estate upon my arrival in England. Are you sure you didn’t see it?”
He studied her again, intrigued by this small woman sitting in front of him. She brushed several thick brown curls over her shoulder nervously.
“I did not receive a note from Collin. You can’t expect me to relinquish control of his property to you instantaneously. We’ve just met.”
Most men and women acquiesced to his every word, but this woman, even nervous, tilted her chin up stubbornly. “I assure you, Your Grace, I am more than adept enough to handle his—now my son’s—affairs. I managed all of our businesses on the Continent.”
Harrison lifted a brow skeptically. Felicity bristled at his disbelief. Something about her reaction caused his body to hum. He was equally impressed and alarmed by her refusal to back down.
“I can’t in good conscience hand over complete control over your husband’s estate without further information.”
“Even if it was one of my husband’s last requests,” she challenged.
He flinched at her words. They were a sharp reminder that none of this was a game. He’d lost a friend—one he hadn’t spoken to for years.
“May I propose a solution that might work for both of you?” his mother asked.
They both turned to her. She smiled at them as if they were two children quarreling over a toy.
Yet it was so much more than that. Harrison had a duty to make sure Collin’s family was cared for.
He couldn’t give up control of the estate just because Felicity asked him to do so.
What if this woman ran it into the ground?
Yes, in the brief time they’d spoken, she had seemed intelligent, but he knew nothing about her.
His mother continued, “Felicity, my son received no note, so why don’t you both work together over the next few weeks to determine what you need and don’t need assistance with?”
“I assure you, I’m quite adept at running businesses.”
His mother nodded. “I have no doubt, but that was on the Continent, not in England. Some things are different here.”
Felicity pressed her lips together, clearly annoyed.
Harrison added, “I think that is a wonderful idea. It will put me at ease, since I received no letter from your husband.”
Her gaze flicked back and forth between him and his mother. She appeared to be weighing what her next move should be. Harrison had no desire to continue to run Collin’s estate if it wasn’t necessary.
“I only want to ensure you understand all that is involved, and I will step aside when you are ready.”
She nodded and said, “I’m sorry if I was bullheaded. I think it is an excellent decision.”
His mother clapped her hands. “Wonderful.”
Harrison rose. “I will send you a note with proposed times for our first meeting.”
“Thank you.”
He looked at his mother, who remained seated. She grinned at him. “I’ve not been here nearly long enough. We haven’t even had our lemonade.”
“I have an appointment.”
His mother flicked her wrist, shooing him away. A giggle burst from Felicity, and he swung his gaze back to her. She covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes danced with merriment, and Harrison found he liked it a lot more than the guarded expression she wore before. “I see you and my mother will enjoy each other’s company.”
“She seems to share my humor,” his mother said.
“Heaven help London.”
They both laughed at that. Harrison headed for the door as his mother said to Felicity, “There is a ball I’m attending. You must go with me.”