Chapter 23
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Theodore swatted away a leaf that was floating towards his head.
Harriet bit back a laugh, curling her fingers into the fabric of her dress to keep from brushing the stray hair from Theodore’s face.
They had been home for several days, and she had thrown herself into planning the family day she had proposed to Theodore the night of the ball and the day had finally arrived.
It had been a good distraction from her conversation with her mother. Her stomach churned as she thought of it and she gave herself a gentle shake.
Now is not the time.
She forced her mind back to the present, adjusting the wide brimmed hat on her head as she looked out at the gardens around them. As soon as she had told him her plan, his face had fallen as though she had suggested running naked under the light of a full moon.
She pushed that image away, her cheeks coloring at the thought. She tugged at the sash on her dress and looked back at him with as much dignity as she could muster. “How many more times are you going to ask me that?”
Theodore shrugged. “Until you give me a satisfactory answer.”
“You agreed to this, remember?” She arched an eyebrow at him. “I have it all planned out. We shall go for a short walk to the meadow over that hill, it will be lovely and sheltered by the time we get there. We will have a picnic and after lunch, we will play some games.”
Theodore still looked uncertain. “But we will get filthy. It rained all of yesterday and the day before.”
He gestured to the muddy puddles all around them as though to illustrate his point.
“A little bit of dirt never did anyone any harm.” Harriet waved away his concern. “Besides, Phoebe has been looking forward to this.”
“We have a perfectly good table.” Theodore pointed out. “One that we could sit at and remain dry and clean.”
“And that would not be a picnic.” Harriet spread her arms wide, spinning beneath the cloudless blue sky. “It is a gorgeous day, and we should make the most of it.”
“It is now, but what if it changes?” Theodore folded his arms across his chest. “We will get soaked.”
“That is what the parasol is for, and why I have packed a basket with coats.” Harriet stopped her spinning and pointed to the hill. “We will not even be that far from the house. If it rains, we can come back and have our picnic by the fire in the living room.”
“We could skip the part where we get muddy and wet, and just do that now.” Theodore took a step towards her.
“And where would the fun be in that?” Harriet tapped her foot on the ground.
“It would save us having to lug all of this about.” Theodore gestured to the things Harriet had prepared. “You really mean for us to carry this?”
“It is not that much. A picnic basket, the blanket, the coat basket, a parasol and a bag for the games.” She let her eyes drift across his arms, her voice teasing. “Or are those only for show?”
Theodore’s eyes flashed, and he let out a soft sound that was somewhere between a growl and a purr. It made every part of Harriet’s body erupt in gooseflesh and she tugged the sleeves of her gloves self-consciously.
“I assure you, Duchess, I am more than capable of carrying this.” He leaned across her, not breaking eye contact and hefted most of the things into his arms. “I dare say I could carry you and all of this.”
“A bold claim.” Harriet swallowed, dancing out of her grip. “But you do not have to carry everything yourself.”
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I did not?” He shifted, adjusting the parasol slightly.
“You would let the servants carry it.” Harriet pointed out.
“That is different.” Theodore shrugged and moved the basked between his hands, balancing the parasol somewhat precariously as he did so. “It would be the footmen and that is their job. I am a gentleman; if you insist on doing this without servants, I must bear the load.”
“Ever the gallant hero.” Harriet rolled her eyes, smiling.
“I would not need to be if the servants were here.” Theodore frowned at her, but she could hear the mix of exasperation and amusement in his voice.
Harriet sighed. “If the servants came with us, I know you would not relax. You are their duke; you think they expect you to behave with dignity and decorum at every hour of the day. We are doing this, and you are going to have fun and that will be much easier if it is just the three of us.”
Theodore opened his mouth as though to object and shook his head. Harriet took a step towards him, her fingers stretching towards his, but she stopped herself, clasping her hands together instead. “Tell me I am wrong.”
“We both know you are not.” Theodore grumbled. “But that does not mean I have to like it. When you suggested this, I thought you meant to do things over time, not everything at once.”
“It is hardly everything at once. There is far more we could do, but I thought we should start small.” Harriet gave him an impish grin, the wind nipping gently at her heels.
She felt as though something wild was growing within her, and she shifted her feet, the muddy ground squelching beneath her.
“This is your idea of small?” His eyes widened.
“Yes. A day together, away from the servants and out of doors.” Harriet gestured towards the house where she saw the doors opening, and a small shape running towards them.
“I used to love doing this sort of thing with my family. And Phoebe has been desperate to do this ever since she found me planning the picnic with Cook.”
“I still think you meant for her to find you.” Theodore’s eyes narrowed, but she could see the hint of a smile on his face. “You are quite the puppet master when you wish to be.”
“How dare you! I assure you, Sir, it was quite by chance that she found us.” She clapped a hand to her chest and gave him what she hoped was a mock-affronted look.
It was hard to do as she looked up into his face, sunlight catching in his dark hair, making him look like some sort of Greek god made mortal.
He has no right to be so handsome.
Theodore let out an earthy chuckle and shook his head. Harriet smiled at him. “It will be good for us to get a little silly. And if you really hate it, we can always come back. But promise me you will at least try.”
Theodore hesitated, but only for a moment and then he nodded. “Very well.”
“Good.” Harriet turned just in time for Phoebe to screech to a halt in front of her.
She was wearing a plain pink dress and a matching sun hat. Her dress was already speckled with mud and Harriet shot Theodore a look, not wanting him to draw attention to it. He shrugged his shoulders slightly and Harriet took it as assent.
“Are you ready to go?” Harriet adjusted the hat on Phoebe’s head. “Do you have everything you need?”
Phoebe nodded, practically hopping up and down on the spot, her journal clutched tightly to her chest. Theodore had put several things back on the ground while he tried to adjust everything so he could carry it all at once.
An idea struck Harriet and she leaned towards Phoebe. “Your uncle is not going to let us carry anything, but that hardly seems fair to me.”
Phoebe glanced at the things and then back at Harriet, her head tilted to one side. Harriet whispered her plan and as she finished, Theodore began reaching for the rest of the things.
“You remember where we are having the picnic?” Harriet asked as she and Phoebe moved closer to him.
Theodore frowned. “Of course. Just over that hill.”
“Excellent.” She exchanged a look with Phoebe. “In that case, last one there is a big girl’s blouse!”
She dove forward and grabbed the basket of coats, Phoebe grabbed the picnic blanket, and they both took off, running as fast as they could towards the meadow.
“That is hardly sportsmanlike behavior!” She heard the laughter in Theodore’s voice and his footsteps behind them.
She glanced back. “Then it is lucky we are women!”
Phoebe giggled beside her, her little legs working furiously as she steadily drew ahead of Harriet.
Harriet let her; she was not the most competitive person and suspected Phoebe would enjoy winning.
They reached the meadow, breathless and with cheeks as red as apples.
A moment later, Theodore appeared, picnic basket, games bag and parasol tucked under his enormous arms.
He was barely out of breath, but his trouser legs were spattered with mud. He smiled when he saw them, though Harriet could see he was trying to affect a mock serious face.
“We win.” Harriet laughed as Phoebe clapped her hands.
“You mean you cheated.” Theodore ran his free hand through his hair, leaving a streak of mud in it. “Hardly what I would call a victory.”
“I prefer to think of it as levelling the playing field. After all, you have far longer legs than either of us.” Harriet unrolled the blanket and sat down, patting the ground beside her. “Come on, after all that running, I could use a snack.”
Phoebe plopped herself beside Harriet, but Theodore moved with his characteristic grace and elegance, lowering himself onto the picnic blanket and unpacking the basket of food.
“We have tea, biscuits, ham, scones, jam, bread and even a little cake.” Harriet helped herself to a bread roll, and leaned back, feeling the warmth of the sun against her skin.
She closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the gentle swish of the grass in the breeze, and the movement of bodies around her. When she opened them, Theodore was leaning towards Phoebe, helping her split her bread roll apart.
Harriet felt a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the sun. She sat up a little straighter, watching as Theodore packed the roll with ham and a few slices of cheese.
“Thank you.” Phoebe smiled as she took a bite of her roll.
“It is my pleasure.” Theodore smiled as he took a bite of his own roll. “When you finish that, I can make you another or you can have some cake if you prefer.”
“Maybe an apple?” Phoebe shifted closer to her uncle.
“Would you like me to cut it for you?” Theodore reached for the fruit. “Or would you prefer it whole?”