Page 26 of A Naughty Proposal for His Winter Countess
“No, no,” Daniel said, standing. “It's fine, Ben. What is it?”
Harriet’s brother looked between her and Daniel, seeking some sort of permission, and Harriet schooled her face into a light, welcoming expression. Inside though, she kept wondering what Daniel meant by that statement.
What curse?
Ben looked unsure, but said, “Dinner is served, and Martha wants to speak with you, Harriet; she’s in her drawing room.”
Nodding, Harriet stood and smoothed her skirts, briefly taking Daniel’s hand, she smiled, “I won’t be long.”
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Daniel replied.
Moving away to find her sister, Harriet entered the room to find Martha adding an earring to finish her ensemble. “Martha? You wanted to see me?”
“Ah, yes,” Martha smiled. “Antony and I were speaking earlier, and we decided to make the announcement tonight, before dinner was served. Do you think that’s best? All the people here are good friends and family. You’ll only get good wishes, I promise.”
Harriet nibbled on her lip, “Is that important now? I mean, I love the thought, but can we keep it to ourselves for a little while longer?”
Visibly confused, Martha asked, “Why?”
But she could not explain to Martha why; Harriet could not even explain it to herself. Another layer of Daniel’s life had been peeled away, and she wanted to see what more there was.
“I just would like to keep it private for a while,” Harriet said. “We can announce it at the last ball. What better way to celebrate a new year than with an engagement?”
“I suppose,” Martha said, with a worried tone. “Are you sure, though?”
Reaching over to embrace her sister, Harriet said, “Yes, very sure.”
* * *
Later that night, while donning her nightgown and thick wrapper. Harriet could not dispel the worry for Daniel. A curse…what was that about? No matter how she tried to decipher the issue, no answer would come.
Unable to sleep, Harriet went to the music room, and at the seat of the pianoforte, began to play. The tune was not a formal one, just notes running through her mind, which mirrored the emotions in her heart—soft and a bit mournful.
He got left at the altar…no wonder he doesn’t trust easily.
Lost in her thoughts, it took Harriet a while to notice—or sense, really—that someone was at the door. As he neared, she gave a little fright and missed a key.
“L…Lord Carrington,” she said, pulling her hands away from the ivories. “Have I disturbed you? I do apologize.”
Antony smiled. “No, you didn’t. I came from my study as I had to sign off on a few things, but then, I heard such lovely music. I thought the ghost of my Aunt Muriel was playing.”
Snickering, as she was familiar with tales of the infamous Aunt Muriel, Antony’s dead aunt who had reportedly gone to a tea party with a shotgun, thinking it was a hunting party, and who was sure her cats were planning her assassination, Harriet shook her head, “It’s just me, My Lord.”
“I know why I’m up,” Antony said as he perched a hip on the side of the instrument, and folding his arms across his chest, “but why are you?”
Harriet played a few notes before she replied, “Martha wanted to announce the engagement, and I asked her to wait a little more. Not because I don’t want it to be known, but rather, because of something Dan…Lord Barkley told me. He told me he was left at the altar.”
“Ah,” Antony said knowingly, “horrible,horriblething to do to a young man. The ton was aflutter with news about it for months, but with Barkley absent from their eyes, it simmered down to an open secret.”
Harriet danced her fingers over the keys, while she considered what to say next. “Earlier, when he told me about the lady, he added that it was a curse. I didn’t get to ask him what he meant by that, and it's been keeping me up. What could he mean by that? A curse would tell me that it happened before, correct? Was he left at the altar twice?”
Antony sat beside her and reached for her hand, “Do you want me to tell you what I suspect he meant by that?”
So, more people know about this as well. Daniel, what has happened to you?
Swallowing over a tight throat, Harriet replied, “I just want to know if you, and others, know what it is. I made him a promise to get all I want to know from him and no one else. So…you know.”
“Isuspect,” Antony replied kindly. “His family drew the ton’s attention a few notable times, but with this, it was not with him, Dear; he was not left at the altar twice. Goodness, if that had happened, we would have never accepted his marriage offer.”
