Page 28 of A Naughty Proposal for His Winter Countess
Daniel’s brow cocked, and his tone was dry, “I’m not starting an aviary, Darling.”
It was a good thing the cup was at her mouth; otherwise, her lips would have dropped open. Harriet took a sip of her tea—and then another to soothe her suddenly dry throat. She shot a look with Emma who, was suddenly, overly studiously, rooting through her reticule.
No one has called me that before.
Resting her cup on the saucer, Harriet cleared her throat, “Why not? It would be a novelty.”
“Because there is a thin line between having a novelty and being a spectacle,” Daniel replied, then noticed the tailor and a similarly gray-clad lady coming toward them.
Harriet noticed them too, and stood. After the tailor introduced his wife, they were separated into private rooms, Harriet still could not find a way to bring up the topic of Daniel’s mother. Even worse, Emma was with them, and she wanted to do it in private.
She disrobed to her chemise, and Mrs. Dunn measured her quickly, telling her about the costume's colors. “I think deepest-maroon velvet or black with silver trimming, would be best. The shade of hair would make it hard for the light-purple or blue.”
“I leave it in your capable hands,” Harriet said as she redressed. “Thank you.”
When she rejoined her sister, Emma, Daniel was already settling their accounts and speaking to the tailor. Taking the moment of privacy, Harriet whispered into Emma’s ear, “He called me Darling.”
“I know,” Emma replied, with her eyes shifting between her and Daniel. “And it felt so effortless. Do you think he noticed?”
Harriet looked over Daniel as he signed something, then back to Emma. “Would you mind giving us some time alone at his home, this evening? I’d like to talk about a few private things.”
Emma agreed with a nod, “Just be conscientious of what you do.”
Daniel came to them and extended his hand to Harriet, “Well, the accounts are set. Shall we go?”
“Yes,” Emma said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to be dropped at the cottage. I have some…er…documents to go over.”
The Earl’s eyes shot to Harriet with a skeptical look, but he didn’t voice it. “I don’t see that as a problem. Please.”
Leaving the tailors, Daniel helped both women in, then joined them. Canterbury was not too far from Harriet’s childhood home, Bradford Cottage, that rested in an idyllic hamlet. They left Emma at her home, and went off to London.
“Your childhood home looks…” Daniel trailed off, “comfortable. How was it back then?”
Glad for the topic that would give her a way to speak about his mother, Harriet began, “It wasn’t easy, but we managed. As you know, Father was a minister instead of a businessman. His father was an Earl, but he is the third son, so his inheritance was little. We made ends meet, but it wasn’t until Mother died that we found how hard it was. Still, we managed,” she paused. “How was it with your parents?”
Watching closely, Harriet saw Daniel’s jaw tighten and his fist clench on his side. “Have they both passed away?”
“No,” he said curtly.
Feeling as if she was mincing her way through a minefield, Harriet pressed, keeping her voice as light as she could, “I’d love to meet your mother. Can you arrange—”
Daniel's voice was cold as he cut her off, “That will never happen.”
Chapter Nine
The echo of his harsh words rang through the coach, and through the anger in his chest, Daniel saw the blood leaving Harriet’s face—and tried to find it within himself to be sorry. But the reminder of his mother—hisadulteressmother—had his soul burning with rage.
He pressed the heel of his hand to his eye, and tried to calm down. Snapping at Harriet at such an innocent question was unwarranted. It was perfectly reasonable for any lady to meet the mother of the Lord she would marry. Except in his case, his mother was not fit to meet anyone, and neither was she that much of a mother.
A soft hand pulled his away, and Harriet looked at him with a lenient gaze, “I’m sorry. I never meant to pull up any bad memories.”
Daniel let out a long breath, “I apologize, Harriet. You did not warrant that. It’s a very sore issue for me.”
What had Daniel’s curiosity piquing, was how Harriet hung her head. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No,” Daniel said, “you have all the right to ask.”
“You don’t understand,” Harriet said, mournfully. “It's not you. I should not have asked Lord Carrington.”
