Page 45 of A Naughty Proposal for His Winter Countess
“No, no,” Daniel said, reaching into his drawer for the bundle of letters and handed it to Russel. “Here you go.”
Russel cleared his throat, “Thank you. Have you been up all night, My Lord?”
“I have,” Daniel replied. “But you don’t need to concern yourself. A cup of coffee, my usual breakfast, and please, prepare my bath.”
With Russel gone, Daniel placed the unfinished letter under a paperweight then stood to watch the sunrise. The room was soon flooded in light, and Russel came back with some letters in his hand.
“For you, My Lord,” he said, handing the papers to him.
“Thank you,” he replied, while taking the letters and rifling through them.
There was a notice from the costume shop about their costumes, a letter from the Headmaster of the school he patronized, and a card from Marquess Sandhurst. Lastly, there was an invitation for a ball at Vauxhall, on the next day, the Eleventh day of Christmastide, under the patronage of Lord Dawson.
Daniel’s first inclination was to thrust the invitation into his fireplace, but Dawson had added:Please bring Miss Bradford along for the festivities.
His teeth ground in the back of his mouth. Damn Dawson for putting him in a spot; if he had gotten a notice, Daniel would bet that Harriet had received an invitation as well.
Angrily, Daniel dropped the letter on the table and huffed out a breath. If Harriet had gotten the invite, the hounds of hell would not stop her from going after the man she wanted.
She was engaged, which was more of lure to Dawson than raw meat was to a vulture, and if Harriet gave him any signal that she was likewise interested, there was nothing to stop them. But in light of his newly acknowledged affection for her, it pained him to think of the two of them together.
The only thing Daniel could do was to find a way to stop her from ruining herself with Dawson, and if he had to resort to drastic measures—and if he got hurt during the process—he wouldn’t mind.
* * *
He arrived at a merry scene; the ball at Carrington Manor was lively and half a dozen people away from a crush. Even with the throng of people, Daniel spotted Harriet, her red hair a dot of color that drew his eyes like metal to a lodestone.
Weaving through the patrons, he found her on the side, chatting with another lady in a peacock-blue dress. She saw him first and gently touched Harriet, who spun around to him.
“Dan…My Lord,” she exclaimed, her eyes bright, and her cheeks flushed, probably from her slip of the tongue.
He bowed, “Is it the Christmas spirit that is making your eyes so bright, or is it the wine?”
Harriet rolled her eyes, “I have not touched a drop tonight. I am in high spirits because my best friend is here,andshe’s staying for a while. Lily, may I introduce you to Daniel Raster, Lord Barkley, and my betrothed. Lord Raster, my dearest friend, Lily Mathews.”
“Miss Mathews,” Daniel bowed. “Enchanted to meet you.”
“As am I, My Lord,” Lily said, bowing her head. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Cocking a brow to Harriet, Daniel replied, “So, have I, Miss Matthews. Harriet assured me her survival at school depended on you.”
“She did well enough before I arrived,” Miss Matthews said. “But I won’t refuse the compliment.”
“Would you mind if I borrowed her for a little while?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, please, all yours,” Miss Matthews laughed. “I won’t mind.”
Dipping his head, Daniel extended his hand to Harriet, and he took her to a quieter corner of the ballroom. “A few things came today; our costumes are ready, and Dawson has invited us to a ball at Vauxhall tomorrow night.”
Her hands flew up to her mouth, “That’s delightful.”
“I don’t believe so,” Daniel grated. “He is planning something; I can feel it.”
“But why would he invite us both if he is scheming something untoward?” Harriet frowned. “That makes no sense.”
Refraining from raking a hand through his hair, Daniel laid a hand on her arm instead, “When we go, I want you to stay with me at all times, please. I will not underestimate him.”
“I’m sure it’s going to be fine,” Harriet smiled. “You’re too smoky by half, My Lord.”
