Page 48 of A Naughty Proposal for His Winter Countess
“And one of those things is you,” Miss Matthews said plainly.
Bowled over, he asked, “Me?”
Miss Matthews looked amused, “Yes, My Lord, you are a principal part of her worries.”
Chapter Fifteen
When Harriet found the chance to speak with Martha, they were in the kitchens. Martha was busying herself with setting the menu for the day, including the dinner they were to have that night, but Harriet had to speak with her.
“Is that all, My Lady?” the cook asked as she looked down at the foodstuff for the day.
“Yes,” Martha said, a bit wearily, “I’ll have a cup of tea here, as well.”
“Please, make it two,” Harriet added to the woman.
There was a nook in the corner with a small round table and chairs that the kitchen staff used to eat their meals during the day, and it was where Martha and Harriet sat.
“What is so important that you had to leave your bed at the crack of dawn to see me?” Martha asked.
Harriet bit back a comment about how tired Martha looked, the dark circles under her eyes, and the sallowness of her skin, but she held back. “I need to ask you something important, and I cannot hold it back anymore…are you happy in your marriage?”
“I am, why?” Martha asked, though her lips were starting to set in a thin line.
Harriet decided that she had to be blunt. “The other night, I was passing your room, and I overheard something distressing. Why did His Lordship called you worthless, Martha?”
Her sister’s face went bloodless, and before she could speak, the cook came over with the kettle of tea and their cups. The respite was brief; even after the cook left and the silence dragged on, Harriet was not going to leave without an answer.
“It’s not what you think,” Martha said quietly. And if Martha had looked Harriet in her eyes, Harriet would have believed her. Instead, her eyes were down in her cup. “He had a hard day, and I hadn’t remembered to acquire a particular wine, for that night. He apologized soon after, Harriet.”
Unconvinced, Harriet asked, “Was that the first time he was unkind to you?”
“No, Harriet, it was not,” Martha said, a bit hard. “That is the first thing you will learn in marriage, you will disagree, many times. Antony and I have rowed over many things, as small as a change in my toilette, or to him staying out to dawn many nights. When two people from different lives merge, there are going to be arguments.”
Silenced at Martha’s harsh reply, Harriet could only reach out for her cup of tea. The restrained anger she heard in her sister’s voice said volumes. Harriet suspected that there was more to Antony’s actions than she had been told—but what?
“I apologize,” Harriet said, trying to mollify the tension between them. “I thought the worst of it.”
“From now on, please refrain from jumping to conclusions,” Martha said, tightly.
What are you hiding from me, Martha?
“Lord Barkley is taking me to Vauxhall tonight,” Harriet said, happily. “Lord Dawson invited us to a ball.”
A concerned look had Martha’s brows knitting, “The pleasure gardens? I don’t know, Harriet, that place has a very questionable reputation.”
“You needn’t worry,” Harriet responded. “Daniel won’t let me out of his sight.”
Martha still did not look comforted, but she gave in with a sigh, “Just be cautious, please.”
Taking her tea to her rooms, Harriet considered her dress options. As it was barely past dawn, Lily was still slumbering, and Harriet would not wake her. “Gigot sleeves and full skirt…a bit exorbitant, purple trumpet skirt with spencer jacket…also too much.”
In the end, she chose a simple pinstripe dress with a high collar, puff sleeves, and half-boots. Just as she was laying the clothes on her bed, Lily came walking in, her flouncy white wrapper tied over a thick nightgown.
“Good morning,” Lily said, with a smile, “How was your night?”
The blithe tone Lily asked in told Harriet that her friend already knew how her night had gone, but she answered. “Very well, thanks, and yours?”
Lily rolled her eyes and huffed softly, “Let’s not play this game. I spoke with Lord Barkley last night. He said you were worried about several things. Would you care to tell me what they were, aside from your concerns about your Earl, that is?”
