Page 61 of Duke of Myste
“Ihave the most delicious piece of gossip!” Harriet announced, settling into the blue drawing room with the satisfied air of someone bearing particularly intriguing news.
She poured the tea with practiced elegance while Jane watched with growing curiosity from her position on the opposite settee.
“Should I be concerned?” Jane asked, accepting her cup with a slight smile.
The past two days since she and Richard had reconciled had brought a lightness to the household that she had not realized was missing. Even Pippin seemed more cheerful, though that might have been due to her husband’s grudging acceptance of the spaniel’s presence in his study during business hours.
“Not concerned, exactly,” Harriet replied, mischief dancing in her eyes. “Though perhaps… intrigued. I’ve received wordthat Vauxhall Gardens is planning quite the spectacular entertainment next week. Fireworks, acrobats, and a hot air balloon demonstration. Precisely the sort of thing that happens once in a lifetime.”
Jane nearly choked on her tea. “Vauxhall Gardens? Harriet, you cannot possibly be suggesting?—”
“That we attend? Why ever not?” Harriet’s expression was the picture of innocence, though her eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement. “It would be tremendously educational. Think of the cultural value.”
“Think of the scandal,” Jane countered, though she could not deny a flutter of excitement at the prospect.
Vauxhall Gardens was notorious throughout London for its somewhat… unconventional entertainments. It was the sort of place where proper ladies might go in disguise but never announce their presence.
“Scandal?” Harriet waved off the concern with a dismissive hand. “My dear Jane, I am already ruined and quite contentedly a spinster. You are married to a duke. Between the two of us, I rather think we have scandals sufficiently covered. Surely one evening of harmless entertainment cannot make matters worse.”
“You make it sound remarkably simple.”
“Because itissimple,” Harriet insisted, leaning forward with the enthusiasm of someone warming up to her theme. “Life is far too short to spend it worrying about what a group of tedious people might think about one’s choice of amusements. Besides, Diana has never seen anything like Vauxhall, and you have been far too serious lately. A dash of frivolous entertainment would do us all good.”
Jane found herself wavering despite her better judgment. The prospect of an entire evening free from the constraints of her title held undeniable appeal, particularly after weeks of navigating the complex expectations that seemed to govern every aspect of her new life.
“Even if I agree,” she said carefully, “Richard will never permit such an outing. His sense of what is appropriate for a duchess is rather… constrictive.”
“Then he simply needs to be convinced,” Harriet quipped, with supreme confidence. “Richard is many things, but he is not unreasonable. Present him with a compelling argument, and he might surprise you.”
Jane raised a skeptical eyebrow. “A compelling argument for taking his wife to the most notorious pleasure garden in London?”
“A compelling argument for allowing his wife to experience something extraordinary with her family. There is a difference, you know.”
For a moment, Jane allowed herself to imagine it—the excitement of witnessing spectacles she had only heard about in drawing rooms, the freedom of moving through crowds without the weight of responsibility, the simple pleasure of sharing an adventure with people she had grown to love.
“You mentioned that you are already ruined,” she said carefully, curiosity overriding her usual discretion. “I confess, I had wondered about the circumstances that led to your… current situation.”
Harriet sobered, though she maintained her composure with the ease of someone who had long since made peace with their past. “It was seven years ago, during my first Season. I was young, naïve, and foolishly convinced that love conquered all.”
She paused to sip her tea, gathering her thoughts before continuing.
“Lord Harrington was everything a romantic girl might dream of—handsome, charming, possessing the sort of mysterious air that makes sensible women do foolish things. He pursued me with remarkable dedication, and I was quite swept away.”
“What happened?” Jane asked softly.
“He compromised me,” Harriet replied in a matter-of-fact tone that spoke to years spent coming to terms with reality. “Quite deliberately, as it turned out. He had racked up huge gambling debts, and a marriage to a duke’s sister with a substantial dowry seemed the most expedient solution to his financial difficulties.”
Jane felt her heart clench. “But surely Richard?—”
“Richard challenged him to a duel,” Harriet confirmed. “Shot him in the shoulder and banished him, for lack of a better word. Last I heard, he departed for the Continent within the same week, but the damage was already done. I was ruined, my reputation in tatters, my marriage prospects thoroughly destroyed.”
“I am so terribly sorry,” Jane said quietly, understanding flooding through her as Richard’s behavior finally began to make sense.
His overwhelming need to protect, his fear of scandal touching his family, his careful attention to every detail—all of it stemmed from his inability to shield his sister from the consequences of one man’s calculated cruelty.
“Don’t be,” Harriet replied with genuine warmth. “It was what had shaped me into the woman I am today, in many ways. Once one is thoroughly ruined, there is remarkable freedom in no longer having to worry about maintaining an untarnished reputation. I can speak my mind, pursue my interests, and live exactly as I choose without concern for what Society deems appropriate for unmarried ladies.”
“But surely sometimes you regret?—”
