Page 7 of Ordered Home for the Holidays
Mrs. Green chuckled. “I remember, Your Grace, catching you and His Grace kissing in this very kitchen more than once.”
Harriet’s brows shot up in surprise. Lillian smiled at the cook and then looked at Harriet. “Not all of us are so expressive in front of others. Philip always held my heart. Anthony, I don’t think he even looked at me like a member of the opposite sex until those papers started writing about me.”
“He was young,” Harriet said, surprised to be defending him.
Lillian smiled and patted her belly. “It all worked out right.”
Her sister had despaired that she and Philip would never have a child. It was good to see her so happy. “Are you still having the sickness in the morning?”
Lillian shook her head. “No, the doctor said that it should subside after a few months, and it has.”
“How much longer do you have?”
A great big smile broke across her sister’s face. “Three months.”
“It will be lovely to have a little one running around,” Mrs. Green said.
Lillian nodded. “Yes, possibly the heir, though Philip said he doesn’t care if it is a boy or a girl.”
“He doesn’t. The duke loves you,” Harriet said adamantly.
Her sister’s eyes watered. “I know. It is just supposed to be the one thing I’m good at.”
“You can’t control some things. Philip loves you and your life together. If you add a little girl to it, he will be delighted. And I think, honestly, you would love one as well.”
Lillian grinned. “I would.”
“If Philip truly needs an heir, Anthony can step in. He seems to be very popular with the ladies.”
A giggle erupted from her sister. “He is not happy at all to have ladies here as potential matches.”
“I’m sure he isn’t. The ladies' families are probably assessing everything about him. Again, we are cattle to be sold.”
Mrs. Green clucked her tongue. “Nonsense, Lady Harriet, you have a lovely life. Your mother and the dowager duchess only want you and Anthony to be happy.”
A realization shot through Harriet that something crazy may be afoot. She glanced suspiciously at her sister, who looked back at her innocently. “You aren’t trying to match me with Anthony, are you?”
Her sister laughed as if she were horrified by the idea. “Goodness no. And it isn’t me. Mother and Sarah are the ones who concocted this scheme.”
Reassured, Harriet said, “I wish Father were alive. He’d never let her do this.”
Mrs. Green demanded, “Eat your tarts.”
She and Lillian did as she asked, but shockingly, Harriet’s mind kept going back to why her sister found her and Anthony such a preposterous match. Of course, they were, but something about her laughter riled Harriet.
Chapter Four
Anthony stood in the drawing room, nodding politely as Lady Josephine explained the third watercolor she’d painted in the last month. He didn’t mind art, but he wasn’t sure he loved it as much as her.
“So, after I made a portrait of my cat, I decided that I was tired of painting living things. I determined a landscape would be next.”
His mind started to wander again, but he forced himself to focus on Josephine. She was a lovely lady, just not for him. She beamed at him. “I’m painting a beautiful representation of my family’s garden in London. I will have to show it to you.”
He smiled but didn’t commit to anything. Her mother, Lady Brennar, joined them. “Lord Webster, you seemed to be charming my daughter.”
Anthony smiled politely. “Your daughter is quite the artist.”
Lady Josephine grinned at him as if she were a cat that had just caught a mouse. He resisted the urge to pull at his cravat. He reminded himself that Lady Josephine was not at fault for this debacle. His mother likely told all these ladies' families that he was interested in finding a bride. He was not.
