by Rose Pearson
“I must say, this is rather extraordinary.”
The Duke’s voice was low, his eyebrows furrowing as he read the letter in his hand, his gaze turning towards Harmonia. “I must say, I did not think this would come about.”
“What, papa?” Amelia asked, looking a little concerned. “Is something the matter?”
“No, not particularly,” the Duke replied, with yet another frown. “It is just…. I am growing rather confused and perhaps I am mistaken.” His gaze landed back on Harmonia as he shook the letter a little. “This is from your cousin, Luke.”
“Luke?” Harmonia repeated, the smile fading from her lips. “He wrote to you?”
“You did tell me that you did not want to court him, did you not?” the Duke asked, looking confused. “I did not grant him that permission, did I?”
“No, you did not,” Harmonia said, firmly. “I made my feelings very clear on the matter and no permission was granted.”
The Duke nodded slowly. “Then can you tell me why he is writing to me to ask for your hand in marriage?”
Harmonia gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at her father, not quite sure what to say. She could hardly believe that Luke had the audacity to write to the Duke in order to seek her hand, especially after she had made it clear to him that there would never be anything between them.
“Might I ask what he says, papa?” Amelia asked, quietly, sending a concerned glance in Harmonia’s direction.
Her father shrugged and lifted the letter high, holding it some distance away so that he could read it. “It reads, ‘Your Grace, after some consideration, I would like to request the honor of marrying your youngest daughter, Lady Harmonia. We are well suited, and I know she would be an exceptional wife. There is a deep friendship between us and I know that this would be an excellent foundation with which to build a marriage on. I swear that I will treat her well, care for her and love her with all my heart. She will lack for nothing. I am sure that you will, of course, require some time to consider your answer and so I will wait expectantly for your reply. Your humble servant….’” The Duke trailed off, looking over at Harmonia. “I find him a little brash, if I may say so.”
“Brash!” Amelia exclaimed, two spots of color appearing in her cheeks as her anger grew. “The man is downright rude, papa, trying his best to get Harmonia to accept him in whatever way he can when she had specifically told him she wants nothing to do with him any longer.”
The Duke’s frown deepened. “I find him to be quite expectant in his letter,” he said, slowly. “It is as though I will come around to his way of thinking in the end, that I will decide that he is, of course, the best candidate for your husband, Harmonia.”
Harmonia, who had only just started to get her breath back after the shock of hearing what Luke had written, managed a weak smile. “Papa, you are not thinking of accepting him?”
“Of course not!” her father exclaimed, looking quite astonished that she would think so. “I know your feelings on the matter, Harmonia. I am just quite confused as to why he would write to me when he knows that I have not even granted his consent to court you!”
Thinking that this was the best time to tell her father the truth about what they had learned of Luke, Harmonia drew in a long breath. “Papa,” she began, slowly. “Do you remember Lord Newford?”
Her father’s frown lifted a little as he nodded. “Yes, of course.”
“I believe your other letter is from him,” Harmonia said, pointedly. She caught Amelia’s eye as her father opened the letter and read it quickly, a smile spreading across his face.
“Well, well,” he said, with a quick smile towards Harmonia. “It seems Lord Newford wants permission to court you and will be calling here this afternoon, if it is convenient.”
“He also would like myself and Amelia to attend the theatre with him this evening,” Harmonia continued, aware that her cheeks were burning. “Papa, I do not care for Luke. Lord Newford is the only man I am considering at this moment.”
Her father smiled and the ball of tension that had settled in her stomach began to disappear. “Then of course I shall grant him permission to court you,” he said softly. “You need not have any concerns in that regard, Harmonia.”
Smiling back at her father, Harmonia let out a long breath. “Thank you, papa. However, there is something I need to tell you about Luke. Something that Lord Newford discovered.”
“We have known for but a day,” Amelia added, hastily. “We wanted to tell you as soon as we could but yesterday you were still rather fatigued.”
The Duke’s smile disappeared. “Whatever is it?”
Harmonia took a breath. “Papa, Luke is in a great deal of debt.”
“Debt from gambling and from visiting houses of disrepute,” Amelia added, as the Duke’s mouth fell open. “It appears he has been doing his best to keep this hidden from the rest of us.”
“Did you know anything about this, papa?” Harmonia asked, able to guess what the answer would be. “You had no idea of his behavior?”
The Duke shook his head, his mouth closing but lines of worry creasing his forehead. “No, I did not,” he said, gruffly as he cleared his throat. “This has come as something of a surprise.”
Recalling just how shocked she had been when Lord Newford had told her about Luke, Harmonia gave a small smile. “I quite understand, papa,” she said, quietly. “I did not want to believe it, given how close he is to our family, but I would not doubt Lord Newford’s word.”
“He could have no reason to blacken Luke’s name,” Amelia said, firmly. “He already knew that Harmonia had no preference for Luke. He discovered this news from Baron Roth, who warned Lord Newford that it would be all over town very soon. Apparently, Luke has more than a few creditors who are chasing after him, the Baron included.” She shook her head, her lip curling a little in disgust. “Frankly, papa, after how Luke treated Harmonia when she tried to tell him that there would be nothing more than an acquaintance between them made me dislike him intensely. I am not surprised to hear that there is more of his poor character hidden beneath his façade of gentleman.”
The Duke turned horrified eyes onto Harmonia. “I did not know of this, Harmonia! Did he hurt you?”
Harmonia shook her head. “But he might have done, had not Amelia been there. I am quite sure that the only reason he wishes for my hand is so that he can use my dowry to cover his debts.”
Shaking his head, the Duke planted one elbow on the table and buried his face in his hand. “Whatever is going on with this family of mine?” he muttered, darkly. “and here I am proven to have a poor judge of character yet again! I thought Luke to be charming and upright, only to discover that he is anything but!”
Not wanting her father to feel distressed, Harmonia reached across the table and took his hand. “Papa, you do not need to take this on yourself. On this occasion, I was already in mind to refuse Luke and instead of pushing me towards him, as you had every right to do, you chose to allow me my own choice of suitor.” She smiled as her father raised his head and looked directly at her. “There is no fault here, papa, not from you. You have done everything well, I assure you.”
After a moment or two, the Duke let out a long sigh and nodded. “You do well to assuage my guilty soul, Harmonia. Very well, I will write to Luke and make it as clear as I can that he is not to come near you, Harmonia or, in fact, the rest of the family. Until I find out the exact nature of these debts – for I am quite sure that they are very substantial – Luke is not welcome in this house. Do not so much as speak to him, Harmonia. Continue on as you have been, of course, but ensure that he is not given any of the familiar acquaintance he once was.”
Glad that her father had accepted all that had been said by Lord Newford, Harmonia nodded. “Thank you, papa. And, the theatre tonight? Might I go?”
Her father’s gloomy look disappeared as he smiled, looking over towards Amelia who gave him the smallest of nods.
“I think your sister
is happy with the idea and I could not refuse you this, my dear,” he said, patting her hand. “You are very good, Harmonia. I look forward to Lord Newford’s visit this afternoon for I would like to get to know the gentleman who has stolen my youngest daughter’s heart! And you need have no doubt that I will refuse him for I can see that you hold a deep affection for him and, from what you have said, he is, in fact, worthy of you.”
“Yes, he is,” Amelia declared, sending a bright smile in Harmonia’s direction. “I am sure we will have a most enjoyable evening together.”
Chapter Twelve
“May I say just how beautiful you look this evening?”
Harmonia flushed as she smiled into Lord Newford’s eyes, finding his presence near her almost entirely overwhelming.
“Thank you, my lord,” she said, softly, as he smiled gently at her. “You are most kind.”
“But honest,” he replied, quietly. “I believe your gentle beauty outshines every other lady here. I am honored to have you with me.”
Amelia, who was sitting at the back of the box, giving Lord Newford and Harmonia space to talk without interruption whilst still keeping a firm eye on her younger sister for the sake of propriety, suddenly rose to her feet.
“Is that…...?”
Harmonia, confused, turned towards where Amelia was looking but saw no-one of note. “Amelia?” she asked, frowning. “Did you see someone you knew?”
“I thought I did,” Amelia murmured, sitting back down and shaking her head. “But I believe I was mistaken. I thought it to be Luke.”
Lord Newford frowned suddenly, his expression turning somewhat grim. “Your cousin, Luke?” he asked, glancing from one sister to the next. “Do not tell me that he has returned to call upon you again?”
Harmonia shook her head and saw the relief in his expression. “No, he has not. In fact, Amelia and I were commenting only earlier this afternoon that we have not seen him for some time. That is rather surprising, given that he is usually seen about London.”
“But I suppose he has never been so firmly told that he is no longer welcome to press his attentions on you,” Lord Newford commented with a slight sigh. “That, mayhap, could have sent him into something of a depression where he might choose not to enter into society for a time.”
Amelia looked at them both thoughtfully for a few moments. “Whilst I agree that such a thing might very well occur, I would suggest that it is not like our cousin to be so willing to simply accept what he has been told. Even though Harmonia was very forthright, he warned that he would not allow such a thing to occur, as though he were the one who had every right to tell Harmonia what choices she ought to be making! I am surprised not to have seen him for such a long time and that is why I thought I might have seen him here this evening.”
“But it was not him?” Lord Northfell asked, glancing towards the stage where the curtain was still down.
“No, it was not,” Amelia replied, with a small frown. “I am being rather foolish in worrying about where our cousin might be, but it is important to me that nothing disrupts Harmonia’s season. Not when it is going so well thus far.” She arched one eyebrow and gave a light smile towards them both, making Harmonia blush and look away. Thankfully, she was saved from having to reply by the curtain slowly beginning to be raised and the orchestra tuning up in preparation for the first song.
However, Harmonia could not forget what Amelia had expressed in her concern for their cousin and where he might be. She could not quite forget what he had said to her when she had told him that there would be nothing between them, recalling how frightened of his anger and rage she had been. Her skin prickled still, even as she thought of it. Luke could be a rather intimidating man at times, using his fierce anger to try and get what he wanted.
And yet, she was not sure that he would attempt to do anything untoward, not when she had Lord Newford by her side. Surely any man would see that there was very little chance of breaking apart something that had already begun to flourish!
“Did you speak to your father about Luke?”
Lord Newford was whispering in an attempt not to interrupt the play that had only just begun but Harmonia found that she was much more interested in speaking to him than in paying any attention to what was going on in front of her.
“Yes, we did,” she murmured, as quietly as she could. “He was not pleased at all and is grateful to you for speaking to us about him.”
Lord Newford nodded, his eyes darting to hers before turning back to the stage. “We did not have a chance to speak of it when I saw him this afternoon.”
Harmonia smiled to herself, recalling this afternoon when she had been half dragged out of the house towards the bookshop so that Lord Newford and her father could have a private conversation. Harmonia had argued with Amelia that there was no need for them to leave the house for they could easily have sat in another room whilst the conversation was going on, but Amelia had insisted. She had thought that in staying in the house whilst Lord Newford was present, Harmonia would end up in a state of nerves even though she knew her father had every intention of agreeing to Lord Newford’s request to court her. By the time they had reached the bookshop, Harmonia had come to agree with Amelia’s thinking, discovering that she could barely keep her thoughts on anything else. It had taken all of Amelia’s cajoling for them to remain in the bookshop for a time, browsing and looking at various novels before Harmonia had finally been allowed to return to the house – only to discover that their father had gone out on some business! It had been some hours before he returned and since she had already started her preparations for the theatre by that time. It had been another torturous wait until she had been able to speak to her father about the conversation.
Her father had laughed and assured her that all had gone well, and that he had found Lord Newford to be as pleasant and respectable sort of gentleman as the first time they met, and that, of course, he had agreed to his request to court Harmonia. His eyes had grown serious then as he’d looked down at her, murmuring something about how proud her mother would have been, and Harmonia had felt her eyes well up with tears. She could not imagine what her father must be thinking and feeling, knowing that the last of his daughters was seeking a husband of her own. He would be all alone soon, his house empty and children gone. Harmonia hoped that his health would not suffer because of it.
“I am glad he approved of me.”
Lord Newford’s whisper interrupted her thoughts and Harmonia gave him a warm smile, boldly reaching for his hand as they sat close together. It was dark enough for no-one to see, even though she knew that the ton would be more than aware that they were now courting since she was ensconced in the box next to him, whilst her sister sat a little further behind. They would, most likely, have a great many visitors to their box when the time came for the interval, with many of the beau monde seeking to find out even the smallest titbit of gossip that they could then spread about the theatre.
Her gloved hand found his and, for a few minutes, they simply sat together, not looking at the stage but at one another. The intensity of his eyes never faded, making her heart quicken its pace, her breath catching as she looked back at him. She could not take her eyes away, her happiness at her situation deepening all the more. This was a man who had taken the time to seek out her character, not just her connections and her dowry, as Luke had done. Lord Newford knew her heart, even though there was much more for them to learn about one another, Harmonia knew that he cared about what she thought, what she felt and what she desired. The shared vulnerability they had was the deep foundation on which they could then begin to build a strong connection. Harmonia had no doubt that, soon, they would begin to talk of the future and how they might move forward together. It brought her such happiness to know that the man who held her hand loved her heart and soul, caring nothing for her dowry or what connections she might bring to him. There was nothing hidden there, nothing unknown or startling. He was just as he appeared, his affection for her
no longer hidden from the world.
The first half of the play passed by them without much notice. They talked in whispers, laughed softly and enjoyed being in one another’s company. Whether or not Amelia noticed, Harmonia could not say, for whenever she glanced back at her sister, she saw her staring fixedly at the stage, although her lips curved gently into a small smile.
“And now we have the interval,” Lord Newford said, with a small sigh. “If we are quick, then we might escape the crush! Of course, you are welcome to stay here, and I will bring you both some refreshments.”
He got to his feet and Harmonia followed suit. “I will join you, I think.” She turned towards Amelia, who simply smiled.
“I will be quite content here,” she replied calmly. “Although I would care for a glass of something, whatever it might be.”
“But of course,” Lord Newford said, with a smile. “Come then, Lady Harmonia. Let us leave at once else we shall get stuck in amongst the crowd!”
Harmonia followed him at once. The other theatre goers had not yet made their way from their boxes and so she found it to be fairly quiet.
“This way, I think,” Lord Newford murmured, rounding a corner and finding that it led to nowhere other than another door. He glanced over his shoulder at her, his expression a little embarrassed. “I confess that this I am a little lost,” he said, with a wry smile. “Might we try in here, do you think?”
Looking behind her, Harmonia saw a few guests begin to come into the foyer and a footman standing nearby whom they could ask. However, as she turned back to say that she had seen some others, Lord Newford caught her hand and, before she could say a word, pulled her into the small room beyond the door.
It closed behind her, enveloping her in darkness. Lord Newford’s arms were around her in a moment and, despite the impropriety of the situation, Harmonia felt herself reaching for him, standing on tiptoes as her arms slipped about his neck.
