“Thank you. It is very gallant of you to apologize.”
“I would simply like us to get along, even if it is only until the wedding.”
“Of course,” she said with a nod. “Not because we want to, but because it would please Emma and the Duke.”
“Indeed. Our bickering is unnecessary, and completely irrelevant. We are here to assist with the planning of the wedding and to offer our advice to our friends.”
Alice nodded wordlessly and glanced at him. “Please excuse me. Emma is waiting for me.”
Lord Harrison nodded as he watched Alice leave his side and join the others in the parlour. He sighed and shook his head. He was not quite certain why, but there was something about Alice that attracted him. The Duke would most certainly attempt to persuade him to pursue those feelings, but Lord Harrison was not the kind of man who would do that.
Lord Harrison seemed to enjoy the company of women more than he enjoyed the company of one. He was charming and normally quite a delight to be around. It was only because Alice awakened something inside him that he treated her the way he did. There was no doubt in his mind that she was beautiful and strong-willed. He wished to see that for himself, even if that meant pushing her to her limit.
A smirk ran across his lips as he looked forward to the next month before the wedding.
His father would indeed not approve of his actions, but his father was not alive to witness it.
CHAPTER TWO
November 1815
Rivenhall Estate
Suffolk, England
Alice sighed miserably and ran her fingers through her hair. It had been a week since her arrival at Rivenhall Estate and, frankly, she despised every minute she was in Lord Harrison’s company. He actively lured her out of her pleasant state, and simply put, he brought out the absolute worst in her. She tried with all her might to remain civilized in front of Emma and the Duke, but it was a most difficult task, and she was uncertain how long she could keep up this charade.
She retreated to the drawing room close to tears of frustration as Lord Harrison had once again overstepped his boundaries and upset her with his snobbish attitude. The door opened behind her and she glanced up at Emma as she entered the drawing room.
“Are you alright?” Emma asked.
“The Duke could not have picked a more arrogant best friend,” Alice muttered.
“What did he do?”
“It is not what he did, but what he says. He is so full of himself.”
“I am certain you are exaggerating. He is not that bad,” Emma shrugged.
Alice narrowed her eyes at her friend and shook her head. “He is only being nice to you because you will soon be the Duchess of Leyton. Who am I? A simple seamstress.”
“That is not true.”
“It is, and he treats me as such.”
“That cannot be. He promised to be on his best behaviour.”
“Perhaps that is his best behaviour,” Alice mused.
“I apologize. I knew this was not going to be easy for either of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Emma said as she approached Alice. “Lord Harrison’s mother is different from Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess. She believes that birds of a feather should always flock together.”
“She is a dove and I am a chicken. Is that accurate enough?”
“You are not a chicken,” Emma said, suppressing a smile.
“Even you silently agree.”
“That would make me a chicken as well.”
Alice ran her fingers through her hair once more and shook her head. “I thought I could do this, but I cannot.”
“What do you mean?”
“That man in there is patronizing and I despise the way he looks at me.”
“It is not his fault. It is merely the way he was raised.”
“That is nonsense. Being respectful towards people should not matter where someone comes from, or what title they inherited from their father.”
“You do not have to tell me this, Alice.”
Alice inhaled deeply and glanced at Emma. “You are my dearest friend, and I will not allow him to get me down, but there will come a day when I have had quite enough. Then he will regret ever calling me a cheap chambermaid.”
“Did he call you that?” Emma gasped.
“He did indeed. I have been insulted many times in my life. My mother was a Whitechapel light-skirt, and I may not know who my father is, but Lord Harrison made me feel as worthless as a sterile bull.”
“Alice, would you like me to speak to him?”
“What use will that do?”
Emma smiled and took Alice’s hand. “I will go to the ends of the earth for you, my dear Alice. You know this.”
“I do.”
“Allow me to speak with him.”
“No. This is one battle I will gladly fight on my own.”
“I do not want him to upset you.”
“He-- hath no fury as a woman scorned, Emma,” Alice said and marched out of the drawing room.
“Oh dear,” Emma sighed.
The Duke appeared in the doorway with a frazzled look on his face. “What did you say to Miss Alice?”
“It was not me. You should direct your question to Lord Harrison.”
“Oh dear. What did he do?”
“He called her a cheap chambermaid,” Emma sighed.
The duke’s shoulders slumped as he approached her. “That is not good.”
“Indeed it is not, but she refuses to let me speak to him. She insists on handling this by herself.”
“Perhaps she has to.”
“What? You approve of Lord Harrison calling her demeaning words like that?”
“No, I was referring to her fighting her own battle.”
“Why would that be a good idea?” she asked.
“Lord Harrison finds a woman who has a strong sense of self very attractive.”
“Really?” she asked with a furrowed brow.
“Indeed.
“Well, I did not realize.”
“You did not realize what?” Lord Harrison asked as he entered the room.
Emma glanced at him and cocked her head. “I did not realize that you were as opinionated as you are.”
“Have you been living in a nunnery all this time?”
“Harrison,” the Duke warned.
“I apologize, Miss Emma. I am wrongly directing my frustration at you.”
“Why are you frustrated?” the Duke asked.
Lord Harrison glared at him and pursed his lips. “No reason.”
Emma and the Duke exchanged knowing glances, but they did not say a word.
“Perhaps I am looking at this the wrong way.” Harrison continued.
“What are you referring to?” Emma asked.
Lord Harrison paced the room for a short while, not answering her question. He wondered whether he had been too rude to Miss Alice earlier, as she had left the ballroom seething. He sighed as he came to an abrupt stop and glanced at Miss Emma. “I apologize for my behaviour.”
“Perhaps you are apologizing to the wrong person, My Lord,” Emma stated with a raised eyebrow.
Lord Harrison narrowed his eyes briefly, but soon reached the conclusion that Miss Alice had most certainly already confided in her.
“Indeed,” he sighed. “Please excuse me.”
“Where are you going?”
“To apologize to Alice” he replied. Then he turned on his heel and left the room.
He made his way down the hallway, but he could not find her. She was not in the usual places, which he found rather odd. A young chambermaid came walking down the long hallway of the East Wing and she smiled politely at Lord Harrison.
“Trudy, have you seen Miss Alice?” he asked.
“The last I saw of her she was on her way to the library.”
“The library?”
“Indeed, My Lord. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”
“
Not at the moment, I will call upon you later,” he said with a wink and her cheeks coloured as she walked past him with a nod. He glanced after her as she walked in the opposite direction, watching her leave until she disappeared from sight. Then he made his way to the library, and as he opened the large doors, he saw Alice standing in front of a large bookcase.
“Miss Alice?”
“What do you want now?” she asked, without turning to face him.
“I wish to apologize for my terrible behaviour, and for what I said to you. It was unfair and I was rude when we both had promised to tolerate one another for the sake of our friends.”
“You are the terrible one. You never agree with what I say, and you seek out ways to patronize me.”
“I am sincerely sorry for everything I said to you. It was a terrible thing to do,” he apologized once more.
“It was indeed terrible. You said I was not even as good as a cheap chambermaid,” she pointed out angrily and turned around.
Lord Harrison opened his mouth to say something, but he was at a loss for words as he noticed the tears on her cheeks. He had never considered she might be so upset that it would lead to tears, and this made him feel even worse. “I am truly sorry. I overstepped many boundaries. My father, God rest his soul, would be utterly disgusted with how I treated you today. Not only today, in fact, but ever since you arrived here.”
“What have I done to you to be treated this way?” she asked.
“Nothing, but then again, nothing justifies the way I have acted towards you.”
“Admittedly, I was not polite to you either.”
“Your behaviour was justified.”
“No, it most certainly was not. I promised Emma that I would be courteous towards you, even if I could not stand the sight of you,” Alice pointed out.
“And here I was under the impression that you like me,” he said in mock affliction.
She narrowed her eyes and continued, “My opinion of you does not matter.”
“And why is that?” he asked as he crossed his arms.
“Because you are your own person. People’s opinions of you should not matter.”
“That is a rather strange thing to say.”
“It is not. I was raised by a strong woman who, despite the fact that everyone around her always told her that she would never amount to anything, or that she was worthless to most people, kept her head high and taught me that the opinion of others should never matter to me. The only opinion that truly matters is the opinion you have of yourself.”
“Your mother was a wise woman.”
“You do not even know my mother. You were probably one of those people who avoided her gaze, afraid she might come too close and tarnish that crystal clear reputation of yours.”
“I am sorry if I came across as-”
“You have apologized enough for one day, My Lord,” Alice muttered and walked to the door. “Good night.”
Before Lord Harrison could say anything else, she left him standing alone in the library. He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “I am a fool, and I do not blame her for thinking the same,” he muttered to himself.
“You are no fool,” a voice came from outside the door and he turned around.
Trudy stood in the doorway, glancing at him with a rather suggestive look in her eyes.
“Perhaps I am a fool, as I am about to do something foolish.”
*****
The following morning, both Alice and Lord Harrison failed to show up for breakfast, but Emma was not worried. She was well aware of their spat the previous day and she did not even ask the Duke whether he had seen either of them.
“You look worried, my dearest,” the Duke said after a while.
She glanced at him and shook her head. “I am, but I must admit I am rather enjoying the quiet.”
“It has certainly been in short supply with Miss Alice and Harrison here.”
“Has he always been this way?”
“Allow me to share something about Harrison that very few people are aware of, but you did not hear it from me,” he responded, sending her a gentle look.
“Of course not, although I am fairly certain he will immediately know that you were the one who told me.”
“Indeed, but nevertheless. Harrison is very pompous, and he likes receiving attention, whether it is the right or the wrong kind. He also loves it when he gets reactions from people.”
“Hence the reason he thrives on tormenting Alice,” Emma said flatly.
“Indeed.”
“If she were the daughter of an Earl?”
“It would not matter. The best possible thing that Alice can do is not show any reaction, and not give in to Harrison.”
“That would be rather difficult for her.”
“Seems as if they are more alike than I initially thought.”
“They are both stubborn, if that is what you are insinuating,” Emma observed.
“Indeed.”
“Despite Alice’s hostile reactions, she has a very soft heart. She is not as tough as she pretends to be, my love.”
“Nor are any of us, really.”
“Except for Lord Harrison.”
“Goodness,” Alice muttered as she stepped out onto the terrace. “Can I not walk into a room without hearing his name?”
“Good morning, my dear friend,” Emma greeted her warmly. “Come sit with us.”
Alice nodded and sat beside Emma.
“How did you sleep?” the Duke asked.
“Well enough. Although there was a strange noise coming from down the hallway. It almost sounded like-”
“What?”
“No, I was probably imagining it.”
“What did you hear, Alice?” Emma asked.
“It is not important,” she fobbed it off.
“Where did you disappear to last evening? I thought we were meeting in the ballroom.”
Alice glanced at her, and suddenly remembered their arranged meeting. They were to decide how to arrange the tables, but Alice had been in such a state after speaking with Lord Harrison that it completely slipped her mind. She pressed her hand against her chest and glanced apologetically at Emma. “I am truly sorry. I completely forgot.”
“Did something happen last evening?” the Duke asked.
“Nothing of importance,” Alice answered coldly.
“If there is something you wish to discuss with us,” Emma said, “you are more than welcome to do so.”
“I will even leave if you wish to speak to Miss Emma in private,” the Duke offered.
“No, that will not be necessary, but thank you for the offer. You are truly a gentleman,” Alice said with a smile, but her expression soon turned into a bitter one. “Perhaps the only gentleman at the estate.”
“What has he done now?”
“I do not wish to waste my time speaking of him any longer. If he insists on tormenting me any longer, he can, but I refuse to react to any of the hurtful and foolish things he says.”
The Duke and Emma exchanged worried glances and Emma sighed. Her frown soon turned into a smile and she placed her hand on Alice’s shoulder. “Perhaps you and I can go to the dressmaker and I will show you my wedding gown.”
Alice glanced at her and smiled as well. “Really?”
“Of course. You are my dearest friend.”
“That hardly seems fair,” the Duke pouted.
“What do you mean?” Emma asked.
“Why is she allowed to see the wedding gown, but I am not,” he asked.
“You are not allowed to see it until the moment she walks down the aisle,” Alice pointed out.
“Precisely,” Emma grinned broadly. “Do you and Lord Harrison have any fittings to do today?”
“If I can find out where he is, then yes.”
“Did he leave the estate?” Emma asked.
“I doubt it. His things are still in his chamber,”
“Perhaps you should look for him, then the four of us c
an have lunch later. In the garden. How does that sound?”
To Be His Lady: A Regency Romance (Finding Forever Love) Page 2
