Harriet flushed as he handed her into the carriage. “Thank you.” She glanced over at her cousin. “Maddie convinced me to buy this dress last time we were at Madame Cerise’s.”
“Maddie isexcellentat convincing people to do things she wants them to do,” Gryff teased. “Whethertheywant to do them or not.”
His wife gave him a playful punch on the arm. “And I’m usually right. As in this case. That color is exquisite on you, Harriet.”
Harriet smiled. The turquoise silk was more flamboyant than the tones she usually chose, but she trustedMaddie’s judgment, and when she’d glanced at herself in the mirror she’d been struck by how different she looked. How sophisticated. The artful tailoring created curves she never knew she possessed, and her skin seemed to glow from within.
Was it the satisfied glow of a woman who’d finally discovered the pleasures of the flesh? Would people be able to tell, just by looking at her?
God, she hoped not. The last thing she wanted was to be inundated by lecherous gentlemen who somehow perceived the change in her.
“Any news about Uncle Henry?” Maddie asked.
Harriet shook herself from her introspection. “Yes. I just had a note from Doctor Saunders. The operation went without a hitch.”
Maddie sank back on the seat with a sigh of relief. “Oh, thatisgood news. Have you been to see him? When will he be allowed home?”
“Doctor Saunders doesn’t allow visitors. Father’s been sedated to relieve his pain, so he likely wouldn’t be aware of me anyway. He’ll be kept under strict observation for the next twelve hours, but as long as he has a full night’s rest, he’ll be allowed home tomorrow so he can continue to recuperate with me.”
“See, Itoldyou not to worry,” Maddie said.
“How long until you can remove the bandages?” Gryff asked.
“A few days, to give the eyes time to heal.”
Gryff shook his head in wonder. “Modern medicine never ceases to amaze me. Is there anything more incredible than giving a blind man back his sight?”
“A Montgomery marrying a Davies?” Maddie suggested, her brows raised in humor.
Gryff sent his wife a loving scowl and Harriet gavean envious sigh. The love between those two former enemies was something to behold.
What were she and Morgan, now she’d allowed him such shameful liberties with her body? Were they lovers? They weren’t exactly friends. But they’d never truly been enemies either, not in the purest sense of the word. She didn’t want his demise. Far from it. She wanted to continue their flirtatious rivalry forever.
Which was impossible. Morgan would be selecting a wife very soon, probably by the end of the season—maybe by the end oftonight—and they couldn’t continue their sparring once he was wed.
Harriet’s chest constricted, as if she could already sense the hole in her life that his absence would bring. It would be worse than if he simply sailed away again. If he was physically gone, she could fool herself into thinking that he might come back for her. It would be torture of a different kind to see him across the room with another woman on his arm, laughing and looking at her with the same wicked, knowing smile he’d always given her.
She bit her lip, swamped by a feeling of helplessness. Everything was changing, and she wasn’t sure she was ready. Perhaps, if Father’s operation really was a success, she’d remove herself from temptation and plan some adventures of her own.
“I can’t wait to see Morgan tonight.” Maddie chuckled.
Harriet’s heart gave a guilty leap. “Why is that?”
“Because I’m going to tell everyone who will listen about you winning that fabulous race. One should never let slip an opportunity to brag when a Montgomery bests a Davies.”
“Traitor,” Gryff muttered. “You’re a Davies now.”
Maddie sent him a superior smile. “Legally, perhaps. But in my heart, I’m still half Montgomery. Harriet didus proud. She beat him with both brains and brawn. It was magnificent.”
Harriet nodded regal acceptance of the compliment.
Gryff settled back into his seat. “I have to say, you and Morgan have provided us with some epic entertainment over the years.”
Maddie nodded. “It’s true, watching the two of you devise new and exciting ways to each annoy the other is one of my favorite pastimes.”
“We’re not that bad!” Harriet protested.
Maddie and Gryff shared a laughing glance. “You really are.”
