“Pardon me, ma’am.” The butler stepped into the room. “An express has just arrived.”
“At this time of day?” Samantha said in surprise.
“It was not the regular express rider, ma’am.” The butler’s eyebrows rose over a speaking look.
“One of my brother’s men?”
The seasoned servant gave a tiny tilt of his head in affirmation while saying, “He did not wear the Lillesley livery, but he was familiar. Therefore, it might be as you said.”
The man was good at his job, and likely had been visited more than once by Edmund to make sure that he was impeccably discreet.
“It is from the colonel,” Samantha said as she scanned the letter. “He regrets to inform me that he will not be able to attend tonight’s soiree.” She refolded the sheet of paper from which she had read the words. “It is as you expected. He is unable to leave his friends in Hertfordshire even for a ball as lovely as the one he knows I will host.” She smiled. “He is a dear man, is he not?”
“The dearest,” Harriet agreed. Her colonel did not write pretty words just to hear how beautiful they sounded when read. He was not the prevaricating sort. Well, he was not when it came to sending his regrets to dear friends such as Samantha and Julius were to him. However, when it came to his work for her brother – the colonel was exceptionally good at performing a bit of duplicity and sleight of hand when needed.
“He enclosed a note for you.”
Harriet snatched the missive from her sister. “You will not tell Edmund, will you?”
Samantha chuckled. “Would the colonel have sent that to me if he thought I would?”
That was true. Richard was careful when it came to their brother, for Edmund was now his superior, both in business and rank, and held the power to grant or deny any petition to marry Harriet that was put forward. Stepping too far outside the bounds or propriety would not be met with a favourable response. Harriet knew this from experience.
Quickly, she unfolded the precious letter. “It is a piece of music, but just the top line and only single notes.” She sat down at the instrument and began to pluck out the tune. “Oh, my!” she said after having only played five notes. “It is the song he played last year when we were here together.” Tears pricked her eyes. How she wished he could be here tonight – right this moment.
“What a sweet gift! Is that all he enclosed?”
Harriet shook her head as one of those tears that had pricked her eyes escaped and raced down her cheek. Richard’s note was short, direct, and filled with as much love and longing as Harriet’s heart felt.
Samantha sat down next to her on the small bench at the piano.
“I cannot play this without thinking of you,” Harriet read. “Tonight, I will play it before I retire for the night and waltz with you in my dreams. One day… hopefully, one day… I will waltz with you openly and not in secret. Do try to have a good time tonight despite all the hopeful swains you will have to fend off.”
“Oh, I want to box Edmund’s ears!” Samantha cried.
“For what?”
Harriet folded the paper in half and slipped it under the edge of her leg at her brother’s question.
“For sneaking into rooms and scaring me half to death,” Samantha answered. “I am sure it is not safe for one in my state to be startled in such a fashion.”
Harriet grabbed Samantha’s hand as she rose from where she had been sitting. “Are you pregnant?”
“I am. I was not going to tell anyone until after tonight, but our brother really does need to be more cautious.” She glared at Edmund.
“You are pregnant?” There was a hint of distrust in Edmund’s voice.
Samantha smoothed her dress over her belly, revealing a slight protrusion. “Will this do, or shall I call my lady’s maid to inform you about my missed courses?”
Edmund huffed. “You must admit that your announcement of your condition seems rather convenient to distract me from the true answer to my question.” He wrapped Samantha in a hug – though she attempted to push him away – and said, “Congratulations. I will try not to scare you too often.”
“Thank you. Now, I really must go see that all is ready for our guests. If you are here, then, others will soon be also.”
“No so fast, Mrs. (name to be determined). Everything looked perfect when I arrived. I am as certain that nothing needs checking as I am that your answer to why you wanted to box my ears was not the real reason since I had not scared you until after you said it. Hmmm.”
“The colonel has sent me regrets. He will not be attending tonight, and we all know that is your doing.”
Edmund rolled his eyes. “I did not sent him to Hertfordshire because I did not want him to attend tonight’s ball.”
“Why did you send him there?” Harriet asked. “I thought he was merely visiting family.”
“I did not say I sent him to Hertfordshire.”
“No, you did not, but what you did say implied that you did send him.”
“I hear Mr. (name to be determined) will be here tonight. He seems a fine option as a suitor.”
Harriet batted her eyelashes at her brother. She knew exactly what he was doing. He did not want to admit that she was right. He had sent Richard to Hertfordshire. “And as I have told you before, I refuse to marry anyone who is not Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
Her brother sighed loudly. “His job is dangerous.”
“Is it? And why is that?”
He growled. “Harriet!”
Again, she batted her lashes at him, but this time she only smiled without saying a word.
“You used to be her favorite, you know,” Samantha whispered.
Edmund scrubbed his face. “Used to be? And who is her favourite now? Richard, I suppose.”
“I meant within our family, but I will give you credit for being smart enough to know how she feels about your friend.” Samantha rested a hand on Edmund’s upper arm. “Please, let her follow her heart on this.”
“I wish I could…”
“I do not see why you cannot.” Harriet stood and openly folded her missive.
“What is that?”
“A letter.”
“From whom?”
“No one of significance to you, although at one time he was.”
“Harriet, please, try to understand my position. There are things I know…” He shook his head.
She shrugged. “Is he watching a maid?” That got Edmund’s full attention. It was answer enough. She sighed. “If you can trust him to watch others, why can you not trust him with me?”
“It is not that I do not trust him with you. He is my best man.” He huffed again. “You would not understand.”
Harriet gasped. “Oh! Well, I see.”
His eyes narrowed. “What do you see?”
She fluttered her lashes. “What needs to be done, of course.”
“What is that?” trepidation laced his words.
“You would not understand,” she replied with a sassy grin. “And I am not going to tell you.”
“Harriet,” Edmund begged as he followed her from the room, “do not cause a scene or ruin your chances of marrying well. Please.”
“I would never do that.” At least, not unless it was necessary. Richard deserved to marry a respectable wife who could support him in all that he did, and Edmund did not need to fear losing his best man because he got married. She could deal with danger, and she could be an asset to her brother’s work. All she had to do to prove herself and clear the way to marry her beloved colonel was find that watch and an answer to why Matthew really died.
