“If Harrison is jealous of Lockwood—”
“Harrison is not jealous. He’s being protective of me because of our past friendship.”
“Even so, we cannot have the other girls suspecting jealousy, else he’ll never find a bride and Lockwood will never propose . . . unless that is your purpose?”
“What do you mean?”
“Madeline.” Her mother stopped and let the other ladies go on ahead of them so they were alone. “I know you and Harrison were close all those years. He did seem particularly fond of you during your debut. I hope you are not seriously thinking of throwing over a duke for—”
“Absolutely not.”
“Good, because your father and I want you to have the best. Someone powerful who will lay the world at your feet. Harrison is a nice boy but he is not a duke, with hundreds of years of lineage and history, pomp and circumstance. I never could have reached so high, but you, my girl, can have absolutely everything you desire once you become a duchess.”
“I know, Mama. I am eager for Lockwood to propose.”
“Good. To ensure it, you must fix this situation between the two men. If they spend time together, they’ll come to like one another.”
Maddie wasn’t certain that would work, but she would try. “I’ll invite them to play tennis tomorrow morning. Kit, too.”
“Good idea.” Mama continued to her favorite velvet sofa and addressed the room. “Ladies, let’s enjoy our coffee in peace before the men join us.”
Coffee, fruit and tiny cakes were passed about. Before Maddie could sit, Katherine waved her over to the window. “Maddie, a word.”
She went over. “Yes?”
Katherine lowered her voice. “Will you come with me tomorrow?”
“Come with you . . . ?”
“On the picnic with Mr. Archer.”
Maddie frowned, unsure what to say. “But that is your prize. Why would you want me there?”
Katherine’s hands twisted, her eyes wild with panic. “I’d feel more comfortable with you there than my aunt. She will embarrass me to death.”
“Oh.” She had no idea what to say. It stood to reason that Katherine would prefer an outing without an elderly aunt looming the entire time, but Maddie wasn’t certain how she felt about serving as a chaperone. To watch Harrison and Katherine laugh and smile at one another sounded positively awful. Yet who else could do it? “What if I sent a maid? Or one of the other ladies?”
“No, Maddie. It has to be you. Otherwise we’ll just stare at the sea and search for topics of conversation. It’ll be so awkward.”
“I swear that Harrison is easy to talk to. Did you not have a good time hunting eggs today? What did you discuss?”
“You, mostly.” Katherine took a breath, then pressed her case, reaching out to grab Maddie’s hand. “I don’t know him as well as you do. Please. Please say you’ll come.”
Maddie couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse. “Fine. I’ll come. May I bring the duke? That could be a fun outing, the four of us.”
Katherine’s face fell. “Oh, I thought . . . that is, it’ll be more of a group outing then. Not a way for me to get to know Harrison.”
That made sense. The winners had been promised a picnic with Harrison, not another man. “No, no. You’re right. Just the three of us, then.”
Katherine bounced on her toes and squealed. “You are a peach, Maddie. Thank you. I promise, we’ll have a grand time.”
Maddie sincerely doubted that.
Dressed in their summer whites, Harrison and Kit traipsed through the chateau’s quiet corridors until they reached the terrace. The morning sun was barely up in the sky and they’d already been summoned for lawn tennis.
White stripes outlined the court, the grass worn from Maddie’s regular use. During their summers together, she and Harrison had played nearly every day. Back then, they’d been fairly evenly matched, but he was sorely out of practice. Three years of debauchery and an office job hadn’t done much to improve his game.
He nearly tripped when he caught sight of Lockwood, clad in a white sweater and matching trousers, standing with Maddie. Damn it. He hadn’t known the duke planned on joining them.
Harrison wanted her all to himself.
“I hope you have coffee,” Kit shouted as they approached. “This is too early to be awake.”
“You should go to bed earlier,” she called back. “But yes, there is coffee.” She pointed to a table set up alongside the court, where a silver carafe gleamed in the sunlight.
“Thank Christ. You may have first game,” he told Harrison. “I need to sit down.”
“I told you not to stay out all night at the casino.”
“I won three hundred dollars, I’ll have you know.”
“As if you need the money.”
“That’s hardly the point,” Kit grumbled as he shuffled off in search of coffee and a chair.
Harrison went over to where Maddie and the duke waited. “Any reason this could not have transpired at a normal hour?”
She bounced the strings of her racket against the palm of her free hand. “A very good morning to you, too. We are playing now because it’s still cool out—and stop complaining. Everyone staying up late is not my fault.”
Harrison had gone to bed at a reasonable time, leaving Kit to take Lockwood to the Newport Casino. Knowing that the duke was gambling instead of spending time with Maddie had allowed Harrison to actually get a decent night’s sleep. “Who has first game?”
“I thought we’d play doubles,” Maddie said. “You and Lockwood versus Kit and me.”
A harsh refusal lodged in Harrison’s throat. Before he could speak, Kit ambled over, a porcelain cup cradled in his hands. “Wait a moment. No offense to His Grace, but those matchups hardly seem fair. Harrison is woefully out of practice and we have no idea if the duke is even competent on the court.”
“I am familiar with the game,” Lockwood said. “I’ll do just fine.”
“When was the last time you played?” Harrison asked.
“Miss Webster and I played in New York a time or two.”
Harrison ground his teeth together, trying very hard not to react. He hated the idea of Maddie playing lawn tennis with the duke, showing off her bright smiles and sweaty skin. Jealousy burned under his sternum. “Lockwood and Kit will partner up, with you and I on the other team.”
“But I thought . . .” She trailed off, then sighed. “All right. Perhaps we’ll switch it up after a few sets.”
They decided on ends of the court and selected rackets. Harrison followed Maddie, watching her lightweight skirts swirl about her ankles, a jaunty spring in her step. She truly loved the game, a passion that always made him smile to witness.
He felt a bit jaunty himself, actually. Lockwood had spent the night out on the town instead of wooing his potential fiancée. Perhaps the duke was reconsidering his matrimonial prospects, being surrounded by all these eligible young ladies.
Not that it mattered to Harrison. His only concern was Maddie. Perhaps he should dig a little, see what he could find out. “Did you sleep well?”