* * *
When Nate strolled into the breakfast room he was surprised not to find his mother already there. He hoped she wasn’t ill. “Hulatt, do you know where her ladyship is?”
“Yes, my lord.” The butler took a fresh pot of tea from a footman and placed it on the table. “She broke her fast and left. She said to tell you she would see you this evening.”
That was unusual. “Did she tell you where she had gone?”
“This is her day to visit the charity school of which she is a sponsor.”
His mother was involved with a charity school? She really had changed. Yet, he was glad for it. “Thank you. I will depart shortly before eleven. Please have Darragh brought around before then.”
“Will you be taking Padraig as well?”
Nate glanced at the dog lying before the fireplace. He couldn’t put the dog in the carriage with the ladies, and he did not like the idea of him being on the road during the ride to Richmond. Then there was the matter of having to mind him while he was there, and the only thing he wanted to concentrate on today was Henrietta. “No. I’ll leave him here.”
“Very good, my lord. We will be happy to care for him.”
“Thank you.” Although Padraig would most likely sleep most of the day away.
A plate was set before Nate. They did not have a sideboard with selections as they had in both his father’s and brother’s time; both he and his mother ate the same thing every day. Some form of eggs, toast, and some kind of meat, so there was no need for it. He picked up the newspaper that had been folded and set next to his plate. As he suspected, there was not much going on until the Season began. He read over the list of new arrivals to Town, but knew only a few of them, who had been friends with his father. Nate would cultivate his own set of friends, as he had started doing. He turned the page. Even the court schedule was thin of events.
At eleven he rode to the entrance of Grosvenor Square and met Henrietta and her—no, their—friends. It was good to be able to say that, even if only to himself.
A chorus of “good mornings” rang out when they saw him.
“Good morning,” he called out. Nate didn’t think he’d ever been happier. When he glanced at the carriage, he saw Lady Exeter was holding her baby, and a maid sat on the backward-facing seat. Four footmen rode behind the landau.
“I could not leave her for so long,” she said.
“She’s beautiful.”
“We think so.” She beamed with pride.
They made slow progress until they reached the city’s outskirts and the countryside opened up. There was still some traffic, but the gentlemen were more easily able to converse with the ladies. Although it was harder for Nate, as Henrietta was seated in the middle again.
“I see you decided to leave Padraig at home,” she said.
“I was concerned about the London traffic.” Nate grinned at her. “And I could not very well beg a seat for him in the carriage.”
Her eyes sparkled with laughter. “No, we have enough passengers. Perhaps you can design a carriage with a box for him on the back.”
He had an image of her in an open carriage and a place for his dog in a seat behind the main part of the vehicle. “Hmm, you’ve given me something to consider.”
Both Lady Exeter and Lady Turley flashed him looks of approval. He wondered if they were promoting Bolingbroke and St. Albans as well, then decided not to think about the other men. Nate was in too good a mood to spoil it by thinking of his rivals.
“Does anyone know where the best place to set up our luncheon will be?” Henrietta asked.
“I did some research yesterday,” Turley said. “I think Pen Ponds will be a nice area.”
“That is what Exeter decided as well,” his wife opined.
When they arrived Nate helped the other two men lay out large blankets and take the baskets of food and drink to the blankets where the ladies unpacked them. Large chunks of cheese, bread so fresh you could still smell it, roasted chickens, salad, fruit, wine, and cider made up the meal. Henrietta made up plates for both of them.
“I just gave you a little of everything.”
“That’s perfect.” He took the porcelain plates as she sat on an area of the blanket he had chosen. “What type of cheese is that?”
“I do not know, but I am positive it comes from their main estate.” She glanced at the other two ladies. “Some of us are becoming competitive over cheese.”
“I hope it doesn’t cause a falling out.” He spread some of the soft cheese on a piece of bread.
“I do not think it will. Thus far, everyone has different cheeses. As you see, the Exeter cheese is soft. Whereas the Littleton cheese is crumbly and very sharp. I have not had an opportunity to taste the Turley cheese, but I have been told it is much like Stilton cheese.” She spread a large serviette on her lap. “Do you make cheese?”
“I do.” She munched on a chicken leg and waited for him to continue. “It is yellow and semi-hard. I don’t know quite how to describe the taste, but I think you will like it a great deal.”
“We could have a tasting someday.”
“That would be interesting.” Did that mean she wanted him? Sometimes he thought she did, but at other times he wasn’t sure. A footman came around with white wine that looked as if it had been chilled and more cider. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Yes, please.” The base of the wine glass was as large as the cup, making it more stable on the ground. She set it down next to her.
“You look as if you have a deal of experience dining al fresco.”
“I do. My family and the Carpenter family, Grace Worthington’s relations, are close neighbors. It was a way we could all come together easily. Did you not have neighbors with whom you socialized?”
“Not in that way.” He wished he had. “The gatherings were much more formal. My father was a high-stickler.”
“Ah.” Henrietta gave him a pitying look. “The sort of person who would not allow you to play with others of inferior status or rank?”
“Yes. I was sent away to school at eight years.” Even now he recalled how distraught he’d been at leaving home at that age.
Her lips pressed into a straight, disapproving line. “My brother did not go to Eton until he was twelve.”
Nate swallowed the last of his bread and cheese. “When I have a son that is what I’ll do too. Eight is too young.”
“Much too young,” she agreed.
He could see them with a son, loving him and teaching him all he needed to know before going off to school. He glanced at her and their eyes met. Had she been thinking the same thing?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Henrietta fell into Fotherby’s blue-green gaze. It was almost as if they were planning their lives together. A footman came around, breaking the spell she seemed to be under.
“May I take the plates?” the servant asked.
“Yes.” She handed the plates, silver, and glasses to the footman, then rose, shook out her skirts, and glanced around. All of their friends had fallen asleep. “My lord, would you care to take a walk?”
“I would.” Fotherby had already scrambled to his feet when she stood. “There appear to be a good many paths. Which way would you like to go?”