After a Fashion (A Class of Their Own #1)(63)
“And then what?”
Everett looked up. “This is going to come as a bit of a shock, but we ran into none other than the Duke of Westmoore, who just happened to arrive in the city earlier than expected.”
“The duke’s in town?”
“I’m afraid he is, and . . . Miss Dixon told the duke we were planning on going to Delmonico’s tonight, along with you and Harriet.” Everett’s expression turned a little pained. “You’ll be happy to learn that Miss Dixon then extended the duke and his family an invitation to join us this evening and he was only too happy to accept. So you see, it’s hardly advisable now to discontinue your plan with Harriet, but we can always hope that you’re right and keeping her by your side will, indeed, keep her safe.”
14
Squinting against the bright afternoon sun, Harriet considered the address painted across the awning of the shop she was standing in front of. Looking down at the card in her hand, she frowned and turned to Lucetta. “Oliver must have written down the wrong address, since it’s clear this location is currently occupied.”
“We should have known something was wrong when we ended up on the Ladies’ Mile,” Lucetta said before she adjusted the huge hat she’d placed over a wig of dowdy brown. “It’s a truly enviable space, but . . . why are you looking at me like that?”
Harriet grinned. “I still don’t understand why you insisted on traveling out and about in disguise, especially since you had to raid Abigail’s attic to find something to wear. That dress you chose has to be at least thirty years out of date, and I’m quite certain you’re drawing more attention wearing it than if you’d simply come out as yourself.”
“I’m on holiday from the theater at the moment, which means I have no desire for anyone to recognize me.” Lucetta smiled. “Besides, Millie’s wearing a costume, and I certainly didn’t want her to feel odd about that circumstance.”
Harriet looked to the left and settled her attention on Millie, who was dressed as the perfect lady’s maid in a skirt of navy, white shirt, and pristine apron. She was trying to tug an obviously reluctant Buford, who didn’t seem too keen to be on the end of a brightly colored piece of rope. By the time Millie finally dragged him up beside Harriet, she had a decidedly grumpy look about her.
“I don’t think Buford likes this fancy collar and leash you made for him,” Millie said with a huff. “The pink and purple is obviously embarrassing him, which is causing him to be a touch capitalistic.”
“He’s an advocate of capitalism?” Lucetta asked slowly.
Millie let out another huff. “I knew I shouldn’t have tried a big word when I don’t have my dictionary handy. Now it’s going to drive me mad trying to figure out what I meant to say.”
“Cantankerous, perhaps?” Lucetta suggested.
“What does that mean?”
“Grouchy,” Harriet supplied before giving Buford a good scratch, earning a tail wag in the process. “And I told you I’d take care of Buford, but you, being annoyingly stubborn, refused my offer.”
“Society ladies don’t walk their own dogs unless they’re in Newport,” Millie said. “Since I’m your maid, it’s my job, but . . . why did you and Lucetta stop in front of this shop?”
“According to the directions Oliver gave me, this is supposed to be my new space, but he clearly wrote down the wrong address.” Harriet shrugged. “It’s probably for the best this space is occupied, given that I’m sure the rent is outrageous. I will need to pinch pennies for the first couple of years, even given the money Oliver’s paying me.”
“Speaking of Oliver,” Lucetta began, “I have to admit, unwillingly of course, that he’s really not what I expected.”
“You didn’t expect him to be a seriously flawed gentleman with a propensity for arrogance?”
“Of course I did,” Lucetta said with a snort. “All society gentlemen are arrogant, but most of them aren’t . . . thoughtful.”
“You think Oliver’s thoughtful?”
“Occasionally, yes. He didn’t have to search out premises for your shop.”
“He gave us the wrong address for that shop.”
“True, but there is shop space out there somewhere that he has found for you, and that’s rather sweet, don’t you think?”
“I’d prefer not to think of Oliver at all.”
“Now you’re being cantankerous.”
“Since we seem to be at the wrong place, and since Buford is certain to take my arm off soon with his tugs, shall we go back to Abigail’s house?” Millie asked.
Harriet shook her head. “We can’t go back just yet because I told Abigail we’d be gone a few hours. Truth be told, she seemed downright tickled to have us out of the house for a bit.”
Millie bit her lip. “But aren’t you a little concerned that Jane might find us out here in the open?”
“The main threat we were facing from Jane stemmed from that necklace she sent me,” Harriet said. “Since I gave the necklace to Reverend Gilmore, and he has discreetly handed it over to the police on the chance someone has reported it missing, Jane currently has no hold over us.”