“I will have Cook prepare a light repast for us.” Lottie stood and pulled the bell to summon the footman. Once she gave instructions she returned to the sofa. Carter reached over and took her hand in his.
“I am waiting for an explanation, Carter. Why were we not invited to your wedding?”
Lottie took a deep breath. “That was my fault, my lady.”
Lady Huntingdon waved her hand in the air. “Please don’t stand on formality, my dear. You may call me Mother or by my given name, Harriet. But since you have a mother of your own, perhaps Harriet is better.”
Lottie’s heart thumped at the mention of her mother, but no one looked startled, or upset. And the roof did not fall in.
Harriet continued. “Very few of us have led perfect lives, making no mistakes.” She reached over and took her husband’s hand. “I’m sure my son shared with you my own indiscretion. Thank God my wonderful husband forgave me and life continued.”
Lottie almost laughed since Harriet’s ‘indiscretion’ was sitting alongside her, a flesh and blood man, not a minor thing that one can easily overlook. She was growing more uncomfortable by the minute. Harriet was so open about things that Lottie felt the need to hide. But she merely nodded at the woman.
“If the reason we were not notified of the nuptials was for some silly reason about your family, Lottie, then I will forgive you both. Not because I believe you were correct in doing that, but because you are so very young and inexperienced in the way of the world.”
Milton rolled in a tea cart with an array of sandwiches and sweets. Lottie felt her stomach growl and hoped no one else could hear it.
Happy for the interruption, she instructed the butler to place the tea cart next to her. Thank goodness for her years of training because she was able to pour tea, fix it the way each one wanted it, and place a few sandwiches and sweets on the plates she passed around with no visible shaking.
“My dear, you are so gracious and elegant and handled that so well. It must be all that wonderful training you had.” Harriet took a bite of a small sandwich and closed her eyes making a light moaning sound. “I have always loved Carter’s cook. I would love to steal her, but she won’t move to London.”
Lord Huntingdon stood. “I don’t know about you son, but instead of tea, I believe I will indulge in a bit more brandy. He held up his empty glass. Care to join me?”
“Yes, sir. That sounds perfect.” Carter joined his father at the sidebar where they began a conversation about politics.
Lottie was still reeling from the way the visit was going when she realized Harriet had said something that d
idn’t make sense.
“Excuse me, my lady—”
“—Harriet, please.”
“Yes. Sorry. You mentioned the training I had. I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
She patted her lips with her napkin and smiled. “Well, I know all about you, my dear. Your early life in the countryside, at school in France, and your time here in Bath.”
Lottie stared at the woman with her mouth agape. “How . . .” She shook her head “How do you know that?”
Harriet offered her a warm smile and popped a piece of a lemon tart into her mouth just as Carter and Lord Huntingdon joined them again. She swallowed the sweet and patted her mouth again. “Why from speaking with your mother, of course.”
Carter choked on his sip of brandy and proceeded to cough until his eyes teared. His parents had him at sixes and sevens since they walked in the door. While he was not as anxious as Lottie had been awaiting their visit, he did have some concerns about what Lottie would do if his parents denounced her, like Charles had. And he did not relish the idea of fisticuffs with his father and then throwing them out of his house.
However, given his mother’s history, he would have been very surprised if they did behave badly. He was quite happy that he’d told Lottie about his mother’s affair, so she wasn’t befuddled by his mother’s statement.
“You spoke with Lottie’s mother?” He finally got the words out. Lottie just sat there dumbstruck.
Mother had the nerve to raise her eyebrows and act surprised. “Well, of course. When my son presents me with a lovely new daughter-in-law, I certainly want to speak with her family. Make sure they feel welcomed.”
Lottie finally came out of her stupor. The grip on his hand could break his bones. “My lady—err, Harriet—I don’t know what to say. To say I am surprised is so underwhelming that I, frankly, don’t know what to say.” Lottie seemed to fumble, trying to get the words out. She looked over at him. “I said ‘say’ too many times, didn’t I?”
He understood since he felt the same way.
“Lottie, dear.” His mother stopped and considered for a moment. “I understand your mother prefers Charlotte.”
Lottie nodded. “Yes, I changed my name from Charlotte to Lottie when I moved to Bath.”
“However, your mother was most distressed to learn you had married without inviting her, either.” Mother frowned and Carter almost laughed at the look on his wife’s face. She looked like a small child taking a reprimand from her nurse.