**THE BRAZEN SERIES is part of the GOLDEN UNIVERSE**
♦YOU MUST HAVE READ BOOK TWO, A BRAZEN DUTY, TO READ THIS SEQUEL!♦
♦♦It is ALSO recommended that you read THE GOLDEN GIRL/DUCHESS/PRINCESS & QUEEN, as events in this novel follow those!♦♦
After t...
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♪ Would I lose, If I bet my heart on you I don't wanna slow down, Won't you let me know now ♪ {Maroon 5—Bet my heart}
The next morning, Johanna woke Harriet with a squeal. Ear-piercing and shrewd, it roused Harriet from a dream she'd liked, for once—a horse ride through the countryside, far from obligations and seduction and pressure.
"Good grief, sister, what is the matter with you?" She covered her ears as she sat up and glared at Johanna, who'd hopped onto the edge of the bed. She was already dressed, but her hair was undone, undulating down her back.
"Letters." Johanna motioned at the parchments scrunched in her hands. "Invitations from your suitors! All of them! They all want your time today!"
"And why does this excite you to the point of screeching?" Harriet groaned, stretched, and threw off her covers. She waved at Johanna to hand her the summons. "There is nothing fun about a day loaded with annoyingly polite chatter and fake smiles while pretending to enjoy myself."
Johanna settled down, but couldn't quite stop fidgeting as Harriet sorted through the papers. Jacob's offer was the simplest—late morning tea in the Dining Room, or wherever else she might like. "Respond yes to him," she said, giving his letter to Johanna. "I would rather start the day with him, to ensure he has taken my requests into consideration, and has ceased his childish behavior."
"Perfect." Johanna jutted her chin at the remaining parchments. "And the others?"
"A luxurious luncheon with Pascal?" Harriet rolled her eyes. "Well, if our mouths are full, he cannot be so obnoxious, right? I will accept it." Her stomach gurgled, and she sneered at his handwriting, that somehow screamed of his pompousness; all loops and long, drawn-out letters. "Abraham offers a carriage ride on the outskirts of town..." She set that note beside her. "We will see. And this..." She held her breath, her heart fluttering in her chest at the sight of his signature. "An afternoon stroll in the gardens with Samuel. Where we might speak amongst the flowers and get to know one another better. Oh, my. Absolutely." Her skin heated, and she used his letter to fan herself.
"I already started the response for that one," said Johanna with a chuckle. "I assumed you would never miss a chance to walk with him. And I will act as chaperone for all of those."
Harriet narrowed her gaze at the thick scribbles on the next parchment. "Ralph... suggests a hunt?" She giggled. "My dear, has he ever courted a lady?"
"Some ladies hunt, Harriet," said Johanna, shaking her head. "Not you, but he does not know that. So is that a no?"
"Indeed." Harriet tossed his request aside and focused on the next. "Ah, Virgil. An early evening behind-the-scenes rehearsal for a show in town... at the theater. A new troop... oh, I have heard great things about this. I am not much for theater, but I have been meaning to make an appearance in town, anyway." She slid the note to Johanna. "Yes to this. I will attend with him, for sure. And," she winced at the following letter, its handwriting familiar and pinching her heart, "him. He proposes dinner in the Dining Room. A feast for two, he mentions."
