“Every one? Did you have any in the back?”
Eliza looked at her. “Yes, my lady. All of them. We had two crates in the back ready to be brought out if the others sold and it seems the buyer purchased them all.” She read over the transaction again, her eyes slightly wider than normal. “And he paid five pounds!” Eliza looked up at her from the book. “My lady, that is well above what they would have been worth.”
Anne Marie was confused. Why would anyone purchase every single Foxglove in Eliza’s shop? She looked back at Clara, who looked just as confused.
“When do you think you will get more?” she asked, moving her eyes back to Eliza. The shorter woman blinked rapidly.
“Well, I suppose Thaddeus can reach out to the supplier sooner than usual to replenish. They are all completely gone, so I need to get more in stock. I will come by the hotel when they come in. If you are still here.”
“How long will it take?”
“I will take care of it as quickly as I can, I promise.” Eliza smiled at her. “Perhaps it will encourage you to stay for a while longer. Waiting for your flowers? I will give you an extra one for free when you get some.”
CHAPTER SIX
INVITATION TO A BALL
INVITATION TO A BALL
After leaving the flower shop, Anne Marie and Clara visited the dress shop next door. They were greeted at the door by the lively Polly Tweddle, who was very excited by their presence. She flitted from one rack to another showing them her wares and telling them what fashions they would look best in. Anne Marie and Clara just followed behind her, listening and smiling.
Just as Polly was about to describe the last set of dresses she was designing and what type of fabric she was going to use, the door opened, the bell tinkling above it. The three women looked up to see the oldest and youngest Cornwall sons enter. Anne Marie and Clara exchanged a glance.
“Welcome, my lords! Please come in. You are looking for a dress?”
“Lady Tweddle, it is good to see you. We need a dress for our mother. As you know, our Bella is getting married soon. My brothers and I want to give our mother a special dress. Do you have any recommendations?”
Polly turned to the women. “I do hope you will excuse me for a moment?”
“Yes, yes.” Anne Marie nodded and waved her off. Polly held up her hand and the young men walked past the women, tipping their hats.
“I do hope we haven’t interrupted, my lady.” Tyler stopped for a moment to speak to Anne Marie.
“Not at all, my lord. Lady Tweddle was giving us a tour of her shop. We were able to see only a fraction of her stock yesterday.”
“I appreciate your patience.”
“Not at all.” Anne Marie repeated. She gazed at his handsome face, wondering if there was any kind of a spark to be seen there. He was a handsome man that would someday inherit the title of Duke of Bellhouse. However, Anne Marie only saw an intelligent, friendly man before her. He moved on and his brother Cameron went by them, bowing slightly as he passed.
The title made no difference to her. She didn’t even know what to do with her own title of Viscountess. She was rather lower ranking when it came to the nobility, which was one of the reasons she was still searching for a husband. In every town and village she had visited, those who were of a position that was acceptable to her uncle were not interested in her, as she had little to offer other than herself. With her knowledge and intelligence as a learned woman, she sometimes came off as intimidating.
None of the men she had met so far made her feel the way James did. Just being in his presence was comforting to her. She and Clara watched as the young men consulted a number of drawings Polly was showing them.
The bell above the door jingled again and the women turned. It was James. He looked at the two of them, moved his eyes to where his friends were standing with Polly and then turned them back to the women.
“Good afternoon.” He said. “It is a beautiful day, is it not? You have been on a walk in the park, I take it?” He walked over to them and stood, his hands in the loose pockets of his pants. He was dressed in very casual clothes. Anne Marie was envious, thinking about the mop on top of her head that had yet to be cooled and dry. She dabbed at the tiny trickles of sweat on her forehead before they could be seen by him or anyone else.
“It is beautiful but there is a great deal of moisture in the air. It feels a bit stuffy to me. Do you not agree?”
James shrugged. She couldn’t get past his casual nature. His blue eyes sparkled like the eyes of a little boy who had just brought a frog into his mother’s flower shop. Anne Marie felt a wave of affection for him flow through her. She smiled and was gratified to see him smile back.
“You know about the ball in two days?”
Anne Marie shook her head. “We had not heard about it.”
“I’m sure you would be welcome. The Cornwall's have frequent parties. Would you like to come?”
“That would be lovely. Should we ask Lord Cornwall about it?” she turned her eyes to see that the men were still talking to Polly, having decided on a particular dress design they wanted for their mother.
“If it makes you comfortable to do so. My invitation, however, will do.”
Anne Marie nodded, looking back at him.
“You are very close to the Duke’s sons.” Clara said. “Have you been friends for a long time?”
James leaned over and spoke in such a low voice both women leaned closer to him to hear.
“We are childhood friends. I am 23 and grew up playing with the three older boys. Tyler is 25, Nicholas is 24, and Steven is my age. We have always gotten along very well. It is odd, I’m sure, to see nobles consorting with commoners so frequently. But our little village of Bainbridge is small and there are no other nobles living in this area besides the Duke and Duchess.”
“I look forward to meeting them,” Anne Marie said in an equally low voice. “If their sons are any indication of their characters, I expect they will be grand people.”
James smiled. “They are good mates. And good businessmen.”
“Why is Lord Tyler not married already? He is a handsome man and has wealth and a title.”
“Those are all things a woman would want.” Clara added.
With another shrug of his shoulders, James stood up straight, his smile remaining on his face. “I think that is a matter best left to Lord Tyler to explain when and if he chooses to do so.”
“I apologize, sir.” Anne Marie said.
The two Cornwall men had finished with their shopping and were headed back to where James and the women were standing.
“Good to see you made it, James.” Tyler said, greeting his friend by gripping his arm quickly. “We have decided on a dress for Mother and would like your opinion.”
James laughed. “Why would you want my opinion? It’s your mother. She’s a Duchess. What would I know about dressing a Duchess?”
Tyler laughed. “We would like the opinion of everyone here. Our brothers were unable to come and we need some reassurance that our taste is not flawed.” He pulled up a pencil drawing of a dress that looked somewhat similar to one that Anne Marie owned. She made a mental note not to wear that one to the wedding. “Lady Tweddle has this dress and will fit it to mother’s measurements. What is your opinion?”
All three of them expressed their approval of the dress.
“Then it is final. We will take this one, Lady Tweddle.”
“Wonderful choice, my lord.”
“We’ll meet you outside, Tyler.” James said. Tyler nodded at him.
Anne Marie enjoyed the tinkle of the bell above her head as they went through the door. The sun was still shining, though it was slowly dipping into the horizon as evening moved in.
“Soon it will be time for dinner.” Clara said. Anne Marie looked at her.
“Are you hungry?”
“Not very much.”
Anne Marie just nodded. She wasn’t hungry either. but her feet were starting t
o feel fatigued. She wanted to sit down and give them a rest.
“We still have a few hours. What would you like to see? We have several gardens and parks in the area. We have a very large and very old tree that visitors come to see on occasion.”
“I would like to sit down and rest. Are there any benches in these gardens you speak of?” Anne Marie said.
James smiled. “There are. And in this particular garden I will show you, there are specially designed and sculpted bushes and trees.”
“That sounds lovely. I would like to see it.”
When the Cornwall sons came out of the dress shop, James invited them to come with them to the Garden of Devon. They declined, saying they were already overdue at the Estate for a consultation with their father.
As they parted ways, Clara gave Anne Marie’s arm a tug and gestured with her head toward the elder Cornwall. Anne Marie frowned slightly and shook her head.
“You don’t think we will be caught coming back in the dark, do you? I do not have a torch or a lantern.”
James shook his head, beginning to walk in the opposite direction from the Cornwall sons. “It is closer than you think. We will have plenty of time to enjoy the beauty and get back before dinner. Dinner will be held before it gets dark. The sun doesn’t dip behind the horizon that quickly, my lady.” She could hear the amusement in his voice. He was teasing her. It gave her a warm feeling inside.
As they walked, she became lost in her thoughts and stopped listening to James and Clara, who were talking about the upcoming ball. She would plan out a letter to her uncle to see if he would give her a way out of the requirement that the man she chooses be a man of nobility. He was a generous man and had always been kind to her, wanting to keep her safe from harm. He wanted her happy. He would listen to her, she was sure of it.
Doubt crept in her mind. What if he didn’t? She was already close to letting her heart go. She was prepared for James to take her in his strong arms and pledge his love for her.
She watched him as he walked, his casual stroll unlike the majority of the men she knew. It was as though he hadn’t a care in the world. It didn’t matter to him that he was not wealthy like his good friends, the Cornwall's. He was considered nothing more than a gentleman at best and he knew it.
It didn’t stop his positive countenance. That fact simply made him more attractive to Anne Marie.
She focused in on what they were talking about when she saw the look on Clara’s face. She was looking up at James with an adoration that was obvious for all to see. Anne Marie wondered if James was seeing what she was seeing.
“It will be lovely to be at a party where everyone has the opportunity to dance,” she was saying. “There have been a great many I have attended with my Lady and as a companion, I am sometimes considered a servant. I have been made to go to the servant’s quarters to wait for my Lady to finish the dance.”
“Yes, I hear that is typical. That doesn’t happen here in Bainbridge. We have Earls and Counts and the like. But Duke Cornwall and his family are the highest in rank and they welcome all visitors to their home.”
“I am impressed, sir. I am impressed.” Clara nodded.
“You will be impressed with the garden. Come it’s just this way.”
James was right.
The garden he spoke of was surrounded by an outline of weeping willows, their branches reaching down to the ground all around them. They walked through an opening into the Garden and both women gasped.
“Oh, James, this is beautiful. How can it be that there is no one here enjoying it?”
“There is almost always someone in this garden on a normal day.” James replied. “Today happens to be us.”
A path wound its way around and through the garden, taking the observer on a short tour of the flowers, bushes, and trees. Most of the bushes were shaped like animals. Anne Marie stopped in front of a leaping tiger and stared at it.
Along with the shaped bushes were stone sculptures. Each one had an inscription on the bottom.
“Here is a comfortable bench, my lady.” James said, standing next to a white stone bench with raised arm rests carved into it.
Anne Marie took a seat gratefully and sighed to be off her feet. “This is comfortable, thank you, James.”
“You are welcome, my lady.”
Anne Marie felt something brush against her foot when she put them under the bench. She pulled up her skirt and looked at her ankles. A single purple Foxglove was lying there. She gasped and picked it up.
“Is this not the most beautiful sight you have ever seen?” She looked up at James and noticed he was gazing at the flower with curiosity. “I wonder how it got here?”
He looked into her eyes and shook his head. “It is a beautiful flower, my lady.”
“This is my favorite type of flower.” She said, blinking and staring at the flower.
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
“Well,” James’ voice was soft. “I guess you were meant to find it then.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
OVERHEARD CONVERSATIONS
OVERHEARD CONVERSATIONS
James watched as the ladies went up the stairs to change for dinner. When they were out of sight, he went to the kitchen to see if his mother or sister were there. He pushed open the door and saw that they were both there, preparing food. Katrina was cutting onions at the table. His mother was standing at the counter behind her daughter, rolling dough in her hands.
“Do you need my help, Mother?” James came up behind his mother and leaned over her shoulder. She jumped a little and giggled.
“Oh James, you frightened me.”
James laughed with her, taking a step back. “I’m sorry, Mother. I didn’t mean to. I see we are having roast ham tonight?”
“Oh, yes. I thought it would be nice to make a roast for the Lady Wiltshire and her companion. They do seem like such lovely young ladies.”
“I agree.”
“I know he does, Mother,” Katrina said in a teasing voice, giving her brother a narrow-eyed look over her shoulder. “I see the way he looks at her. I’ll bet you do, too.”
Judith raised her eyebrows, looking up at James. “Oh? The Lady is looking for a husband, is she not?”
“Is she?” James dropped his head in a failed attempt to hide his grin.
“You must realize, though, that she is above your station. Surely she will not be open to courting.”
James sat across from his sister, picking up a long loaf of bread his mother had already baked and grabbing a knife to slice it with. “We will have to see, Katrina. She is very amiable. There may be a chance for me.”
“One can only hope.” A new voice was added to the mix when Earl Kipling entered the kitchen. “I hope you do not mind my coming in. I thought I might be able to offer my assistance with any preparations you might need?”
“That is generous of you, my lord.” Judith was surprised. “It seems the arrival of the Viscountess and her companion has suddenly made the men in this house more willing to participate.”
James gasped harshly and mocked surprise and hurt. “Mother! I help you with anything and everything you could possibly need done, do I not?”
“When you aren’t busy carousing with those Cornwall boys.”
The group laughed. “Those Cornwall boys…” Katrina repeated. “Oh, Mother, you are too funny.”
“Did I hear that you are interested in spending time with the Viscountess, young master?” George said, sitting at one end of the table with a glass of port in his hand. James looked at him, thinking it was doubtful the Earl had come in to offer his help. He had the impression George had heard them speaking of Anne Marie and wanted to be in the conversation, as well.
“She is a lovely woman, don’t you think, my lord?” James said, setting the knife in his hand aside to separate the slices he had cut from the loaf.
“Oh, for certain. She is quite lovely. Very intelligent. I believe she mentioned to me that her fathe
r was a scholar?”
“They were, yes, both of her parents.” James enjoyed knowing information the Earl did not, already feeling the heat of competition in the air. “Her mother knew how to read and write and made certain that her daughter got the same kind of education.”
“It is a wonderful thing, an education. All men and women should be afforded that right.” The Earl took a sip of his port and sitting back with an air of nobility. From the way he was sitting, it looked as though he were Lord of the Manor, his nose held up high as he sipped his drink.
Katrina and James shared a look before quickly going back to what they were doing.
“I agree with that, my lord.” Their mother came to sit at the other end of the table, wiping her hands on a cloth. “I was only able to learn a few words both reading and writing. I can sign my name, which is so much more satisfying than using a mark.”
“Has your daughter had any education?” The Earl asked, directing his hawkish eyes at 16-year-old Katrina. The girl blushed, refusing to look back at him.
“She has. We have made sure that she knows some reading and writing and can also sign her name. She actually has a beautiful signature.”
“I’m sure there are very few women who know as much as our Lady Wiltshire.” George said. “She is an enigma, I would even say.”
“I must assume that you plan to attempt a courtship with the Lady?” James said, feeling a strange heat lifting up from the pit of his stomach. He felt slightly nauseous as he waited for the Earl to answer.
“I am, yes. It could be a good thing, you know. If you were to become involved with a Lady of nobility only to be turned away after you have already given her your heart, it would be very hurtful and damaging to you, don’t you think?”
“I think I am a man who takes chances and risks.” James replied.
“Ah, but what good would it do?” The Earl continued in a snide voice. James could almost feel his mother’s seething temper beginning to rise. She wouldn’t say anything to the Earl, but James knew she wanted to. “What purpose would it serve? When a woman is above your status in life, it is wise to allow them to fly away like pretty little birds. They are nice to look at for a time but impossible to keep by your side. Women must rise to the standards expected of them.”
The Trouble With These Gentlemen (The BainBridge - Love & Challenges) (The Regency Romance Story) Page 5
