Chapter Eight
Berry had taken Gideon’s warning to heart and stepped out yesterday with two armed footmen to escort her wherever she went. She now paced in her formal parlor, staring at the ornate clock on the mantel as the morning hour approached nine o’clock.
She looked forward to seeing Gideon and helping him put his house in shape. Of course, her friend Fiona’s home had always been lovely. But it was Gideon’s now, and he needed to make it comfortable for him and be a representation of his tastes.
She heard voices at the front door, recognized Gideon’s, and rushed into the entry hall. “You are right on time.”
She tried to tamp down the sudden pitter-patter of her heart. Gideon Knight was too handsome by far.
“So are you.” He smiled and held out his arm for her. “Ready to take on the exciting task of watching paint dry?”
She laughed and wrapped her arm around his as they walked outside. “I am breathless with anticipation. But I cannot stay long. I am due at the orphanage later this morning.”
“Would you mind my company?”
She looked up at him, surprised.
But she should not have been, for he had expressed interest in touring the orphanage. “That would be lovely. I would not mind your company at all. In fact, it would put me at ease. I did as you suggested and went everywhere with two footmen as escorts yesterday.”
“Did you encounter Hawthorne again?”
“No.” But she frowned. “However, I could not shake the feeling that I was being followed. Did you by any chance have someone watch over me?”
“No, although I should have considered it.”
“Perhaps we are making too much of Lord Hawthorne’s behavior lately.
It is disturbing, and I intend to relate my concerns to Lord Berwick when I see him Saturday evening.
We have been invited to a soirée at the British Museum to launch one of their new exhibits featuring the Lyme Regis cave drawings. ”
Gideon smiled. “So have I.”
Her eyes rounded in surprise. “Truly? I mean…no offense, but how did you manage to secure an invitation?”
“No offense taken. One of the directors is a regular patron at the Musket Club, but he’s a steady fellow. He doesn’t ever bet above his means. Nor does he drink to excess. We got to chatting last night about the hazards of organizing these charity events. He’s sending an invite for me to the club.”
“Oh, that is kind of him. And very helpful.”
“Yes, I thought so.”
“Well, it does make sense,” she said with a nod.
“You are wealthier than most of the elite who will be in attendance. And this event is really about raising funds for the museum’s purposes.
I would not be surprised to see a smattering of wealthy merchants rubbing elbows with dukes, earls, and others of rank. ”
“I’m wondering if this might not be worth imitating for your next event,” he mused as they walked through his front gate.
“Certain aspects of their charity affair, for certain. The museum’s board is very good at raising funds.
I think it is because they do a marvelous job of raising awareness and excitement.
This is what I feel has been missing from my charity events lately,” she said, letting out a soft breath.
“I am afraid my annual tea is getting too predictable and boring.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“We? Oh, I’m so glad you don’t mind taking on an active role.”
“But I still need to stay in the background.”
“Remain invisible? Oh, because of your wicked reputation?”
“Yes. It could do you more harm than good.”
She gave a dismissive shake of her head. “Sorry, but isn’t it a bit outrageous? Everyone struggles to go up in standing while you are wishing to encourage a bad name for yourself.”
He grinned. “I know. I cherish that bad reputation. But I’ve given much thought to my involvement in good causes.
I am not going to shy away from them. With a little push in the right direction, people can be convinced I am extending my power and influence, and would become more dangerous, not less. ”
“Oh, Gideon. Is that not awful?”
He shrugged. “Yes, I suppose. But I prefer to see it as the best possible outcome, to give to those in need and also maintain my wicked reputation. However, now that I am named as Berwick’s successor trustee, I’ll need to walk a very fine line.
I cannot risk a judge removing me because he’s declared me unfit. ”
Berry regarded him in dismay. “We ought to discuss this with Lord Berwick. Can he designate a string of successors? So that if you are removed, then someone else of his choosing is placed in charge. I am quite the heiress, and I fear a judge could be bribed to appoint one of his friends in your place. Is your removal a possibility, Gideon? I would never seek it. Who would have standing to plead to the court if I were not the one to bring suit?”
“There shouldn’t be anyone other than you with that ability, but a man determined to gain control of your trust funds might find a way. Bribe doctors to have you declared incompetent or mad. Have himself appointed as your guardian.”
“A man such as Hawthorne?” She frowned again.
“I am not saying it would be easy or even possible, but I cannot see any other way such a thing could happen.”
“I would marry you before it ever came to pass. Then you would be my husband and no one could challenge you.”
Dear heaven.
Had she just said that?
She glanced up at him and swallowed hard. “I mean, it is one possible solution.”
He placed a hand over hers. “Berry, I will do anything needed to protect you. Marriage to you would be an honor. It is you who would be hurt, mocked by the ton for marrying a nobody. But between us, if ever it were to come to that, I would do all in my power to be a good husband to you and make you happy.”
He was going to make her cry. Weren’t those the loveliest words she had ever heard?
This was why Lord Berwick trusted him. Gideon may have come from nothing, but he was not nothing.
He was her knight in shining armor.
They had walked to the rear of the house to enter through the newly built ballroom, but he stopped her and tipped her chin up so that she had to gaze at him. “Are you sniffling again?”
She nodded. “What you said was beautiful.”
“Gad, you are such a kitten,” he said with a wry, slightly bemused chuckle. “No tears, Berry. You shall always be safe with me. All right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We are going to choose paint samples now. The painters will think I have been cruel to you if you walk in crying.”
She took out her handkerchief and quickly dried her tears.
Only a few drops had fallen. “There. Better?”
He cast her a smile that made her legs turn weak. “Much better.”
They spent the next hour deciding on paint colors, a chore she had expected him to find excruciatingly dull.
Then she realized he was looking at it as the fulfillment of a dream, the home he had always craved and never had until now.
He did not know who he was or where he came from, so this was his chance to create a place for himself.
By the time they had finished walking from room to room with the painters, they had gathered a following.
Bonham was there, guarding the house and escaping boredom by trying to fix things around the house. He set aside his latest project, yet another that vexed him to no end, and joined Gwendolyn and Suzanna Carstairs, along with Miranda and Gwenys Lawson, in following them from room to room.
It really was completely improper that Berry’s friends should saunter over uninvited. But Gideon was not one for formality and did not take offense that his neighbors were snoops and could not resist stopping by.
Bonham did not seem to mind either. In fact, he was delighted. Was she imagining it, or had his eyes lit up upon seeing Suzanna march up the walk?
Everyone had an opinion and a comment as the painters brushed various samples on the walls of each room. They all stood there and watched the paint dry.
Berry was surprised when Gideon went with her choice of color each time.
Toward the end, their followers and the painters were snickering each time she gave her answer.
Berry was not proficient in many things, but no one could ever fault her refined tastes or her sense of fashion. Had she been born a man, she might have worked alongside prominent architects and designers such as Henry Holland or John Nash.
She was pleased to put her knowledge to good use. Her learning extended beyond mere paint colors. She was well versed in neoclassical architecture and art, too.
Odd that Gideon seemed to appreciate her talents and accept her advice when no one among her elite circle would give her the time of day on such matters.
They met again at nightfall, all of them walking around with candles and torches to confirm that the paint colors Berry had chosen were the right ones for each room, especially the ballroom.
“Are we done? All good?” Gideon asked. “Then I had better get back to the club. See you bright and early tomorrow morning.”
With the colors now agreed upon, they all parted ways.
Berry hardly slept because she was so excited that Gideon’s home was starting to take form.
The painters arrived early the following morning, and Berry was there to watch them set about mixing the color shadings to her precise formulations.
She looked on, hardly breathing as they began their task.
Her snooping friends soon joined her, as did Bonham and Gideon. They spent a full hour discussing the colors.
“As much fun as this is,” Miranda said, “Gwenys and I really must take our leave.”
“Thank you for stopping by,” Berry said, although this was not her home but Gideon’s.
Still, she felt very much like the lady of the house. Gideon had made her feel that way by respecting all her decisions.
Miranda and Gwenys returned to their home because they had planned a day of shopping in preparation for Gwenys’s formal come-out that was still months away. But one had to get an early start, since so many gowns would be required.