Chapter 7
Alice stood patiently, giving Mr. Beaumont a minute to compose himself.
Jaw clenched, tension radiated from him. She could imagine his internal monologue, silently berating himself for allowing her to affect him so profoundly that he had to exert effort not to grind his teeth.
“I thought we had worked out a plan, you can’t deviate from it on a whim. There are other projects happening on this estate—ones more important than a garden—and you can’t just pull men away from them to do your bidding.”
Alice waited for him to finish, keeping her expression as neutral as possible.
She was somewhat sympathetic to his plight; after all, Priscilla had blindsided him, springing her on him the other day without any kind of preparation.
And much to Alice’s chagrin, Mr. Beaumont wasn’t wrong in assuming she’d jumped in with both feet before having a true plan.
But now there was a plan, and his profuse need for control and order was severely hampering the execution of said plan.
“Are you finished?” she asked when he stood, finally silent, though still radiating irritation through the twitching of his fingers and compressed lips. When he gave a curt nod, she continued.
“I understand you are frustrated that I asked David and Miles for their help, as they were not working on the garden today, but I asked for their assistance temporarily so they might help Matthias move the sod out of the way. A place for the new shrubbery that’s to be delivered later today is necessary, is it not?
It was only a minor deviation from your vision to keep the overall plan for the garden on track. ”
“Then why didn’t you just tell me that?” Mr. Beaumont appeared completely exasperated with her. “I told you to run everything by me first. If you had just asked me for what you needed, I would have approved it, then we never would have had this misunderstanding!”
“I couldn’t find you—and hunting you down would have been a waste of the precious time you are so concerned with.” Alice forced herself to stop and take in a breath before they both started shouting.
“Taking on this renovation was not my idea,” she said, keeping her voice calm, “but Priscilla put me in charge. She saw how much I enjoy flowers and gardens and told me being in command of a project would be good for me. Though I can’t say I fully understand her reasoning, I’m inclined to follow her direction on this. ”
As she had spoken, Alice noticed Mr. Beaumont’s shoulders slightly relax.
He seemed to be carrying a large amount of responsibility on those shoulders.
Part of her admired his willingness to take on all the projects himself—he showed great dedication—but these efforts would fall apart if he didn’t learn to delegate to those around him.
One man simply could not do everything that was needed on the estate.
“I understand you want to know everything that is going on, but things would go a lot smoother if you learned to trust me, even just a little. I am not trying to make anything harder for you, instead I’m trying to keep the project moving forward.
Seeking you out for every little quandary will only hinder progress.
Now, do you approve of the plan I’ve created? ”
“Yes,” he sighed.
“Then will you trust that I’m doing everything I can to bring the plan to life and that I have no other malicious designs?”
“I’ll try and be more relaxed. In the future, just please tell me if you need more assistance. Since the shrubbery now has a place to be delivered, I’ll take David and Miles back with me.”
It was as much acquiescence as she was going to get at this time, and at least Mr. Beaumont was no longer angry with her. Alice truly wasn’t trying to provoke the man, but he needed to learn to let go of even a tiny piece of his grip on the estate.
She watched as he rounded up the men and returned them to other tasks, leaving her with Matthias.
Though initially hesitant, Matthias had grown comfortable with her over the past few days and graciously passed the reigns once Priscilla’s request and the plan had been made clear.
Alice strongly suspected he preferred working in the glasshouse cultivating starts rather than designing the entire garden, having only taken on the role when Priscilla couldn’t find anyone else to do the job.
He followed Alice’s lead beautifully, and she was thankful to have him in her corner, as he possessed the connections to procure the flowers and materials necessary to bring her vision to life.
“Matthias, do you need me here?”
“No, Miss Pembroke, all seems to be in hand for the moment,” he said with a smile.
“I’ll leave you to it then, I’ll be in the house looking at the south corner again. Please send someone if you need me.” Matthias gave a nod before turning back to the new shrubs, and Alice collected the plans before returning to the house.
Settling into the corner of the library she had claimed, she looked around in quiet amazement. It was remarkable how drastically her day-to-day life had changed within the span of a sennight.
When Priscilla first suggested in the carriage ride from Lady Spencer’s that she take over the design of the garden renovation, Alice thought she was jesting.
But Priscilla had been entirely in earnest, insisting that Alice needed a project to make her own.
While Alice was unsure how overseeing the garden would help prepare her for the upcoming season, she was happy to do as her cousin instructed.
Her head was still spinning from their entire conversation that day.
She’d always felt that she must play a certain role—be what was expected of her so she could meet her father’s expectations and be a credit to the family within society.
But it seemed Priscilla had moved away from such ideas, that she no longer felt she must fit the restrictions of what society deemed acceptable from a woman of high rank.
Priscilla, however, was in a different position than Alice—she had more freedom as a marchioness, her place within the aristocracy now set.
Whereas Alice and her father, though highly connected—her father being the son of, and brother to, a Marquess himself—could not claim any titles for themselves other than those bestowed by courtesy.
Thus, Alice still needed to play by the rules, did she not?
Though she suspected there would be better means of building character, Alice was enjoying the creative freedom she felt able to use for the first time.
Not a stranger to directing others, the servants in Alice’s home had turned to her for guidance from a young age as her mother had died so many years ago.
Even so, she’d always hesitated to deviate too far from her mother’s way, as if she would be disrespecting her memory.
It had taken Alice some time to know where to begin the garden project, but thankfully, Hampton House’s library was quite extensive and contained several texts detailing previous trends and notable designs from well-respected landscapers who had made their marks in English gardens over the last century.
She’d been immersed in such a tome the other night when Ethan—no, Mr. Beaumont—had come across her.
A part of Alice was glad that he’d seen her in such a position, hopefully leaving him with a slightly different impression of her.
She knew she had come off as a shrew in their first few encounters; she just wasn’t used to the more casual manner in which Priscilla ran her household.
And Alice could admit that she had erred in approaching Matthias before having a firm plan, but when Mr. Beaumont had pointed it out, she’d decided to do her diligence, proving that she could take direction.
Now she had done her research and did in fact have a plan, if only he would trust her to see it through.
Laying out the scheme before her, she was amazed by what her mind had been able to conjure.
Though an organized structure lay beneath, she wanted the garden to feel wild and alive.
A central lawn was surrounded by a walking path, with large patches of flowers dotting the perimeter, interspersed with shrubbery that would grow to create a sheltered pathway leading toward the river, leaving the view of the water as open as possible from various angles.
She planned paths that meandered away from the main lawn and weaved around the existing trees, embracing their beauty and giving them a place of their own rather than seeing them as an impediment to a larger design that would need to be cut away.
Alice could picture it in her mind—how peaceful it would feel while also being completely alive.
Yes, there were designated areas for flowers and greenery beneath the trees, but they would be mixed together, spilling over their confines to greet visitors on the path.
All colors would have their place and would blend seamlessly, feeling less formal and as if the gentled wildflowers were flourishing beside their regal peers.
It would feel comfortable and welcoming for all who came to Hampton House.
There had been multiple instances, today included, when Mr. Beaumont alluded to the fact he did not find the garden a worthy use of his attention amid the other projects on the estate that also needed sorting.
While Alice understood that it might not have a practical or financial use, she believed a garden still held value.
There were many who relied on the estate for their livelihood, and they needed to feel a sense of pride for where they lived and what they were a part of.
Priscilla understood this; it’s why she was working tirelessly to return Hampton House to its former glory.
Perhaps in time she’d be able to convince Mr. Beaumont of that value .