Chapter 14 #2
Emeline nodded, feeling queasy. She had reimagined her quarrel with Hart with increasing frequency, especially as the days passed with no further word from him.
The notion that he might be jealous seemed too farfetched to consider, yet wasn’t that what Louise was really suggesting?
It seemed more likely that he was just angry enough to sever all ties with her.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Dora bustled to open it and soon Tobias entered the room and bowed to both women.
“Ah, you are ready. Excellent. I hope you are hungry, for my cook has made us a picnic.”
“Oh!” Uneasily, she imagined them reclining alone on a blanket in a hidden, sylvan glade, sipping wine and sampling an array of delicacies. “That sounds lovely, yet perhaps it is not quite…”
He raised one of his big hands to silence her. “I am fully aware that it would be improper to invite you to share a picnic with me alone.” As Tobias turned to Louise, his smile widened. “That is why I would like to invite you to join us, Miss St. Briac.”
She smiled back at him, then rose to her feet. “How kind. I will agree on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“Because Emeline and I are both called Miss St. Briac, it will be much simpler if you address me as Louise.”
“With pleasure…Louise.”
They drove in comfort to Kew Gardens in Lord Melford’s handsome black and burgundy carriage, known as a clarence. It was the latest style, named after the king’s brother, the Duke of Clarence. The three passengers fit neatly inside, while a dignified driver perched on the box.
Although the trees were swiftly losing their russet leaves, the day was mild, and the sky seemed even bluer in contrast with the burnished hues of autumn.
As the carriage rolled through the sun-dappled avenues approaching Kew, Tobias explained that the place had begun nearly a century earlier as a royal garden, populated with exotic plants and seeds gathered during voyages to Tahiti and the South Seas by both Captain Cook and the HMS Bounty.
“Most recently, plants are being sent from the Falkland Islands. Kew’s director, Joseph Hooker, is bringing them himself in special glazed Wardian cases.
It’s said to be the newest way to keep the plants alive during a long voyage.
” He paused, smiling as the carriage began to slow.
“Now that the gardens have passed into public use, many more people will be able to enjoy the rare specimens growing here.”
“Oh, it is glorious,” exclaimed Louise. As she leaned forward to look through the curved front window of the clarence, the sun glinted on her delicate spectacles.
“Visiting Kew Gardens is one of the advantages of living in a great city like London. I have doubtless closed myself off from the world during my years as a fossilist. Now I savor the opportunity to see new places and be with new people.”
“Excellent,” Tobias approved.
A liveried groom had come to let down the steps and they emerged into a world of lush greenery populated with trees of every description.
Tobias pointed out some of the oldest varieties, including the Japanese pagoda tree and towering ancient oaks.
They strolled for at least an hour, viewing the vast Orangery with its grand arched windows, as well as the extensive rose gardens, fading now as winter approached.
At length, Tobias returned the two women to the carriage, and they were driven slowly back down the avenue.
“There is a lovely spot with a view of the Great Pagoda where I thought we might have our picnic,” he said. “I have no doubt that my chef, Francois, has prepared a delicious meal.”
The clarence was passing a huge, partially built glass structure that promised to be quite splendid. “I believe they are calling it the Palm House,” Tobias explained. “Perhaps it will be finished by the next time we visit.”
Emeline thought she saw Louise sit up a bit straighter at his words. “There must be so much more to see,” murmured Louise.
“After our picnic, would you like to extend our outing?” Tobias suggested, looking between the two women.
“That would be too much to ask.” Louise earnestly shook her head. “No doubt you have other matters to attend to this afternoon.”
“Not a bit! I should enjoy it myself. We will make a second excursion, past the Orangery. There is much to see…”
Emeline felt oddly uncomfortable. She had a great regard for Tobias, and she adored her cousin, yet this sort of polite and proper outing fit her like a tight pair of slippers.
Considering this, she sighed. Her impatience with such things was one of the reasons she had left London society for a freer life in Lyme Regis.
Soon enough, the clarence drew up near a vast lawn.
In the distance, between stately rows of cedar trees, the tall, striking Chinese pagoda rose into view.
Tobias took them out to a secluded spot where the groom and coachman spread out a blanket and brought the woven wicker basket that contained their picnic lunch.
“I never imagined such a place existed,” said Louise. “Papa would adore Kew. He is a botanist, you know. He has planted splendid gardens of every description at our home on the Cornwall coast.”
“Ah. No wonder you seem to be in your element here,” Tobias said, nodding. “You have other interests besides paleontology and archaeology.”
“Indeed!” Emeline chimed in. She turned to their host and added, “My cousin is a true Renaissance woman.”
Louise blushed. “Emeline is speaking of herself, I think.” Gazing down the avenue of cedar trees, she murmured, “That pagoda is a brilliant creation. I wonder if my parents have seen it?”
“Possibly not,” said Tobias. “As I mentioned, this was all royal property until recently.” He helped Emeline and Louise to recline on the tartan blanket, then knelt to join them. “You may be interested to know that for some time after the pagoda was built, it was the tallest building in the world!”
As lunch was unpacked from the crisp linen-lined basket, Emeline tried to enter into the conversation, yet her mind wandered.
What was Hart doing today? She knew very well that he would soon leave London for Lisbon.
Had their quarrel ruined the special connection they shared? Perhaps she would never see him again.
At this thought, a cold lump of misery settled in the pit of her stomach.
Dishes were emerging from the willow basket: slices of cold roast chicken and ham, a small round of creamy Stilton, and a large cluster of succulent red grapes.
There were sandwiches made with thick slices of bread: cucumber with mint butter, walnuts and cream cheese, chestnuts and butter.
Off to one side waited the sweets: tiny tarts layered with paper-thin sliced apples as well as jam puffs and a carefully wrapped sponge cake.
The groom served lemonade, which tasted very refreshing to Emeline. She picked at the food on her china plate, but Louise was in high spirits.
“I love it here,” her cousin proclaimed. “Oh, do you hear that sweet bird song? I believe it is a blue tit, my very favorite bird.” An instant later, she was on her feet. “Will you pardon me while I go and look? It sounds as if it is very near. I will be only a few minutes.”
Before Tobias could reply, she set off in the direction of the pagoda.
Emeline suddenly found herself alone with Tobias. “Louise’s sister, Camille, is quite obsessed with birds,” she said, glad for something to talk about. “She has been a lifelong crusader against the feather trade for ladies’ hats.”
“What a unique family.” He looked into her eyes. “And at least one of you is shockingly beautiful.”
Emeline realized that Tobias seemed quite near, and if he leaned forward, he could kiss her. She felt a rush of panic, but just then the sound of a dog barking reached her ears. Immediately, her pulse began to race in a very different way, and she pushed up to sit straight, feeling intensely alive.
“What was that?” she heard herself ask.
“A dog, I suppose.” Tobias glanced around, clearly not welcoming the distraction. “Henry, my groom, will see to it that the animal doesn’t disturb our luncheon.”
Emeline wanted to gather her skirts, get to her feet, and go in the direction of the barking, but how could she possibly explain? Instead, doubting her own hopeful heart, she held her breath and waited, palms damp.
The barking drew nearer, and soon a short-legged dog with patches of curly fur came bounding through the grass. A moment later, Hart appeared, illuminated by a shaft of burnished sunlight that broke through the cedar trees. Emeline’s heart skipped a beat.
I must be dreaming.
But no, he was quite real. He strode toward them with his usual cool assurance, hatless in the breeze, his whip caught under one arm.
“You must forgive my dog for disturbing your peace.” Hart stopped a few feet away and gave them a brief, ironic bow before glancing toward Emeline. “Clearly, he sensed the presence of his rescuer, who will always be first in his heart.”
As he spoke, Monte hurried across the pristine blanket, clambered over Tobias, and quickly settled on Emeline’s lap where he promptly licked her cheek.