Chapter 5
Five
Early November
Bluebelle Manor, Kent
“Shall we meet again next week?” Neel was in the study, examining the ledgers. “Everything looks in order. You’ve done a prime job in my absence.”
“Thank ye, Lord Cornelius. I grew up on these grounds, so my work comes from the heart.” The steward held his cap in one hand, and the other ran through his cropped brown hair in embarrassment. “Just doing what I think is best for the land and its people.”
Neel stood and held out his hand. “It’s I who should thank you. Because of your commitment, I don’t need to worry when I’m in London. Hiring you was one of the best business decisions I’ve made.”
Mr. Franton blushed with the praise. “May I say, ye are the kindest lord I’ve ever had the pleasure of working for. When I heard ye were the son of a marquess I expected… Well, I didn’t expect such an open sort of fellow.”
“And may I say I appreciate your honesty with the issues of the estate. I have much to learn, and you have been a marvelous teacher.” Neel walked the steward to the door. “I will see you next week unless something comes up. Don’t hesitate to call on me.”
Cornelius opened the door as Dinah was raising her fist to knock.
“Oh, my. You surprised me,” she said, her hand going to her chest. “I was just coming to ask my husband a question.”
“I was just leaving, my lady,” said Mr. Franton with a bow before making his exit. “Until next week, then.”
Neel stepped back to allow his wife to enter.
She smiled up at him, and he pulled her close.
They had become much closer this last month at Bluebelle.
Something had changed between them, and Dinah was more open, less cautious, less negative.
She was becoming his Di again, the invisible arm that held him—and everyone else—back slowly losing strength. His patience was being rewarded.
He brushed his lips against hers and grinned. “What do you have to ask me?”
Her arms curled around his neck and brushed his cheek against her soft skin. “The drawing room is complete. Would you like to see it?”
“Of course.” He extended his hand, and she led him down the hall, up the stairs, and stopped before the closed door. Was she nervous?
The first two projects she had overseen, with a professional designer making the decisions, Dinah only provided her opinions and final approval.
Upon their return to Kent last month, she’d toured the manor again, this time through the lens of her quizzing glass.
She had announced she would finish the rest of the rooms herself, choosing the colors, fabrics, and any new pieces herself.
“You’ve outdone yourself, Di,” he said as she revealed her surprise.
The drawing room was brilliant. A mix of the original furniture (now polished to a sheen or recovered) and new wallpaper with a cream background and rows of tiny flowers growing along a vine, a large Axminster rug, and wall hangings.
She’d chosen forest green velvet on a chaise longue and a pair of wingback chairs and the same color for the brocade curtains on the floor to ceiling windows.
Light spilled into the room, highlighting the thick, plush carpet of neoclassical medallions in bright jewel tones of green, red, and gold.
Gold and red pillows adorned the seats, inviting guests to lean back and enjoy themselves.
The pianoforte had been rubbed to new life in a corner near the windows.
Above the oak hearth was a painting she’d found in the attic of the Manor when it had first been built in the 17th century. The mantel held miniatures of both their families, with she and Neel in the center, flanked by his mother and her father, then their siblings. A cheerful fire crackled below.
“Do you really like it? Don’t spare my feelings. Anything can be changed if there’s something you don’t care for,” she said, chewing her bottom lip.
He wanted to kiss that lip. He wanted to lay her down in front of the fireplace, on that new rug. “I think it’s perfect. Besides, if it suits you, it suits me.”
Dinah plopped down on the chaise longue. “I’ve never done this before, all on my own.”
“What? Spent a small fortune?” Cornelius grinned. He enjoyed being able to tease her again.
“No, a project like this. Mother never needed my advice or opinion on anything. But it was so strange. When I took in the details, the extent of the neglect through my quizzing glass…”
“What did you see?”
“This,” she said, spreading out her arms. “And I have a vision for the breakfast room.”
“Then by all means, we must see it to fruition.” Neel pulled her close again. He couldn’t help himself. “Then we will invite all the neighbors and show off your excellent taste.”
“Can we…” Di took a deep breath and locked her gaze with his. “Can we afford it?”
Cornelius hesitated. He should tell her now, but looking into those bottomless violet eyes, he couldn’t. Not yet. Their relationship had come so far just in the last month. If Dinah thought she wasn’t needed, would the barrier go back up?
“Yes, unless you plan on covering mass quantities with gold leaf,” he said noncommittally and giving her a wink.
“This room was much less than I expected. I remember when Mama had the dining room redecorated. I thought Father’s head would explode like a cannon going off.
He shut himself up in his study for an entire day. ”
“Most likely with a bottle or two of whisky,” added Di with a grin.
“You know my family so well.” Christmastide. He would give her the passbook with the original amount of her dowry under her name. Then he would show her the passbook with the money he had earned since then.
“As you know mine,” Di said, spinning from his arms to cast her gaze about the room again. “I can’t wait to show Jo.”
“Well, you don’t have to wait long. I received a letter today, and she’s arriving early.”
“How early?”
“Tomorrow. Be sure to tell Mrs. Hokum so a bedchamber will be ready.” Neel laughed when his wife shrieked with pleasure. “She’s only here for two weeks, so I hope you haven’t planned too much.”
Di snorted. “I know. I had a letter from her last week.”
“I’m happy she could come at all. I didn’t think we’d see her again until we returned to London.” Perhaps he’d speak to his sister about his… situation. She might have a better insight to Di than he did concerning the financial matter.
That evening after dinner, they sat in the sitting room before the hearth. The logs popped cheerfully while they talked. Di set aside her embroidery.
“Do you know much about the meaning of stones and gems?” she asked.
Neel blinked at the unexpected question. “No, not really. Jo told me once about the meaning of different flowers and colors held in the language of romance. Why?”
“The quizzing glass I bought has sapphires set around the lens. The shop owner, Mr. Peabody, said they represented wisdom or clarity.” She hesitated, giving him a side-glance.
“The store, Percival’s Providence, was a magical kind of place.
You will think me mad as a hatter, but I’m wondering if the quizzing glass is giving me clarity. ”
“I’ve always thought you a bit touched in the head,” he said, chuckling.
She scowled at him. “I’m serious. It’s as if when I look through them, I see a different viewpoint than I normally would.”
Neel considered this. “Perhaps your true self is returning, and it feels as if you are seeing things in a new light.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, the frown returning.
He sighed, wanting to take back the words. In for a penny, in for a pound. “Before your father died, you spent much more time with him than your mother. She, well, seemed to dominate your personality. Eventually, her pessimism—”
“Was passed on to me.” Di’s mouth turned down. “Are you saying I’ve become my mother?”
He saw the brightness in her eyes and wanted to kick himself.
He didn’t mean for her to cry. “No, I’d say she had a strong influence on you.
You were in mourning for your dear father, and she swooped in to take his place.
I believe she meant to erase his eternal optimism and replace it with reality.
” He knelt before her and took her hands in his.
“Lady Jennings meant well, but Jo and I lost our exuberant Di.”
Several expressions passed over Dinah’s face.
Confusion, understanding, hurt. She drew in a deep breath.
“One day before we left London, I laughed at something and realized I hadn’t done so in a very long time.
Did I tell you the heaviness that left me when I took off the ring Mother had given me and traded it for the quizzing glass? ”
He shook his head. “Perhaps you were casting off her influence. Your father was a dreamer, but he was a good man. There is nothing wrong with taking after him.”
A tear slid down her cheek, and Neel’s heart contracted. He brushed it away with his thumb and gently kissed her. “I’m telling you this as your childhood friend, who has known you since you were five.”
“I’ve missed him so. Mother was so angry at him. I didn’t understand because she insisted their marriage was not a love match.” Her fingers wrapped around his hand. “Perhaps she was angry because she was never able to control him. And once he was gone, she could control me.”
He nodded. “I’ve seen glimpses of my sweet Di lately. I’ve longed for her return. If your purchase from the curiosity shop has brought her back to me, I’m happy.”
Dinah gave him a tremulous smile. “I admit I was a little angry with him myself. If he’d only paid attention to where he was, it might not have happened.”
Cornelius repressed a shudder at the memory.
The earl had made a box kite and taken all his and his neighbors’ children to the cliffs, hoping for better wind.
But as the kite took off, he stepped backwards, pulling it higher and higher.
He never heard the screams of caution, his face lifted to the whipping tails of the kite, as he tumbled off the steep embankment.
He’d suffered a terrible head wound and died a few days later.
“Your father always had his head in the clouds.” Neel wiped the wet strands from Di’s cheeks. “I like to believe he’s building sandcastles in the air like Mama said he did when he was alive.”
She let out a watery laugh. “Mayhap the quizzing glass has helped me see through Papa’s eyes.
The first time I used them, colors were suddenly so vivid.
I thought it was because of my poor eyesight.
But each time I looked through them, that feeling of delight returned.
Not only do colors change, but my viewpoint too. ”
“How so?” Perhaps this piece of jewelry was more dangerous than he thought.
She told him about the incident at the theater with the Bermonds, how she misinterpreted Lord Bermond’s actions with his wife. “When I watched them again, through the quizzing glass, I could see his concern for Lady Bermond and the love in her eyes for his support.”
Relief swept through him. “You saw it because Jo pointed it out. She’s been your source of light since your father’s passing. They were kindred souls.”
Dinah nodded. “Papa loved her as a daughter. They were so similar. Do you think that’s why I cling to her so?”
“She was your best friend for years before that, and Jo feels the same way. Don’t question such a bond. Be happy you have a friendship so strong.” He stood and held his hands out to her. “Let’s get some rest, shall we?”
She nodded. As they made their way up the stairs, side by side, she slipped her hand into his, and his heart swelled.