Chapter 16
‘Hear you had a party Saturday. My invitation must have got lost in the post.’
‘Don’t start. I had nothing to do with it and neither did Edward or Penelope. Apparently, Penelope went over to tell Fenella’s crew that she’d got the wrong end of the stick and Verity had the whole thing planned and everyone invited already!’
‘Clearly not everyone,’ Isaac said with a side eye. ‘Although now you say that was all down to Verity, it makes sense. Hell would freeze over before she’d invite the staff. What did she have to say to you?’
‘What? After she’d called me Esmerelda?’ I said drily.
He looked up from the computer where he was entering lines in a ledger.
‘Esmerelda?’
‘Yep.’
‘That wasn’t an accident.’
‘I’m aware of that.’
‘Verity will have been scanning back years on your socials and googling the shit out of you the moment she found out you’d stolen Edward from under her nose.’
‘I didn’t steal anybody. And good luck with that. I deleted all my socials over two years ago.’
This caught his attention. ‘Did you?’
‘Yeah. Couldn’t be bothered with it any more. I used the time I reclaimed to study for my entrance exam at Kew.’
He grinned. ‘That’ll annoy her even more if she can’t dig any dirt on you.’
‘I don’t have any dirt to dig, even if I did have social media. The only thing she might have found out was the lack of formal training which I may or may not have claimed to have.’
‘That’s old news.’
‘Exactly.’
‘Anyway, if she’s so keen to nab Edward, why doesn’t she just do it? From her face when she thought I wasn’t looking, she clearly thinks I’m no match for either him or opponent for her.’
‘Edward’s not interested. Never has been although it’s been Fenella’s dream and design since Verity was born.’
‘Oh my God. What century do these people live in?’
‘You’d be surprised.’
‘Barnaby said something similar on Saturday and Edward got really funny with him.’
Isaac closed the lid on the laptop and spun the chair to face me.
‘There’s something you should know about Edward. He’s ridiculously loyal. Sometimes to the point of stupidity.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It means that if Edward’s on your side, there’s very little you can do about it. He’d walk through fire for his brother but if Barney said something that Edward construed as derogatory towards you, even he would get the sharp edge of his tongue.’
‘The last thing I want is this stupid fake-fiancée madness to cause problems between the family.’
‘It won’t. They’re tight-knit and Barney sometimes just opens his mouth without fully engaging his brain, as many of us do. He never means anything by it. Heart of gold and way brighter than he likes to pretend.’
‘Definitely. And I know he didn’t intend to upset me. He looked mortified when he realised how it had come out. To be honest, I wasn’t really that bothered but Edward was livid.’
Isaac looked at me with an expression I couldn’t quite make out.
‘Was he now?’ He pushed himself up from the chair.
‘Now, come on, Lady Muck, I’ve got some hardy annuals to get out and we’re going over the last planning stage of the restoration with Penelope and Edward at three this afternoon up at the house. Afternoon tea is included.’
‘Yum. Ready when you are.’
Isaac and I worked away planting out the hundreds of plug plants we’d loaded into the golf cart from the cold frame. The plants had been hardened off over the last couple of weeks and were now ready to go in some of the formal borders nearer the house and more pots than I’d ever seen in my life.
‘How do you want these planted up?’
‘However you like.’
‘What?’ I looked up from where I was laying out the trays of seedlings. ‘What if I do it wrong?’
‘How will you do it wrong?’
‘Because I don’t know what you normally do.’
‘I normally do what I feel like and it turns out OK.’
‘The difference is you’ve been here for years and are also formally trained.’
‘Wait!’ He stood up and stretched his back, turning towards me in surprise. ‘You’re not?’
‘Ha, ha. Come on. Give me a clue!’
‘Nope. You said you spent a lot of time in your grandparents’ garden, yes?’
‘Yes.’
‘And your dad has a garden that you’ve helped him out on?’
‘That’s hardly the same as planting up pots for a Georgian mansion’s formal gardens.’
‘Remember that first and foremost, this is a home. And if I tell you exactly how and what to plant, how will you learn and find your own gardening voice?’
‘I suppose so. I’m just worried about doing it wrong.’
‘If there’s something I spot that’s really not right, then I’ll tell you but I don’t envision that being required.’
We worked in companionable silence for the next few hours, gradually emptying the growing-on pots and piling them up in the back of the cart and filling up large, beautifully aged terracotta and stone ones in the formal garden.
Finally, we stopped and sat on the terrace steps, warmed now by the May sun, ate our sandwiches and shared a Thermos of strong tea that Isaac had brought with him.
I pulled out a foil-wrapped parcel. ‘Want a piece of this?’
He looked over. ‘Lemon drizzle?’
‘Yep.’
‘Made by your own fair hand?’ There was a slight curve to his lips.
‘You appear to doubt that’s a possibility.’
‘Not at all.’
‘Liar. And yes. I made it yesterday but,’ I started folding it up again, ‘if you’re not interested…’
‘Nah, nah.’ He leant over. ‘I didn’t say that. Come on, hand it over. I’ve got to try it now.’
I passed it to him and he took one of the pre-sliced pieces and bit into it.
‘That’s really good!’ he said, a note of surprise in his voice.
‘Thanks.’
‘Can you cook then? Not that you’ll have to for much longer, once you’re lady of the manor.’
‘Yes, and ha, ha. Can you?’ I asked in return.
‘I can, as a matter of fact.’
‘That’s just as well if you’re interested in Freddy. She can’t boil an egg.’ Actually, she could, but I was interested to see his reaction.
‘That doesn’t worry me. At least she admits it. I had an ex who “thought” she could cook. I think that might be worse.’
We pondered over this as we finished our tea and cake.
‘So, she’s not seeing anyone then – Freddy, I mean?’
‘If you think you’re being subtle, you’re not. And no, she’s not.’
‘Would you… you know, put in a good word for me?’
I tilted my head at him. ‘Freddy has a mind of her own and she already knows what an arse you were when I first came here so I’m not betting on your chances.’
‘Yeah, but you proved yourself. I had to make sure.’
I quirked an eyebrow.
‘Also I didn’t know you had a really hot single friend then.’
‘Ah, now the truth comes out. Come on.’ I glanced at my watch. ‘We’ve got several more loads of trays to get in before the meeting. Do we need to change or anything?’
‘Nah. You already know the family don’t stand on ceremony but you can if you like. See how we feel nearer the time. We’re making good progress on getting the plugs in. You’ve got the knack of it quickly.’
‘My dad always grows too many so I help him take them to a nearby nursing home to brighten things up.’
‘That’s nice.’
‘I am nice.’
‘Yeah, I guess so,’ he said, hauling another load of baby plants out of the back of the golf cart. ‘Apart from the fact you won’t introduce me to your friend.’
‘I never said I wouldn’t introduce you.’
His eyes lit up.
‘I just said I wasn’t going to put in a good word for you.’
‘I take it back. You’re not nice at all.’
‘I gave you cake, don’t forget.’
‘Hmm. True. And it was really good cake. Don’t suppose you’ve got any more, have you?’
‘I have. But you’ll spoil your appetite for afternoon tea.’
Isaac gave me a look and I grinned. We both knew he could eat the entire contents of the bakery aisle and still not ruin his appetite. The man was an eating machine.
* * *
Two hours later, we were at the manor, being shown inside via the kitchens where we took our boots off.
To my horror, and Isaac’s delight, my boot had worn a hole through my sock so that my big toe was free to peer out at the world.
The fuchsia-pink nail polish I’d painted them with the other night in front of the telly now only highlighted the problem.
‘You’ll have to get Edward to buy you some new socks next.’
‘I shall do nothing of the sort,’ I whispered as we walked behind Dawkins up the corridor. ‘And shush!’
Isaac laughed.
Dawkins knocked on the door to a room I’d not yet been in and a deep voice told him to come in.
The butler stepped in and from behind, we could see he made a tiny bow.
From what I knew, it was hard to see any of the family insisting on this formality.
Dawkins was clearly old school and if it made him happy to do things that way, then why not.
‘Mr Isaac and Miss Emmeline here to see you.’
‘Thank you, Dawkins. Please show them in.’
Dawkins stood back and we entered. Edward was already striding forward, his hand outstretched. ‘Isaac, good to see you. How are you?’
‘Not bad, thanks. How’s yourself?’
Edward shot a quick look at me. ‘You probably heard I’m engaged now.’
There was a quirk to Isaac’s lips. ‘Yeah, I did hear that. Whirlwind romance, eh?’
‘Something like that.’
‘Emmeline!’ Penelope called out. ‘Ignore them and come and see me.’
I gave both men a smug smile and made my way to the other side of the room to where Penelope was sat with a throw on her knees. The weather had been warm so my concern was immediate.
‘Penelope, are you not well?’
‘Oh, this? No, I’m fine. Just Edward fussing.’
‘Does he need to fuss?’ I asked.
She let out a small sigh. ‘Sometimes, I think I have more energy than I do and it catches up with me.’
‘It’s good to listen to your body and rest when you need to.’
‘You sound like my son!’ She smiled but there was a sadness behind it. ‘And he always sounds like his father.’
I laid my hand over hers. ‘Then perhaps you should listen to him.’
‘I couldn’t agree more.’ The deep voice behind me made me turn. ‘How are you?’ Edward’s focus switched to me.
‘Fine, thanks.’
‘Recovered from the party?’