A Duke's Garden of Love: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 10

  May you never lose sight of the flowers for the view of the garden.

  Her heart skipped a beat and she thought she had never received so beautiful a sentiment in all her life. Wondering who could have been so thoughtful, she glanced up at the estate.

  There he was, the strikingly imposing view of the duke in all his handsome and dark glory. But just as her eyes beheld him, as he had been watching her, he vanished from view, no more to be seen.

  Rosamund stood for a moment longer, watching the window, wondering why he would try to disappear like that when there was no reason for it, when she would far rather have been able to interact with him and thank him for the kind gesture.

  But maybe, just as had begun in her own heart, the flowers were a sign of some other feeling. Maybe they were a sign of affection.

  Chapter 13

  Albion was sitting with Theodore later that day, on the day when he had been caught. Caught watching Miss Fleet again, this time watching her while she discovered the flowers which he had left for her in the hopes that she would understand that his affection for her was now something beyond the merely mutual interest of a shared hobby.

  But she had not said anything to him about it. Not that she would, of course. Even when he had come out to greet her and even to meet her friend, she had behaved as though nothing at all had happened. She had not thanked him for the flowers or asked why he had been observing her.

  Instead, Miss Fleet had smiled and been her usual friendly self. She had been perfectly normal with him, as she would any friend or companion. Something about that moved him to gratitude and Albion wished that he had more time to spend with her and to get to know her.

  But, that day, she had been busy showing her friend how to till the earth and then they had departed.

  Now, as he sat with Theodore, Albion was beginning to wonder if his future was going to look quite different from everything he had formerly expected.

  “Miss Grimes is a nice young lady,” he observed.

  Theodore smiled and nodded with enthusiasm.

  “Oh, yes, she really is. I am rather fond of her,” he said.

  “I can see why. She appears to be quite fond of you as well,” Albion noted.

  “Do you think so?” Theodore asked.

  “Most definitely. I saw the way she looked at you. And, I will tell you, Miss Fleet believes that the two of you would make an excellent match as well,” he said.

  Theodore’s eyes lit up. This was certainly the encouragement which he needed and Albion was glad to provide it.

  “I wish I had the courage to do something about it. I mean, if she really does have an interest in me, should I not do something to make it known that I, likewise, care for her?” Theodore asked.

  “Of course, you must. But how do you wish to go about it?” Albion asked.

  “That is the question, I suppose,” Theodore said.

  “You know, I think it would be wise of you to simply express your care for her. Why not? What could you lose?” Albion asked.

  “I suppose that is the real question. I do not know. I fear that I may lose my pride if she refuses me. And I could hardly be upset with her if she was not interested in pursuing any sort of a romance with me. After all, I am no one to her. But I do find myself eager to learn whether or not there could be any sort of future with Miss Grimes,” he said.

  “Then you must do something about it. You cannot wait around to learn whether or not she cares for you,” Albion said.

  “I suppose you are correct. I must do something about it,” he replied.

  “Excellent. And, as you do, I hope that you see fruit from your efforts,” Albion said.

  “Indeed. I hope so as well. Although, I do wish that you would likewise find the beauty of love with someone,” Theodore said, knowingly.

  “Yes, well, that is highly unlikely to happen at any time soon,” Albion said.

  “And why not?” Theodore asked.

  “You know why,” he said.

  “Because of the fact that you are frightened to be close to anyone?” Theodore asked.

  Albion sighed. He really did not wish to think of it that way. He was ashamed of the fact that he was struggling so deeply with his thoughts and feelings in regards to women and, in particular, with Miss Fleet.

  Why did he care for her so much? And was it really so obvious? Clearly, Theodore could tell that he had a fondness for her.

  Oh, of course it was obvious. No one could deny it. Albion had been utterly unwilling to meet anyone new for quite some time and yet he had been more than willing to get to know this woman. Of course he cared for her. It was clear. He could hardly deny it.

  So, what was he to do now? What recourse could he enact to convince himself to let go of the feelings he now had for her? If he had managed to have feelings for someone, it had to be a good sign - a sign that he was learning and growing as a man, finally becoming unafraid of what might happen if he was close to someone.

  But he was growing feelings for a woman who was already engaged. She had a man in her life who she was soon to marry. It would not be at all possible for him to have any care for her. He would only get hurt all over again and that had been the very thing he had spent all this time trying to avoid.

  That brought him back to his question. What was he to do now?

  “Is something wrong?” Theodore asked.

  He shook his head, even if it was a lie.

  “No, nothing,” he said.

  “Is it about Miss Fleet?” he asked.

  Albion did not at once look at Theodore, but he did nod his head and that was certainly enough of an answer.

  “If it helps, I think she is struggling as well. You know, she is not the sort of woman to break a promise, but she very much dislikes the man to whom she is betrothed. Knowing that she does not wish to marry him, perhaps you may see that there is hope for you after all,” Theodore reasoned.

  But Albion disagreed.

  “I cannot push for something like that, Theodore,” he said.

  “Why not?” he asked.

  “She has already made a commitment. It would be wrong of me to want anything different for her,” he said.

  “Even if she would prefer it?” he asked.

  “Yes, even then. She has made a decision. And if this man is the one to whom she is betrothed, I cannot get in the way of it,” Albion said.

  “Perhaps you are correct, but I still disagree. Even if she has made a commitment, she does not love him. She has every desire to get out of this arrangement. You could be the one to rescue her from it, to ensure that she does not have to marry someone who leaves her so upset,” Theodore said.

  “It is not for me to have a say. I cannot be responsible for breaking the union between them,” Albion said.

  “It would make you her hero,” Theodore reasoned.

  He was making it so difficult for Albion. He was making it sound like a noble deed when, really, it would have been awful. After all, he had no right at all to step in the way of another’s union. Why would Theodore even encourage this? It was wrong and unfair. But it was also frustrating how badly Albion wanted it.

  “Theodore, you know as well as I do that you are making a frightfully tempting offer. But I cannot be swayed,” Albion said.

  “No matter how hard I may try to sway you?” Theodore asked.

  “Precisely. No matter how hard you try. I am unwilling to be the cause of a marriage undone,” he said.

  “But they are not even married yet,” Theodore said.

  “Yes, I understand that, but they are to be married so soon. And if you and I cannot support it, what does that say of us?” Albion asked.

  Silence hung in the air and Theodore turned to him.

  “First of all, they are not going to be marrying soon. She has continually tried to push the date back as far as she is able. But beyond that, I think it would make us her friends. She may be distant kin for me, but I also care for her as a dear friend. And if I am, in any way,
able to help prevent her marriage to a man who causes her grief, I would do so,” Theodore said.

  “But you would not be the one who is trying to lure her from him. It is very different, you being her relative. I would be the man who was trying to…” there, Albion trailed off. He recognised that voicing his wish was a place from which he could not turn back.

  “You may say it,” Theodore said.

  “I would be the one with the hopes of making a match with her. There is something very wrong about that. I think we may both agree that it would not be right of me to lure her in my direction this way,” Albion said.

  “I do not agree,” Theodore said with a shrug.

  “But…oh, you know that I do not wish for her to be married to someone she does not like, but there must be a reason for their match,” Albion said.

  “There is. It is purely financial. Her father cannot afford to keep the family in good condition. They are scarcely able to afford their very home. So he feels that his only option is to marry off his daughter and send her away,” Theodore said.

  It was a horrible thing. Albion hated to think that she was going to be married to someone she disliked for no other reason than the fact that her family was poor. Miss Fleet deserved better than that and Albion wished that he could be the one to aid her in her dreams of a better future. It was wrong in every way that she was going to be married to this man.

  “What exactly do you suggest I do to make things right?” Albion asked.

  “I suggest that you tell her how you feel, that you ask her to leave behind all thought of marrying someone else and to marry you instead,” Theodore said as if it were terribly easy.

  Albion thought of everything that could go wrong.

  There was the reality that she may not care for him in the same way in which he cared for her. There was also the struggle in knowing that she was more sociable than he. She may wish for a life lived among others, where her friends could come and go as they pleased.

  And, of course, there was also the difference in their statuses. While he did not mind so much, she would have to face those women of society who had been born and bred for wealth and who lived in arrogance enough to speak ill of her—even to her face.

  Moreover, she would be breaking an arrangement of marriage that had already been made. That was something which Albion considered quite sacred. How could he ask her to do that in order to be his? And what would her father say? Surely he would not approve of something like this. It could ruin her reputation.

  Oh, indeed. Her reputation. Miss Fleet would be the subject of rumours and gossip of all sorts, leaving her betrothed for the man she had been coming to visit. It would sound terribly scandalous to most. That was another thing Albion could not bear to allow.

  He would feel awful if he ruined her in any way even through their friendship. No, this could not be. They could never be anything more than what they were.

  If he was able to provide more work for her and for her family, maybe that would be an option. Her father would not feel so forced into marrying her off and she would have a better say of when or if she married the man to whom she was betrothed. It would be far different if she called off the engagement for work and life as opposed to being with another man.

  But even as his thoughts swarmed, Albion could think only of what he really hoped for. He hoped that, one day, he might have the very thing he wanted.

  One day, maybe he really could tell Miss Fleet that he had come to care for her. And maybe she would feel the same.

  Chapter 14

  Rosamund clenched her teeth, trying not to show how upset she was as she walked alongside Horace Filbert in Hyde Park. Although she had no desire at all to be near him, she understood her responsibilities.

  There was just nothing at all about him which she found redeeming. He was awful in every sense of the word, a true disappointment in all things. He was unattractive, rude, and arrogant. He had no pleasure in any of the things which caused her great joy. He was full of pride and self-obsession.

  Rosamund looked at him and smiled, even though it was utterly false.

  “You know, I really do think it is going to be better for you once we are married and you no longer have to do all of that work in gardens that you do now. Think of how ridiculous it is that you, a woman, are working like that! In the dirt! You must understand that it would look awful to most men. You are so fortunate that I do not judge,” he said.

  “Yes, indeed. How lucky I am,” she said in a mechanical fashion.

  “But you are going to be free of all of that soon enough. Just wait. It is going to be marvellous. You will be able to stay at home, to enjoy the indoors and reading and sitting in the drawing room the way a proper lady does. Oh, it is simply going to be wonderful for you. So freeing,” he said, as though he really believed his own words.

  “Freeing?” she asked.

  “Yes. You shall no longer be a slave of work. Nor will you ever have to see that awful duke again. Oh, I do not know how you can stand him. I have heard that he is a madman. Are you even safe working there at his home?” Mr. Filbert asked.

  Rosamund glanced at him and then looked onwards again as they walked through the park.

  “Of course I am safe. What would lead you to question that?” she asked.

  “How could I not? I mean, it makes no sense at all that he would have you come to live there when everyone knows that he keeps all others at bay,” Mr. Filbert said.

  “I do not live there. I only go to do work,” she said, even if she went because she truly wanted to. Not just for work, but also to see the duke.

  “Whether you live there or not, it is too much. You should not have to be around that man. I fear for your safety,” Mr. Filbert said.

  “He is not a madman. There is no danger in my working there. The duke is a very gentle, kind man,” she said.

  “Oh, you need not try to play games with me by speaking well of him. I know that he is your employer, but I am going to be your husband and you may be honest with me. If you wish it, I can get you out of there at once. We may marry right away and you shall be perfectly well looked after and your father will no longer need to worry about his finances,” he said.

  “Thank you for such a kind and generous offer, but I do not believe I am ready for this just yet,” she said.

  “Such a shame. I wish that you would hurry and make yourself ready. After all, it is only right that you and I marry soon. People will begin to talk otherwise,” he said.

  “Talk about what?” she asked, utterly uninterested in whatever he was complaining about.

  “They will say that you and the duke have some sort of interest in one another. I could not possibly abide that, you know. If he were ever to try and convince you that you and he ought to be anything romantic, well…I should ensure that he was completely tossed aside,” he said.

  “What exactly do you mean by that?” Rosamund asked, disgusted by Mr. Filbert.

  “I mean that I would do everything within my power to cast him out of society for good. He has done well enough to get himself pushed away, but that has been of his own choosing. I would ensure that he no longer had a choice,” Mr. Filbert said.

  “And why is that, exactly? Why do you hate him so much that you would actively choose to spend your time and energy trying to ruin him?” Rosamund asked, not understanding this awful thirst for vengeance which she was seeing from her betrothed.