A Duke's Garden of Love: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 2

  But the florist shop’s business was slow. There were hardly any customers and Rosamund was desperate for something to do. She needed a project. After setting down her shears, she decided to look through some of the seeds that were set aside.

  She was eager to try growing some of these. A few of them were imports from other regions. Even some from the Far East.

  She wondered if she would manage to make them grow. Would they survive in such a different climate? She had seen many that managed to, but also many that did not.

  Regardless, she was eager to find out.

  Just as Rosamund was preparing the soil for the seeds in a small crate, the door of the shop opened. She turned to greet the customer, but saw that it was none other than her distant cousin, Theodore.

  “Theo! My goodness, I did not expect to see you. It has been months. Are you well? How is your family? Your work?” she asked, her brown eyes lighting up with excitement.

  “Very well, Rosie, thank you. Yes, it has been quite some time indeed, since we saw one another. But I am glad to see you now,” he said.

  She was happy to see him as well. He was such a nice man and they had always got along very well. Then again, they did not see one another all that often so this time apart was hardly unusual. He worked for a rather sequestered and somewhat demanding nobleman.

  Nevertheless, she was glad for a visit from Theodore now. Curious as to why he had come, she set down the seeds and relaxed.

  “Well, what can I do for you? Are you in need of seeds? I have heard that your employer has rather legendary gardens,” she said.

  “Well, it is not about seeds, but it is regarding my employer,” Theodore began.

  “I see. Do you need to speak with my father?” she asked.

  “No, actually. It is you who I need to speak with. Do you mind?” he asked.

  Surprised, but not wishing to show it, Rosamund simply nodded and took a seat on a stool beside the many leaf clippings on the table. She wished that she was better dressed or that she didn’t always seem quite so young and naive when she was around Theodore.

  Despite her self-assurance as a gardener, she was well aware that her cousin worked for one of the wealthiest dukes in England whereas she was extremely poor.

  “Please, Theo. What is it you wish to speak about?” she asked.

  “It is about that garden you mentioned, actually. Lord Brightling has run into a bit of a difficult situation in which his gardener grew neglectful and…well, he was a foolish drunkard and it was actually quite a shame that he was allowed to remain at the estate as long as he did,” Theodore said.

  “Well, that is disappointing,” Rosamund acknowledged.

  “Indeed. It was Mr. Hillsborough,” Theodore told her.

  “Truly? But he is said to be one of the best gardeners there is. I must confess that I am surprised,” she said.

  “Yes, it was all very unfortunate. But, anyway, there is more to it,” Theodore said.

  Rosamund remained silent and waited, still uncertain what all of this meant and why Theodore had come to her to handle it.

  “The roses are the Duke’s greatest pride. They were planted in honour of his mother. And now, they have grown…sick? I don’t know what term you use, but they look awful. Anyway, Lord Brightling loves the roses and his garden is his greatest pride. He spends the vast majority of his time there,” Theodore said.

  “And?” she asked.

  “And he asked me to find someone to handle it. Of course, I immediately thought of you,” Theodore said, finally arriving at his point.

  This was intriguing. Rosamund had never imagined an opportunity to work in the garden of a wealthy man like this. But then again, she did have quite a reputation.

  It always amused her that people thought so highly of her abilities with plants. It wasn’t so hard. All she had to do was tend to them and make them grow. They told her what they needed. If they were dying, it was clear. If they were drowning, she could see that they were not drinking the water. Couldn’t everyone figure these things out?

  Apparently not. Certainly not some fancy duke, and certainly not anyone else who came into the shop seeking her family’s assistance.

  “Well, that is very interesting, Theo. I confess that I am surprised,” she said.

  Indeed, it was interesting. She would need to speak with her father to ensure that he did not mind. But Rosamund thought that he would be happy about it. After all, it was money.

  Money from a duke would be extremely beneficial for their business. Otherwise, she did not know what they would do. The business was falling to pieces and this could be exactly what they needed.

  “Well, we need to speak with my father and get his approval,” she said.

  “So you wish to do it?” Theodore asked, not sounding exactly surprised.

  “Of course I do. You know that I love to spend my days in a garden. This shop is…” at this, Rosamund simply mouthed the words instead of saying them aloud, “so boring!”

  Theodore chuckled.

  “But, as I said, we need to confirm with my father that he approves of this,” she said.

  Just then, as if he had heard them speaking about him, her father came out into the shop. He had been outside, transferring some of the starts into larger pots.

  “What am I approving of? Oh! Theodore. How nice to see you,” he greeted.

  “And you, Uncle. Well, I hope you do not mind, but I have come to sweep your daughter away in the hopes that she might assist my employer. Although he will eventually need a full-time gardener, at the moment he needs someone who can help his roses recover from some black spot they have,” Theodore said.

  “Ugh, black spot. It is dreadful,” Rosamund said.

  “The Duke of Somerfield wishes for my daughter to rescue his infamous garden?” her father asked.

  “Indeed, Uncle,” Theodore said.

  She could see the look in her father’s eyes. He was obviously thrilled. It was clear that this was precisely what he would have wanted. He now had an opportunity to have an income as a result of Rosamund’s reputation.

  “Most definitely. Tell the duke that she would be delighted,” he said.

  “Well, if she is delighted, would she be delighted to come with me right now?” Theodore asked, shifting his gaze from her father to Rosamund directly.

  “Of course I would!” she exclaimed.

  It was all settled. She was going to have a wonderful opportunity, getting to wander such beautiful, flourishing gardens.

  Theodore had mentioned the duke’s infamous gardens in the past, telling her that she would love them. But she had never anticipated an opportunity to actually go and see them. It was wonderful that she was going to get a chance to walk among his legendary memorial garden.

  They spent some time arranging the situation and when she would be able to go with Theodore to the estate.

  “I can hardly wait!” Rosamund exclaimed, once they had decided on how long she would be there that afternoon.

  Just then, the door opened again. They all held their breath as they turned, again eager to see if they had a new customer.

  But this time, as well, it was just another visitor.

  Juliet was Rosamund’s dearest friend. She was a young woman who clearly wished for the same skills that Rosamund had.

  “Juliet! Well, it looks like I am being visited by two of my favourite people today,” she said.

  Juliet smiled and looked at Theodore and then back to Rosamund, as if perhaps this gentleman was a secret admirer that Rosamund had never told her about.

  “Oh, forgive me. This is my cousin, Mr. Theodore Connelly. Theo, this is my dearest friend, Miss Juliet Grimes,” she said.

  “It is an honour to meet you Miss Grimes,” Theodore said, his eyes taking in the blushing Juliet.

  “And you, Mr. Connelly,” Juliet replied, keeping her eyes low and a quiet smile on her lips.

  As Juliet and Theodore introduced themselves to one another, Rosamund c
ould see that there was a spark between the two of them. She had never expected this. But she ought to have done.

  In fact, why has she not thought before about arranging a meeting between her cousin and her friend? Yes, Theodore was a little bit older, but there was nothing wrong with that. They would actually be quite a sweet couple.

  “Anyway,” her father said, suddenly, clearing his throat. It was startling enough to break Juliet and Theodore from their moment and it very nearly made Rosamund jump. But her father was always shy around romance and she found it amusing that he would try to break that moment.

  “Yes, we must be on our way,” Rosamund said.

  “On your way?” Juliet asked.

  “Indeed; I am very sorry we shall not spend time together today. I am going to pay a visit to the gardens of the Duke of Somerfield,” Rosamund said.

  Juliet was downcast, but understanding.

  “In that event, I shall speak with you later,” she said.

  Theodore led Rosamund to the coach. They climbed in and started on their journey.

  Rosamund was excited. Any opportunity she had to get out of the shop and away from the house was a good one. But knowing that she was going to be in a grand garden was like a dream.

  She was always eager for opportunities to enjoy florals of nobility. The wealthy always had such grand gardens. And now, she would get to be among them.

  “Are you ready?” Theodore asked.

  “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? You know that I love beautiful flowers and this is a great opportunity to use my skills. Father will be overjoyed because I know that your employer will be able to keep us flush for a month if we assist him in this,” she said.

  “Very true. But you have never done work at a place like this, have you?” Theodore asked.

  “I did save the tulips of the Baron of Morran,” she said.

  “Ha! The Baron of Morran? That is not a garden, that is a bouquet,” Theodore said, eliciting a laugh from Rosamund.

  “Yes, you are right. But my point is that I have worked for the wealthy before,” she said.

  “I have a feeling you do not rightly know what you are in for. Will you do me a favour?” Theodore asked.

  “Certainly,” she replied.

  “Open the curtain and tell me what you see,” he instructed, gesturing to the window in the coach.

  Rosamund looked out of the window. What she saw was astonishing.

  The estate was enormous. It was larger than she had ever dreamt of. In fact, she had never even heard of places like this. Was it a palace? She could imagine a palace this size.

  “I…” she trailed off, looking back at Theodore and then immediately turning her head back to look through the window again.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I think I had no idea what you really meant all this time,” she said.

  Theodore laughed and she got the idea that he understood her confusion and amazement. But how could he not? No matter how long he had lived at this place, how could anyone get used to it?

  If the gardens were anything like the rest of the estate, Rosamund was going to be very happy indeed.

  Chapter 3

  Albion had given his employees strict instructions. They were to leave the young woman alone.

  Miss Fleet would be coming soon. And only Theodore would be the one to assist her. He would be the one to offer her tea and anything that may be necessary. But everyone else was meant to leave her alone.

  He felt that it was the best way to protect himself against having someone new in the house. This way, his employees would not grow attached.

  It was a little bit silly, being so picky about these things and so petrified of having new company. But it was difficult to open up his heart to any new people when he had lost so much already.

  After Albion ensured that everything was ready for Miss Fleet, setting out whatever tools he thought she may need, he went back inside and began pacing his study. He could not understand why he was so nervous, but something about all of this left him greatly overwhelmed. He really wanted all of it to work.

  He needed it to.

  The idea of losing the garden, of having this disease spread, was too much. Already, the roses were growing worse and worse. What if he came out the next day to find that everything was covered?

  Again, Albion was reminded of the irrationality of his concerns. No, these flowers were not his family, so why did he treat them as though they were? Why did he care so much for them that he felt he would be losing his family all over again if something happened to the blossoms?

  It was nonsense, but it was overwhelming nonsense.

  Finally, Albion heard the sound of the coach approaching the estate. He looked out of the window, wanting to catch a glimpse of the woman Theodore had mentioned, his distant relation. For some reason, Albion simply pictured Theodore with long hair.

  He knew nothing about Miss Fleet, but thought she must be a very wise older woman. Was she a spinster? Or was she as young as Theodore was, just a year or two younger than Albion himself?

  He certainly pictured her as a spinster.

  But when the door of the coach opened and the coachman assisted the young lady to the ground below, he was astonished. Through the glass, he could see that she appeared quite youthful. Perhaps twenty?

  She had lovely, dark brown curls that were pinned neatly so that they were back from her face, but cascaded down the back of her dress, which showed that she was not of a high station by any means. Regardless, he was astonished that she was so lovely. He wanted to get a clearer view of her.

  Theodore led Miss Fleet around the estate and Albion rushed to the other side, to the windows which looked out over the back of the property, where the gardens were below. He opened a few of the windows, both for the sake of fresh air and for a better view.

  When Theodore and Miss Fleet rounded the corner and came into the gardens, Albion heard her gasp.

  “You said that it was beautiful, but I never imagined this,” she told Theodore. At least, that was what it sounded like to Albion, although her voice was a short distance away.

  “I know. It is difficult to describe. Until you see it with your own eyes, you cannot imagine it,” Theodore replied.

  Albion squinted to get a better look at her. He wished that he could see the colour of her eyes, but from there, he could not. As he watched Theodore give Miss Fleet a tour of the gardens, he felt a little bit odd. Was it strange for him to observe without them knowing about it? Was he being…inappropriate?

  But Albion told himself there was nothing wrong with it. After all, he was hiring this young woman. He had a right to know exactly who she was and what she was going to do. He had lost his previous gardener for not paying closer attention and he would not allow that to happen again.

  “And here are the roses that are sick,” Theodore said, showing her where the problem lay.

  “Oh, dear. Yes, I have seen this before. Many times, actually. It is common, but we must put an end to it at once or all of the rose bushes will die,” she said.