A Duke's Garden of Love: A Historical Regency Romance Book Read online

  Despite his newfound liveliness, he still found all of it rather overwhelming.

  “Are you finished?” Theodore asked after they had drained their cups three times and the plate where the cake was now held mere crumbs.

  “Indeed, I think I am ready to leave,” he said.

  “Very well. Where would you like to go?” Theodore asked.

  Albion looked out through the window. He saw the boys shining shoes and gave a nod in their direction.

  “Let us have our shoes shined,” he said.

  Theodore smiled and nodded, although he also glanced down at Albion’s perfectly gleaming shoes. Regardless, Albion thought it might be a nice experience.

  They made their way across the street and to the two boys who were sitting there, utterly bored.

  “Shoes?” one of them asked, looking up at Albion with hope in his eyes.

  “Yes, absolutely, thank you,” he replied, sitting in the chair the boy had provided. Theodore did the same next to him and the boys got straight to work.

  Albion was devastated that boys who could not be more than thirteen or fourteen years of age were not able to be in school. He determined in that moment that he would try to think of something he could do to help them, but he would need to speak with Theodore about it first.

  Once their shoes were shined, Albion paid both boys three times their rate and they moved onward.

  “How might we help such young boys? There must be something we can do,” he said.

  “For those who are able to work like this, the best thing we can do is to be their customers. They learn a strong work ethic and it allows them an opportunity to make money. But I do have another cousin who provides an opportunity for boys such as these. In the afternoons, he gives them soup and teaches them skills and lessons,” Theodore said.

  “What might I do to assist him?” Albion asked.

  Theodore shrugged.

  “I am certain he would be happy to take a donation for the sake of food,” he replied.

  “See to it when we return home. I am happy to give,” Albion said.

  Yes, being out in the city, he was seeing the luxury of his isolation. There were many needs out here, so many who did not have the fortunes that he had. It was quite a shame that it had taken him this long to recognise it.

  As they were walking along, Albion then saw a young woman selling bouquets of flowers. She stood there, calling out for anyone who might be willing to purchase the small bundles.

  For a moment he considered all of the flowers he had back at his home, but then he started to think about the fact that he had become so enamored by his garden that he could hardly appreciate individual blooms. He imagined that it was probably similar for Miss Fleet who was always so busy in the gardens that she scarcely had time to truly enjoy a blossom.

  “I am curious…” he said, eyeing the young woman.

  “Yes? The flower girl?” Theodore asked.

  “Well…I am curious about your cousin,” he said.

  “What of her? You believe she would wish to sell flowers?” Theodore asked with evident disagreement.

  “No, it is not that,” he said. Albion was embarrassed to tell Theodore what was on his mind. Instead, he simply smiled at him and crossed over to the young woman, whose eyes lit up at the sight of a fancy gentleman coming in her direction.

  “Would you like to buy a bundle of flowers, Sir?” she asked.

  “Indeed, I would. How much for these?” he asked.

  She looked him up and down as if evaluating how much she could get from him. Before the young woman had a chance to reply, Albion held out three coins in his hand.

  “I trust this shall suffice?” he asked.

  Her eyes went wide in disbelief and she looked up at him as if to respond before promptly closing her mouth again and simply nodding. She took the coins and handed him the flowers before scampering off without another word.

  Albion grinned as he watched her go.

  “Well, that shall make her day,” Theodore said.

  Albion nodded.

  “I certainly hope so,” he said.

  But there was another young woman whom he truly wished to delight.

  Chapter 12

  “You must be very calm,” Rosamund told Juliet as they arrived at the estate.

  “You think I will not be?” Juliet asked, offended.

  “It is only that I know how very excited you are to be here. And also to see Theo, but you are only going to deny that,” Rosamund teased.

  “Your cousin is a very fine gentleman and nothing more,” Juliet replied, holding her head high.

  “Regardless of what you think about him, I am glad that I will have this opportunity to show you the work that I do here and how to better care for a garden,” Rosamund said.

  “I am looking forward to it as well. You know, there is just something so beautiful about the work you do and the way you are able to make flowers live. I wish that I had such a skill,” Juliet said, as she so often did.

  “That is why I have brought you here. I wanted you to enjoy making flowers come to life. You are going to learn exactly how to do just that,” Rosamund said.

  “Do you really believe that I can achieve such a skill?” Juliet asked.

  “I have no doubt at all. Now, come along. When you see the garden, you are going to be astonished,” she said, leading her friend around the back of the estate.

  Juliet had already been astonished enough when, from a distance, she had seen the actual estate itself. But now, seeing all of this up close, her eyes were wide and awed. And yet, Rosamund adored the fact that none of it would compare to Juliet’s amazement when she would see the gardens.

  Indeed, as they turned the corner, her jaw slackened, her eyes grew even larger, and a hand flung to her mouth to cover it.

  “This…” she said, “you told me that it would be beautiful. You told me it would be incredible. But this?”

  “I know. It is truly astounding. But I was worried that I had made it out to be mythical and you would not find it so lovely as I had described,” Rosamund said.

  “I fear you drastically downplayed the beauty of it,” Juliet said in reply.

  “Well, I am glad for that,” Rosamund said with a laugh. She really was thankful that she had not overdone her descriptions and Juliet could be as amazed as most people were when they saw the garden for the first time.

  “I suppose I ought to show you some of the tasks I have been working on,” Rosamund said.

  “Do I get to be your apprentice now?” Juliet asked, placing a hand on her arm to pause her.

  Rosamund shrugged and smiled.

  “I suppose so. It makes perfect sense, anyway. You are going to do very well. I know that this work sounds romantic and lovely, but you will find that there are aspects of it which you will not enjoy,” she said, warning Juliet.

  “I can hardly imagine that,” Juliet said.

  “Worms and spiders and the like?” Rosamund said as an example.

  Juliet shivered.

  “Why did you have to go and mention those things?” she asked.

  Rosamund laughed again, placing an arm around her friend’s shoulders. She had known that Juliet would not be so fond of those particular aspects. Still, she refrained from going into detail about how dirty Juliet would get or the way her back would ache from being so hunched over at times.

  Those realities would come true soon enough and Juliet would have to face the truth that she had not been prepared for this.

  Nevertheless, they began a tour of the gardens, with Rosamund showing Juliet all of the work she had done. She showed her the new additions she had planted and the aspects of the garden that she liked that most.

  Juliet was astonished as she had anticipated and it meant a lot to Rosamund to see her friend so excited about the beauty of the gardens. She had always known that Juliet found flowers to be the perfect example of womanhood, but this was a new level of admiration for Juliet. And Rosamund wa
s delighted to share in that.

  They continued on, wandering the grounds, until they stopped at the rosebushes.

  “Here we are,” Rosamund said.

  “Oh? I had imagined it would be covered in roses,” Juliet said in disappointment. There were only a few small buds scattered throughout the deeply pruned bushes.

  “It was. When I came, it was covered in roses that were sick with black spot. But now, they are coming back healthy and new,” Rosamund said.

  “But there is hardly anything here. Even leaves. It is as though it became only a small bush,” Juliet said.

  “Well, yes. That is what happens when flowers are sick. They must be thoroughly pruned. I had to take off so much of it that for a week you might not have even known it was ever a large, thriving plant,” Rosamund said.

  “That is so disappointing,” Juliet said.

  Rosamund eyed the plant and felt a strange wave of emotion cover her.

  “Sometimes, we are forced to prune things, to make them unrecognisable for a season before they may grow back with a flourish,” she said.

  Juliet nodded in understanding.

  “Strange how that applies to more than simply flowers,” she said.

  “Indeed, that was my exact thought,” Rosamund said.

  “So, what do you think? Have we any decent options in life?” Juliet asked.

  Rosamund looked at her curiously.

  “Decent options? What do you mean by that?” she asked.

  “If we are pruned to be rid of our flaws, will we grow back stronger than before?” Juliet asked, sadly.

  Rosamund had often wondered the same thing. And yet, she had no answer. She was not certain that an answer could be given. After all, life as she knew it was simply not the same as it had always been.

  Instead, she was now working at the estate of a wealthy duke, engaged to be married to an awful man for whom she cared nothing at all. Indeed, everything appeared to be quite out of the ordinary and Rosamund had begun to wonder exactly what the future was going to hold for her. Surely she would not be happy in the life she saw ahead. Being married to a man she detested was nothing but concerning for her.

  And yet, it was the only choice she had.

  “I wish that I had an answer for you, Juliet. Unfortunately, I do not. I can only think that you and I are both going to have to do all we can and fight to have the lives we wish for. Things are not as simple as having and not having. They are not as simple as wanting and not wanting. We must choose to do all that we can for our own betterment,” Rosamund said.

  Juliet stared at her for a moment, slack-jawed all over again.

  “How have I never thought of it that way?” she asked.

  “I think you have; only you did not realise that you must also move forward in that thinking. You must choose your own freedoms,” she said.

  “Rosamund…” Juliet said.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  “I am very fond of your cousin,” Juliet said.

  Rosamund laughed and looked at her dearest friend in all the world.

  “Yes, I know that,” she said.

  “Do you believe it is possible that he could ever care for me in return?” Juliet asked, looking rather sheepish.

  “I do not see why not. He is certainly a nice man with a fondness for others. He will most likely see that you are every bit the sort of young lady he could easily care for. But it is going to take time before he has the boldness to express the feelings that he has for you. Are you willing to be patient? Or do you wish to give him a nudge along?” Rosamund asked.

  “You believe he has feelings for me?” Juliet asked.

  “I am absolutely certain of it,” Rosamund replied.

  “Oh, that is so encouraging. In that case, yes. I wish to be bold. I wish to express to him that I have a care,” she said.

  “Wonderful. We must arrange it, then. Are you quite prepared to share your interest today? Or would you prefer to simply see him once more and then move forward the next time?” she asked.

  “I am ready,” Juliet said, a little too eagerly.

  “Excellent. Because I am sure that he shall be out here soon enough,” Rosamund said.

  “Really? You think so?” Juliet asked.

  “I do, indeed. He always comes to check on me,” Rosamund said.

  “In that case, I had best be ready. Oh, how do I look?” Juliet asked.

  “Very beautiful. But remember that you have come to garden. Gardening requires getting somewhat dirty,” Rosamund reminded her.

  Juliet’s face fell ever so slightly.

  “How dirty?” she asked.

  “If you are doing it correctly, your dress shall be covered in splotches of brown,” she warned.

  Juliet looked devastated, but Rosamund began to laugh.

  “You need not be too concerned. Today, you are merely going to be assisting me. I shall not make you do anything that is too dirty. That is, not until after you have had a chance to speak with Theo,” she said.

  Before long, he did come out and Rosamund glanced at Juliet to warn her that it was now time. Juliet stood up straight and smiled at his arrival.

  “Mr. Connelly, how nice to see you again,” Juliet greeted.

  “And you, Miss Grimes. I was not aware that you would be coming today,” he said.

  “Yes, well, I am hoping to learn from Rosamund. She is a most excellent practitioner of gardening,” Juliet said.

  “Indeed, she is. And are you well?” he asked.

  “Oh, yes. Quite,” she said.

  “I wondered if you might be willing to assist me? I was planning to bring tea and biscuits for Rosie, but as you are here as well, I may need help in bringing them out. I fear that I do not have enough hands of my own to bring things for the both of you,” Theodore said.

  Juliet glanced at Rosamund with wide eyes and Rosamund gave her a look of encouragement in return.

  “Indeed I would be delighted, thank you,” Juliet told Theodore.

  “Very well, please follow me,” he said.

  As the two departed, Rosamund was very happy for the potential match between the two of them. It was also helpful that she would not have to watch over Juliet for a few moments and could see her progress in other areas of the garden. As she wandered, she saw something strange by the petunias.

  There it was, a single bouquet of roses and baby’s breath. They were not from this garden. No, these would have been purchased in town.

  Rosamund stepped closer to see where they had come from. What she did not expect was the note which was attached.

  For Miss Rosamund Fleet,