She returned to his side, no doubt looking as though she had just been on a magical ride through a land of enchantment, but this seemed to please him because his smile was as broad as hers. “Who tends these plants, my lord?”
“I have a staff of gardeners, but my head man is Walter Burrows.”
She nodded. “Is he new? I don’t think my father or I know him. He is a marvel. Would you mind if I consulted with him as I formulate my menu?”
“He’s been with me for years, but keeps mostly to himself. I do not mind your talking to him at all. I’ll introduce you to each other when you come up tomorrow.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Bother it, I do wish you would call me Alex.”
She shook her head vehemently. “No, it is not my place.”
“But are we not friends? We are working closely on this house party and you know I have trust in your judgment. Not to mention, I let you get away with dumping a pail of water over my head.”
She winced. “You will never let me forget it, will you?”
“No.” His eyes glittered with mirth.
“I have tremendous respect for you and am enjoying our time together immensely. This project is a delight for me. But how can we ever be friends? We are from different worlds.” They left the conservatory to walk back to the house.
“Not so different.”
She frowned at him. When he spoke like this, he unwittingly gave her hope there could be something between them.
“I have spent much of my life in Ardley,” he continued, “save the years I was on the Continent battling Napoleon. You were born and raised here. Both our lives have been shaped by these same surroundings.”
“Not at all the same. Yours have been quite a bit finer than mine. Your childhood was not only spent here, but in an elegant townhouse in one of London’s finest sections. Is it Mayfair or Belgravia? I don’t suppose it matters since I have never been to London and could never afford anything so fine. There is also your father’s country estate, Trent Hall. I expect it is even grander than Ardley Hall.”
“It is.”
“I also expect you were at Eton for boarding school and then Oxford for your university studies. So you see, my lord. We are from very different worlds.”
He did not look pleased.
Indeed, he was frowning back at her as though she had given him a set down when this was not at all her intention. “I think it would be very dangerous for us to be friends,” she continued. “I feel remarkably comfortable in your company and enjoy it far more than is wise.”
That seemed to mollify him, although he still looked grave. “I think you are the most pleasant part of this odious project. You make it bearable for me, Viola. I cannot tell you how much I detest the idea of a house party. I feel as though I am to be a prancing bear put on display and made to show my tricks.”
“The young ladies must also be feeling this same way. Perhaps you shall commiserate over your mutual woes and put each other at ease.”
He grinned. “You are being too sensible again when all I want to do is feel sorry for myself. Come on, I’ll show you the rest of my home.”
He led her from room to room, but when they went upstairs to tour the bedchambers, he insisted on having Mrs. Lester accompany them. The woman was quite kind to her, but most of the staff in the viscount’s employ were local residents who attended their church, so she knew them personally. “You maintain the house beautifully, Mrs. Lester,” she said once the tour ended and they returned downstairs. “Would you mind if I consulted you on the room assignments for his lordship’s house party?”
“Not at all, Miss Ruskin,” she said with a genuine smile. “I would be happy to help.”
“Thank you. That is a great relief for me.”
“Miss Ruskin will also require a bedchamber for the duration of the party. I cannot have her going back and forth to the vicarage. She needs her own quarters here.” The viscount now turned to her. “By your count, thirteen rooms will be assigned, plus mine which I occupy. This makes fourteen. I have fifteen bedchambers in this house. You’ll take the fifteenth.”
“No,” she and Mrs. Lester said at the same time.
“My lord,” the woman said in a shocked tone. “Miss Ruskin is to be your cook, not one of your party guests. To put her on the same floor as you…it will not look right at all.”
“That is utter nonsense.”
Viola shook her head. “Not nonsense at all. It will be my reputation ruined if this is where I am put. Mrs. Lester will make room for me with the staff.”
