During the festival, the 400-hectare pleasure gardens swarmed with merrymakers, strolling the grounds or taking picnics by the pond or traversing the hedgerow labyrinth, as she and Mr. Frampton were about to do. The follies were located in the center of the maze.
In the eight years since her come-out, Tabitha had forged her way through this labyrinth so many times, she could make her way through every twist and turn blindfolded.
Not that she wished to miss a single moment of this view. The lush green of the towering hedgerows, the first streaks of pink in the blue sky overhead… and the tall, well-muscled guard dog prowling at her side.
Tabitha tried not to watch him overmuch, but she could not stop herself from stealing glances. His was a handsomeness that came from within. It wasn’t his mouth or his cheekbones or his chest, but rather the tightly contained strength and power emanating from every pore.
This was a man who took care of things. And what he’d decided to take care of at the moment… was Tabitha. What could be more attractive than that?
She trusted him with her life, she realized in surprise. This vacant labyrinth in the middle of a plot of land many times the size of Vauxhall Gardens would be the perfect place for a footpad to leap from the shadows, or for a dastardly rakehell to take advantage of an unsuspecting miss.
All perpetrations of violence aside, Mr. Frampton need only spread the idle gossip that Lady Tabitha had jilted her betrothed and taken a holiday by herself under an assumed name, and her reputation would be destroyed overnight… and permanently.
She didn’t have to ask him not to do any of those things. He might be ruthless when it came to contracts and negotiations and disputes at gentlemen’s clubs, but with her he was only ever protective.
He wasn’t just a good man of business. He was a good man.
And those could certainly be hard to find.
“Here we are.” Light poured into the labyrinth from a break in the hedgerows. Mr. Frampton arched a dark brow. “Lead the way to the folly of your preference.”
It was disconcerting to step free of the maze and not be confronted by a swarming crowd of festival-goers. Yet the gardens did not look lonely. Without the hindrance of hundreds or thousands of other people, Tabitha could actually look around and truly register the vast beauty surrounding them.
She pointed toward the tallest folly, designed to look like a miniature castle. It stood two stories high and sported a narrow stone balcony just wide enough for two people to stand side-by-side.
“As you wish.” Mr. Frampton led her across the lush green grounds to the large stone folly.
Instead of a wooden doorway, the archway was clear, allowing them to enter without hindrance. Inside, there was no furniture. Just windows everywhere, with views of every angle of the gardens, and curving stone steps leading up to the first floor.
It probably would have made more sense to take the steps in single file, but Tabitha couldn’t quite bear to release Mr. Frampton’s warm, steady arm just yet. They ascended the flight together, hip-to-hip, their steps in perfect synchronicity.
The first floor was as wide and empty and full of windows as the ground floor beneath it. Any of the vantage points would have a stunning view, but she guided them to the west-facing balcony where the colors of sunset would be at their brightest.
“Do you think me silly for wanting to do this?” she asked as they stepped onto the stone ledge.
He glanced down at her in surprise. “I would think you silly if you did not. One of the best things about my office is the second-floor view of the sunset. I never miss it if I can help it.”
She grinned at him. “Me either. A lovely sunset is one of the few things that can tear my attention away from a good book.”
“What are the other things?”
“Kittens… chocolate… an invitation to the theatre…”
“Do you have a favorite play?”
“Honestly? My favorite shows are of acrobats and other performers. They don’t need a plot to entertain. Their stunts are breathtaking enough on their own.”
“I imagine there are those in the audience who cannot tear their gazes from you,” he murmured.
She snorted. “Because I am a lady? I should think Prinny and his mistress would make more scandalous fodder.”
“I doubt you’ve been scandalous in your life until today,” Mr. Frampton agreed.
“Then why would…” Oh. He meant that he found her beautiful, and could not imagine others not being just as entranced.
She gazed up at him, her throat dry.
His intense brown eyes did not leave hers.
