She did not know how long she was bent over the flowers before she straightened and continued her exploration. The Dowager Duchess had a garden of her own but it had not been as grand or soothing as this.
Here, Selina imagined sitting on one of the benches in the garden as she pored through a book with a cup of tea in hand, lost in thought as she allowed the fragrant air to fill her nostrils and perfume her skin in the best way.
She chuckled to herself, lost in her dream for a bit. Selina cared not for fantasies but something about this place made her believe she could let herself dream.
Still, she moved on. As Selina walked, she heard a rustle of leaves. Curious, she poked her head through an opening in the direction she heard the sound.
Her eyes widened when she saw Barbara climbing a tree. The young girl gripped the trunk, grabbing with all her might but her grip was not strong enough and she was not much of an experienced climber as she continually slipped.
Selina was amused as she watched but she could tell that her source of amusement did not find it as amusing as she did. The girl’s face was red in frustration. Unable to stop herself, she chuckled at the sight, surprised by the speed with which Barbara turned around.
“I- I was only trying to- to see if I could-” Barbara, who had not realized she’d had an audience, struggled to formulate her words. She leaned against the tree, her eyes filled with panic as though she had been caught doing something she was not supposed to do.
Selina was confused as she watched, the realization hitting her about what was happening.
“Oh, goodness. Calm down. It is not as though you were doing something wrong,” she said calmly, watching the girl while she remained where she was. Barbara looked her over, her eyes downcast for a moment.
“You are not going to tell my brother I was being inappropriate?” she asked her suddenly, her voice quieter than usual.
“What?! Inappropriate? You are a twelve-year-old child, Barbara. What child is not allowed to climb a tree?” Selina asked.
She was slightly worried now. Was this what had been happening all this time? Had she been stopped from living like a child would? Selina had spent her childhood playing and having as much fun as she could and she hoped every child did that.
“Really?” Barbara asked her, her eyes widening in excitement and Selina nodded.
“My brother would never allow me to get my clothes so dirty or attempt to climb a tree,” Barbara said, biting her lip as she looked around as though her brother would appear any moment now that she had mentioned him.
“He thinks it is unladylike for me to do any of these things,” Barbara finished. “My governesses thought so too.”
Selina shook her head, letting out a deep sigh. She had heard all about the governess issue from the dowager. It seemed not only had they not been able to keep one, but they had also not been able to find a sensible one. Of course, it was unladylike to climb trees, however, it did not matter much to Barbara.
“It is true that you need to know how to act like a proper lady,” Selina said, going to stand in front of her. “However, I do not think that at your age you should worry about what is seen as unladylike and what is not. You are still young. The time will come when you will have to bother about that, but it is not now.
“Trust me, you are going to want to enjoy these moments when no one is looking at you and no one is judging you based on how ladylike you are or not.”
Barbara smiled, her eyes twinkling as she studied her. She nodded and turned to face the tree, looking up at the slippery trunk.
“In that case, will you help me up the tree?” she asked shyly.
“Of course,” Selina replied, grinning as she made her way over to the young girl. She held her up just as Barbara managed to get a firm grip and prop herself up onto a tree branch. Barbara managed to sit on a thick branch and giggled as she did, swinging her legs gently.
“It is so nice up here,” Barbara said after a moment of silence, staring at all she could see.
“Can you climb?” she asked her suddenly, causing Selina to grin widely.
“Of course, I can climb,” she said, still grinning.
“Well, in that case, will you climb up with me?” Barbara asked Selina happily.
“Unfortunately, my dear, I have already gotten to that age where I need to worry about what is ladylike and what is not,” Selina said. Her grin had shrunk to a wistful smile.
“Pity!” Barbara said quietly and looked back out at all she could see, leaving Selina with a small smile on her face.
Selina could remember how she had, just like Barbara, climbed many trees in her father’s estate, not caring at all about anything and only seeking fun activities.
“Indeed.” Selina shook her head, brushing off the memory of that time. There was a reason she did not dwell much in the past.
“Miss Knight?” Selina looked down at Barbara, her eyes not as confident as they had been a few minutes ago. She could not help but wonder what had gone wrong. “How do I get down from this tree?”
