Alice was completely flustered as Ethan soothed the soft balm into her tender, ripped up skin. His touch was so light that it almost tickled, but she bit her lip to keep from laughing as she knew he was trying to be gentle and not hurt her. The move had the unfortunate side effect of bringing his eyes to her lips again, and she could feel heat rising in her chest at the feel of his eyes on her. Ethan cleared his throat and ripped his eyes away, but not before a shiver made its way across her shoulders.
He set her hand down before picking up the other and repeated his ministrations. The salve felt just as good, soothing the burning sensation where the shovel’s handle had dragged across her skin. A light herbaceous scent released as he rubbedin the concoction, the warmth of his touch amplifying the fragrant notes of rosemary, mint, and chamomile.
Ethan was taking such care with her—it was so unexpected that as he began wrapping her hands, Alice found tears were suddenly welling in the corners of her eyes. Quickly turning away so he wouldn’t witness her weakness, seeing the way his kindness affected her, she took in a deep breath.
“Thank you, I appreciate you tending to my hands,” Alice said, pulling back from his light hold and placing her hands back in her lap. It felt as if a fog lifted at the loss of his touch and reality returned to her. “I’ll be sure to have gloves next time,” she added, her tone returning to a slightly cooler delivery—it would be best to remember why she was here and return to business.
Ethan’s brow pulled together, confused by her sudden change in demeanor, but he didn’t comment on it. “So you plan to continue digging the plot in the garden?”
“I’d like to. I think it’s good for me to be involved in every aspect of the project, not just the easy ones.”
“I wouldn’t say that coming up with the entire design is easy,” he said with a large smile. And for the first time, she felt that he actually appreciated her efforts. But she couldn’t soften—she had to remember why she was here.
Gathering the plans she’d walked in with, Mr. Beaumont looked up at her again, his slightly detached business expression back on his handsome face. Good, they both needed to remember their places.
“Why don’t you tell me about the changes you are hoping to make?”
“They are twofold . . . and the first might actually require a bit more work than I indicated a moment ago.” She glanced from below her lashes to assess how perturbed he might be at the admission she was making larger changes to his plans than first intimated. He grimaced but motioned for her to proceed.
“I was reflecting on the practical uses of a garden and how this one might provide more than just the peace of a beautiful surrounding. I’d also like to expand the kitchen garden so that everyone who works on the estate might benefit from the food grown there.”
Mr. Beaumont’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he didn’t seem displeased, so Alice rushed to continue explaining her rationale.
“After last night, I was thinking about the long hours that many of the workers put in on the estate before they are able to return home. Especially when they are held after hours,” she added sheepishly. “It doesn’t leave much time for cultivating their own produce. But the estate could provide additional yields of fruits and vegetables for them to share with their families, thus reducing their expenses.”
Alice risked glancing up from where she had been studiously examining the wood grain of the desk, scared of Mr. Beaumont’s reaction. Much to her surprise, she was met with a smile that lit up the man’s entire being. Not only were there creases along his cheeks and crinkles around his eyes from how wide his smile stretched, but he was even leaning forward, eager to hear what she had to say next.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea, and one both West and Priscilla will heartily approve of. We can expand the plot to the east, away from the house.”
“Yes! That’s exactly what I was thinking—so it won’t interrupt the visual lines of the garden.” Alice’s own smile brightened her face.
“Thank you for being willing to make the expansion. Now, the second change is regarding the types of flowers to include in the border patches. I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading on the meaning of different plants and flowers, and I think this garden should say something . . .”
CHAPTER 12
The next morning when Alice rose to prepare for a day spent in the garden, she found a plain dress without adornment laid out on the end of the bed, along with a thick, warm pelisse and knit gloves.
A rapid but quiet knock sounded on the door before Meredith entered carrying a pitcher of warm water. “Oh, you’re up, miss,” she said with a quick nod, curtsying after depositing the pitcher on Alice’s washstand. “May I assist you in your morning toilette?”
“I believe I can manage, thank you. But can you tell me where these clothes came from?”
“Oh, Mr. Beaumont asked me to bring them in for you after collecting them from his sister and the marchioness.”
Though Meredith answered as if it were a casual gesture, Alice was deeply touched by his thoughtfulness of providing clothing more appropriate to her continued work in the garden. She was also flattered that Priscilla and Nathalie would lend her garments of their own, given her own clothing was fit for afternoon tea more than any type of work that required the slightest bit of physical effort.
Dressing in the simpler clothes, she descended to breakfast and was not surprised to see Nathalie already at the table. “How is it that you always rise so early?” Alice half grumbled as she brought a cup of steaming tea to her lips, desperate for its restorative properties.
“I can get so much reading done in the mornings when no one is around to disturb me—it’s my favorite part of the day.”
Alice believed it. In the few short days Nathalie had been in residence, it had become apparent to Alice that nothing brought her more joy than disappearing within a good book. she wistfully watched now as her friend once again became engrossed in the tome in front of her on the table, content to let her half-eaten breakfast grow stale. Alice wondered what it would be like to be able to lose herself so thoroughly in a pastime, but the innumerable worries swirling in her mind and fear of not living up to expectations prevented such luxury.
“Thank you for the dress.”
“Hmmm . . . I’m sorry, what did you say?” Nathalie lifted her head after registering being spoken to. She looked at Alice with a crinkled brow, not at all sure what Alice had said to her.
“I thanked you for the dress.” The side of Alice’s mouth quirked up in amusement as she continued sipping her tea.
“Oh, no. The dress is Priscilla’s. The pelisse belongs to me, though. I also have an older spencer you can use if you’d prefer, but with it still being rather cold in the mornings, Ethan thought you might appreciate the length of the pelisse.”
