Alyssa walked about the room, righting various pots and gathering broken shards of pottery and placing them in a neat pile to assumedly, be removed later. “There’s quite a bit more that goes into gardening, I’m afraid.” She smiled as she glanced at him. “You’d be fascinated by how much the flowers respond to human interaction. I daresay I could teach you a thing or two about horticulture.”
Travell instantly thought of somethinghecould teachherin return, but he quickly shoved those thoughts aside. Instead, he spread his arms wide and said, “When do we begin?”
Chapter Five
When Alyssa went to bed that night, it was with a smile on her face. Nothing Travell could have done would have made her as happy as being reunited with her Blue Ladies. They had been her passion for the past three years, carefully cross-pollinating them until she’d perfectedthem exactly howshe wanted.
When he’d driven her back to Breyton Hall, he’d promised her the use of his carriage to travel to London to retrieve them the next morning. To return the favor, she intended on dropping by Dr. Frederickson’s office for a personal consultation. The relief she saw on Travell’s face had been apparent. It likely mirrored her own, for clearing out the conservatory and transplanting her roses would give her something to occupy her time, rather than grieving over her recent loss.
But, of course, before she experienced freedom, she had to endure the barrage of questions that were hurled at her that evening at dinner when she told her cousin and Caroline of her plans.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to continuevisiting the viscount without a proper chaperone,” James had said rather curtly. “You might be well acquainted, but he is still a bachelor and you are unmarried.”
Alyssa had grittedher teeth. “This isn’t London where one’s reputation is in danger of being compromised at a ball or soiree.”
He glanced at his wife,who was staying conspicuously silent. “I’m afraid that’s not good enough when it comes to safeguarding your reputation and the Breyton name. Caroline has graciously offered to act as your companion for the duration of your visits to Rosewood.”
“That’s not necessary,” Alyssa had returned firmly, knowing that the only reasonwasso the lady could flirt shamelessly with Travell. “I will take myladies’maid with me, which should be sufficient to squelch any rumors that might arise.” At that point, she’darose. “If you will excuse me?”
She caught Caroline’s furious glance as she took her leave, but she turned her back on the woman, regardless if she had sparked her ire or not. Alyssa had remained in this prison for long enough. It was time for her to reclaim her independence.
Thus, when Travell’s driver rolled up in front of Breyton House the next morning in the Curdiff coach, she was dressed and ready to depart with her maid, Daisy. A footman jumped down from the back of the vehicle and opened the door for her as the two women climbed inside.
As they started to ride away, Alyssa couldn’t help but glance back at the manor, only to see Caroline’s narrowed gaze on her as she departed. She clenched her hands in her lap, knowing that the woman wasn’t going to take defeat lightly. She was vain and high tempered and used to getting her way. She likely wouldn’t be denied Travell’s company for long.
But since Alyssa refused to dwell on LadyLockleyany longer, she lifted her face to the sun that was finally breaking through the heavy clouds. She was glad to get a break from the rain that had covered the land for the past two days, knowing that it would make travel a bit quicker. Even so, Alyssa doubted they would make it back to the estate by dark, and that’s if they were lucky.
She opened the book she’d brought with her and began to read.
She’d made it halfway through the novel before the city started to surround them. The familiar sights and sounds of London easing the heaviness in her chest, while the closer the driver drew to the heart of Mayfair brought allher despondencycrashing back down.
Tears filled her eyes as they stopped in front of that familiar whitewashed brick townhouse. And when she climbed down from the coach and walked up the steps to the front door, her vision blurredeven more. How many times had she done this without ever thinking that her circumstances might never change, that she would always be with Aunt Pearl?
She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat and took a deep breath as she knocked on the door that would have formally beenopened for her by her aunt’s butler. He would have greeted her formally in his starched attire and taken her outerwear with no change in his stoic expression.
She missed those days as their former housekeeper, Mrs. Darley, opened the door. The older woman looked as she’d remembered, her graying hair pulled back into a severe bun, attired in the same, gray wool dress free of any adornments. But although the woman looked stern, her smile had always been genuine, if not a bit reserved because of her position.
“My lady.” Mrs. Darley curtsied slightly as Alyssa and her maid walked inside. While Daisy would have normally been expected to use the servant’s quarters, there was no point in standing on ceremony since they were only gathering the roses and heading back to the country. “It’s good to see you again. I daresay I was glad to receive your letter. My duties at the Bremerton household have kept me rather busy. I fear I have only been able to check on your Blue Ladies on my afternoons off. I was only able to get away today if I switched days to accommodate my absence.”
Alyssa smiled at her gratefully. “I hope I didn’t cause you too much trouble. I appreciate you amending your schedule so that I can gather my roses.”
“It’s no problem atall,” the older woman replied.She paused, and Alyssa’s unease grew.“I was actually getting ready to write to you.” Her gaze turned sympathetic. “I received word that the house has sold. I was instructed toturn in my keysat the end of the weekso that the new owners will have them.”
Alyssaknew this had been a real possibility,for after her aunt’s death, with no one to inherit the property since it had been passed down through Lady Alwan’s mother and notentailed throughher husband, Alyssa knew she wouldn’t be able to pay for the upkeep of such an expense, even with the generous inheritance that her aunt had given her in her will.
However, Alyssahadn’t expected to lose everything quite so soon. As she glanced about the empty roomsshe had to hold back a wave of melancholy. The spaces that had once been filled with love and laughter were now hollow and cavernous.The furnishings thatstillremainedthat Alyssahadn’table to take to Breyton Hall had beencovered with white linen to keep the dust away, but it wouldn’t be long before they were removed and the house would be filled with life once again.
The only comfort Alyssa found in that, was that children might run up and down these stairs, supplying the one thing her aunt had never been able to have of her own during her brief marriage that had left her a widow for many years. Without needing to remarry, Aunt Pearl had chosen to live alone until the day Alyssa had become her ward.
Alyssa sighed. She could stand here all day andrecallall the happy times she had shared here, but since there was no point in eschewing what was already gone, she forced herself to move forward to the conservatory.
Most of the flowers that she’d tended so carefully through the years were still thriving, if not a bit forlorn in appearance, some leaves turning brown at the edges. But it was her Blue Ladies standing proudand tall with their impressive, sapphireblooms that she wanderedtoward.She bent her head to sniff their lovely fragrance and it was like coming home. If there was one scent that she could associate with her time with Aunt Pearl, it was this.
She carefully covered the flowers with a plain brown jute sack and tied a string of twine around the bottom to keep the cool autumn air from damaging them too muchasthey were transported back to Rosewood. Alyssa, along with her maid and Mrs. Darley, quickly tied as many of the other plants together and loaded them into the coach.
By the time thevehiclewas laden down with flowers, the precious Blue Ladies placed inside where they would ride back with Alyssa’s careful consideration, it wasalreadymid-afternoon and she still had to pay a call on Dr. Frederickson.
She tied her bonnet backin place and then reached into her reticule to hand the housekeeper a guinea. “Thank you for everything, Mrs. Darley.”
