She took out her handkerchief and quickly dried her tears.
Only a few drops had fallen. “There. Better?”
He cast her a smile that made her legs turn weak. “Much better.”
They spent the next hour deciding on paint colors, a chore she had expected him to find excruciatingly dull. Then she realized he was looking at it as the fulfillment of a dream, the home he had always craved and never had until now. He did not know who he was or where he came from, so this was his chance to create a place for himself.
By the time they had finished walking from room to room with the painters, they had gathered a following.
Bonham was there, guarding the house and escaping boredom by trying to fix things around the house. He set aside his latest project, yet another that vexed him to no end, and joined Gwendolyn and Suzanna Carstairs, along with Miranda and Gwenys Lawson, in following them from room to room.
It really was completely improper that Berry’s friends should saunter over uninvited. But Gideon was not one for formality and did not take offense that his neighbors were snoops and could not resist stopping by.
Bonham did not seem to mind either. In fact, he was delighted. Was she imagining it, or had his eyes lit up upon seeing Suzanna march up the walk?
Everyone had an opinion and a comment as the painters brushed various samples on the walls of each room. They all stood there and watched the paint dry.
Berry was surprised when Gideon went with her choice of color each time.
Toward the end, their followers and the painters were snickering each time she gave her answer.
Berry was not proficient in many things, but no one could ever fault her refined tastes or her sense of fashion. Had she been born a man, she might have worked alongside prominent architects and designers such as Henry Holland or John Nash.
She was pleased to put her knowledge to good use. Her learning extended beyond mere paint colors. She was well versed in neoclassical architecture and art, too.
Odd that Gideon seemed to appreciate her talents and accept her advice when no one among her elite circle would give her the time of day on such matters.
They met again at nightfall, all of them walking around with candles and torches to confirm that the paint colors Berry had chosen were the right ones for each room, especially the ballroom.
“Are we done? All good?” Gideon asked. “Then I had better get back to the club. See you bright and early tomorrow morning.”
With the colors now agreed upon, they all parted ways.
Berry hardly slept because she was so excited that Gideon’s home was starting to take form.
The painters arrived early the following morning, and Berry was there to watch them set about mixing the color shadings to her precise formulations.
She looked on, hardly breathing as they began their task.
Her snooping friends soon joined her, as did Bonham and Gideon. They spent a full hour discussing the colors.
“As much fun as this is,” Miranda said, “Gwenys and I really must take our leave.”
“Thank you for stopping by,” Berry said, although this was not her home but Gideon’s.
Still, she felt very much like the lady of the house. Gideon had made her feel that way by respecting all her decisions.
Miranda and Gwenys returned to their home because they had planned a day of shopping in preparation for Gwenys’s formal come-out that was still months away. But one had to get an early start, since so many gowns would be required.
Gwendolyn and Suzanna mentioned that they were at leisure. When Suzanna happened to ask Bonham what he had been working on that vexed him today, he responded with a grumble about the service shaft that was used to lift food or other items from a lower story to an upper story without need for the servants to climb up and down the stairs. “The pulley ropes are frayed and need to be replaced.”
“Ah,” Suzanna said. “Curiously, we had the same problem in our home last winter. Will you permit me to have a look at your shaft?”
Bonham and Gideon both coughed suddenly.
Since neither seemed able to speak for the moment, Suzanna continued. “Hargreaves and Sons sells an excellent pulley system that is easy to install. But I shall have to measure the width of your shaft. Precise measurements are necessary, obviously. Do you mind?”
The pair were coughing again.
