‘Glators,’ said Abigail, now swinging her sword at the edges of the planting beds.
‘Ah,’ said Thea, understanding dawning. ‘It was her favourite thing we did when Mrs Henry was trying to cheer me up in London. We went to see the fighting gladiators.’
‘I see,’ said Frankie, turning her question back to Abigail. ‘And were the gladiators big, strong men?’
Abigail shook her head theatrically. ‘Ladies,’ she corrected.
‘Ladies?’ asked Frankie, looking quizzically at the small child. ’Fighting?’
‘With sowords.’ came the enthusiastic response whilst the stick was wielded above her head.
‘I see,’ said Frankie, throwing another glance at Thea. ‘I am sure your mother and Mrs Henry enjoyed the ladies with swords almost as much as you?’
‘Harrr!’ shouted Abigail again, overexcited and delighted. She put her hands on her hips and turned to Frankie. Thea really was going to have to do something about that attitude, she thought. But for now, it was too cute.
Thea started to pink.
‘Never mind that,’ tried Thea, attempting to catch Abigail’s stick and return some order to the situation. ‘That’s quite enough of trying to hit Frankie with a sword, I need her useful for the new arboretum. Also we need to see if Samantha and Martha are finished with the snails. Do you think Annie is–’
‘Here,’ said Annie, appearing around the door. ‘I’ll take them to the forest. Let them let off a bit of steam.’
‘Excellent idea,’ said Thea as Annie took Abigail’s hand and led her to find her brother and sister. Thea tried to exit the glasshouse as she knew Frankie was unlikely to let the matter of gladiators go, but it was another question that came.
‘Lady Foxmore will be staying with you for the whole summer?’ asked Frankie, averting her eyes a little.
Thea’s heart raced. Frankie already knew enough about her to cause trouble if need be, but any further complication regarding Martha would be inadvisable and it was clear that Martha wasn’t going to warm to Frankie any time soon. It was almost as if Frankie could read her mind.
‘I’m only asking Your Grace, no trouble. It is nice for you to have company. Annie says the duke will be bringing Miss Bellegarde when he arrives and we have to be nice to her but not engage directly.’
Thea swallowed nervously, but hoped she could trust Frankie. ‘That is correct. I rarely see her, but I suspect she avoids me. She must come out sometimes.’ Frankie nodded in understanding, so Thea went on. ‘But you should see more of Lady Foxmore as the duke has agreed she may stay for some of the spring.’
‘Generous,’ said Frankie, with barely disguised sarcasm.
‘This does concern you somewhat,’ said Thea, the conversation jogging her memory. ‘As the duke is keen to send plants to Mr Knatchbull, he has suggested that we take on an advisor.’
‘An advisor?’ asked Frankie. ‘Why do we need..?’
‘When the duke heard of our… current arrangements,’ tried Thea, ‘he thought someone vetted by himself may be appropriate.’ She swallowed involuntarily at the tone of George’s last letter. He would be furious when he returned to Hawkdean. The fact that his estate now had a female head gardener had spread quickly around his circle, and he had not been appreciative of hearing of it from Doctor Herbert.
‘I understand,’ said Frankie. ‘A man.’
‘Yes,’ said Thea. Embarrassed that she had been overruled in her own house. ‘But we shall do as he suggests, of course.’ She gathered herself. George hadn’t suggested, he had demanded, but Frankie didn’t need to know that. ‘I am pleased to say that Lady Foxmore had a suggestion which the duke has agreed to. Algernon Crumpacker will be joining us in the next month or so. Apparently, he travelled with Lady Foxmore on the first two voyages and had been a student of Linnaeus so I hope he will have some useful information to impart.
Frankie did look a little nervous, thought Thea. She would have no trouble holding her own on the plant knowledge, but Thea knew she still worried about reading and writing. ‘I am sure that will be useful, Your Grace.’
‘Perhaps,’ said Thea. ‘I am sure we can all make the best of it and learn a lot about botany. Although,’ she dropped her voice alittle even though she wasn’t sure why. ‘I understand that he has also been employed by Mr Knatchbull at Upper Plumbthorne, on occasion over the last year or so.’ She stopped and smiled as Frankie wrinkled her nose. ‘Quite,’ said Thea. ‘Knatchbull has been raving about the Linnaean botanist he has had working for him.’
Frankie leaned on the side of a planting bed and crossed her arms. ‘You said the duke was never interested in the plants before. Why now?’ she asked.
Thea didn’t know how to answer this, as it was also a question that had been confusing her. She chose the diplomatic answer. ‘His Grace is naturally keen to develop the relationship between the households and Mr Knatchbull values plants. I also suspect we will be seeing more of Mr and Mrs Knatchbull, Dr Herbert and Dr Speckle, who, despite sacking him, Dr Herbert now can’t seem to function without.’
‘And do you trust Mr Crumpacker, Your Grace, if he has worked for Knatchbull?’ asked Frankie.
Thea furrowed her brow. ‘Apparently Crumpacker is exceptionally loyal to Lady Foxmore.’ She picked some browning edges from a Chlorophytum to try and hide her unease. ‘And she is to him, therefore I shall trust him.’
There was an awkward pause.
‘Gladiators then, Your Grace?’ Frankie asked, breaking the tension as she picked some dead leaves off a passionflower that climbed up the wooden structure.
