She walked to her dressing table and picked up a miniature portrait of her papa. His kind blue eyes looked back at her just as they had done in real life.What’s the matter, my princess? Don’t cry. All will be well. There is no problem too big for you to solve. You are such a clever young lady. You’ll think of something.The words Papa had used so many times to comfort her echoed in her mind.
Oh, Papa.She kissed the portrait and pressed it to her heart.Why did you leave us? Why didn’t you talk to me? I would have helped you. We could have solved any problems we had together. A fresh tear slid down her cheek.
Placing the portrait back on her desk, she caught sight of her brand-new copy of William Wordsworth’s guide to the lakes. It had been a gift from her papa before he’d left for London—the last time she’d seen him. She caressed the leather volume, picked it up, and flipped through its pages.
“Do you know, my dear, that Wordsworth has made our little part of the world quite famous? Rich Londoners cannot get enough of his book. I predict they’re going to flock here by the dozens. The number of visitors we have now is surely going to quadruple. And our peaceful little slice of heaven will become quite overrun. It’s a good thing we have so many rooms in which to hide.”
“So many rooms in which to hide,” Bridget repeated. Then a thought struck her, and she felt her heart lift. “I know just what to do, Papa!” she said aloud. “I know how to save our home!”
Chapter Four
The next morning,a gnawing hunger roused Nate from his sleep. He opened his eyes, thinking of mutton and potatoes and stormy skies, to find sunlight streaming into his room. Delighted, he threw back his covers, walked across the wood floor to the window, and pulled back the curtains. The view outside almost took his breath away. A crystal blue lake surrounded by rolling hills as green as emeralds filled the horizon. Nate inhaled deeply, stretching out his arms, wanting to embrace the beauty outside. A sense of calm washed over him. He’d never seen anything quite so serene and magnificent. It was a far cry from the tempest that had greeted him upon his arrival.
He put his hands on his hips and grinned to himself. Edward had been too busy trying to control his life to come here and see the property for himself—that much was obvious. Nate let his gaze fall to the garden. Once again, he was caught off guard by the beauty that met his eyes.
A sloping lawn, complete with a flower garden and fountain, was surrounded by acres of lush trees that formed a thicket around the property.Wonderful!
He inhaled deeply when suddenly, he spotted a black-clad figure on the lawn, peering up at him. He squinted, and recognizing her butter-blond ringlets, saw that it was Miss De Lacey, whom he’d met last night. A little white dog at her heels wagged his tail. He waved in greeting, but instead of waving back, the young lady turned abruptly and scurried down the lawn, her dog in tow. Nate frowned. He wasdoing his best to be friendly, but she was being downright impolite, ignoring him like that.No matter.He stretched again, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his body. That was when he suddenly realized the problem. He was stark naked.
*
Nate rang forhis valet, who appeared promptly with his morning tea. He swallowed the tea in two gulps, washed and dressed, and then exited his suite. He made his way along the rectangular landing on the first floor, pausing to look over the balcony and down onto the main hall as he made his way to breakfast.
Unlike the dining room, the breakfast chamber was on the first floor. It was a brightly decorated, sunny enclave that sported yellow wallpaper with a white floral pattern and a wall of windows, which allowed for breathtaking views of the garden. The carved rosewood table at its center held three silver dishes that smelled of eggs, bacon, and kippers.
The same strange housekeeper, all dressed in black, whom he’d seen upon his arrival came into the dining room carrying a fresh pot of tea, and Nate wondered why he hadn’t seen a butler or any footmen. Clearly, Mr. De Lacey had cut his servants to the bare minimum to save on expenses. Yet, the garden was immaculate and keeping it that way would have been no small expense.
The housekeeper plunked the teapot down on the table in front of him without saying a word to Nate, but her dark eyes—too fierce and spirited for the rest of her mousy features—bore into him.
“Where are the ladies of the house? Am I to breakfast alone?”
“The ladies already breakfasted,” she said abruptly. “They areearlyrisers.”
Nate smiled and nodded. He understood that the ladies of the house had likely purposely avoided him, and he could hardly blamethem. Edward had sent him to do his dirty work. Now, he’d have to shoulder the guilt of having to turn two helpless women out of their home. But what choice did he have?
He poured himself a cup of tea. He’d have to deal with that later. All he wanted at the moment was to enjoy a hearty breakfast. His valet hadn’t been able to rustle up anything more than a cheese sandwich after his arrival last night, and he was famished. He served himself a plateful of scrambled eggs, bacon, kippers, toast, and marmalade and ate until he finally felt satiated again.
After breakfast, he decided to look around his new property. He was more than impressed by what he’d seen so far. The house was beautiful, but much of the furniture needed repair or replacing. He even noticed some fraying on the yellow-and-white-striped-upholstered chairs in the breakfast chamber. The primrose-yellow rug covering the wood floor looked to be rather faded too.
He strolled out of the breakfast room into a large drawing room. It housed a pale-blue settee and several matching armchairs above which hung an exquisite glass chandelier that held eight candles. A fireplace sat tucked in an enclave near the seating, and Nate imagined it provided much warmth and light during the wintery months. Like all the rooms he’d seen so far, tall windows allowed for plenty of light and provided views of the magnificent lake and green hills outside. A few paintings in gilded frames decorated the walls, but Nate also noticed several areas where paintings had been removed, leaving a darkened imprint on the wallpaper. No doubt, De Lacey had been selling off his valuables.
Next door was the study, presumably Mr. De Lacey’s, and then a rather impressive library with mahogany wall-to-wall shelves that reached the ceiling and housed numerous books of all sizes. Nate stepped into the room. He admired the burgundy, gold-tasseled curtains that matched the burgundy-and-gold-patterned carpet and paired well with the tufted leather sofa and chairs in the center of theroom. Bronze busts of Shakespeare, Dante, and various Greek gods and goddesses decorated the room, along with several landscape paintings in ornate gold-painted frames. It appeared that the upkeep of this room, like the garden, had been well maintained, while other rooms had been somewhat neglected.
Nate inspected the rows of leather-bound books on the bookshelves. There were books about British history, British birds, and other natural wonders in one section of the shelves. A second section had been reserved for literature and contained sets of the complete works of Chaucer and Shakespeare as well as Dante and other great writers. Then there were volumes of poetry by Byron, Keats, Coleridge, Shelley, and Wordsworth. A smaller section housed a string of popular novels likeRob Roy, Ivanhoe, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey,andFrankenstein,amongst others. Someone in this house liked to read.
He was about to pick up a copy of Wordsworth’s poems when the excited yapping of a small dog sounded in his ears. He turned to see Miss De Lacey enter the library, a book clutched to her chest.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said, “I didn’t know anyone was in here.”
“Miss De Lacey.” He shoved the book back in place and gave a slight bow in greeting. “I was just having a look around. Getting to know the place.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you. Please, carry on.” She turned to leave.
“I saw you in the garden earlier,” he said quickly. “I’d love a tour.”
Her lovely, pale cheeks turned bright pink, and he realized his error. She had seen him naked, and he’d just reminded her of that embarrassment. Oh, well.
“Your library is very impressive,” he said.
