“Don’t you mean,yourlibrary?” she said. There was no malice or spite in her tone, which both pleased and surprised Nate.
“Well, yes. I suppose it is mine.” It was the truth, but it felt somehowwrong to articulate it.
“Tell me”—she strode toward him—“what was my father’s demeanor before he…” She bit her lip. “When you played cards with him that fateful night? I keep going over the scenario in my mind. He seemed distracted before he left home for London—did he seem that way to you?”
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t tell you. I’ve never met your father.”
“Oh?” She cocked her head, and Nate thought she seemed disappointed. No doubt, she’d been desperate to speak with the person who’d last seen her father alive. Nate wished he could provide her with that solace—some words of comfort. On the other hand, he felt pleased that he could reassure her that he was not the monster who’d taken everything from her papa.
“It was my brother who played cards with him—on several occasions, I believe.”
“And each time they played, Papa lost more of his fortune until it was all gone—even our home.”
“Yes,” Nate said. “That has been the misfortune of more than one gambling gentleman, I’m afraid. But I knew nothing about your father or this house until my brother handed it over to me—well, that sounds a bit too generous. The truth is that my brother banished me from London because I refused to do his bidding.”
Miss De Lacey raised her eyebrows. “What did he want you to do?”
“He wanted me to give up my bachelor lifestyle and live by his rules. I refused. So, he banished me to this remote corner of the country.”
“I see.” Miss De Lacey pursed her lips and walked to the window. “How sad for you.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Do you know that I’ve lived in this house all my life? It was built by my grandfather, who loved this part of England with all his heart, as did my father, and as do I. What you look upon as a place of exile, I look upon as home.”
Nate swallowed. Why is it that he felt like a criminal when he’d done nothing wrong? “I suppose we should discuss your future plans. I had no idea this house was still occupied. Of course, I am happy to let you and your aunt take as much time as you need before I sell it.”
“Sell?” She turned to him, and the alarm on her face told him that his plans came as a surprise.
“Yes. My brother forced me to sign a contract that said I could not sell the house for seven years, but I intend to find a loophole and get myself back to London, where I belong. I have no idea how long that will take, but until then, you and your aunt are welcome to stay.”
“I don’t want your charity, Mr. Squires,” she said. “In fact, I wish to help you.”
“Help me?” He laughed. “And how do you propose to do that?”
“With this.” She strode toward him and handed him the book she’d held since entering the library.
He read the title.A Guide through the District of the Lakes in the North of England,by William Wordsworth. He smiled. “It’s funny you should give this to me. A friend tried to force a copy upon me before I departed from London. He thought it would cheer me up and make me ‘fall in love’ with my new home.” He scoffed. “I didn’t bother bringing it with me because as I said, I don’t plan on staying here long. So, thank you”—he held the book out to her—“but neither Wordsworth nor any other poet can turn me from a city to a country dweller.”
“I promise it never crossed my mind. That’s not why I gave you the book, Mr. Squires. But believe me when I tell you that this book is the answer to all your problems.”
Nate sighed. “I doubt that.”
She smiled and two tiny dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth. “Why don’t we take that tour of the garden, and I will explain exactly what I mean.”
“Certainly,” Nate said. He felt confident there was nothing anyonecould say to him that would convince him to stay and make this his home, but he could think of no better way to while away his time than strolling in the garden with a charming young lady.
*
The garden waseven more magnificent than Nate had first thought. As they strolled across the manicured lawn, he wondered how the bankrupted Mr. De Lacey had managed to pay for its upkeep.
“It must take a lot of work to keep the garden so spectacularly manicured,” he said casually.
“You’re wondering how my father managed its upkeep,” she said, perceptively. “I’ve been wondering the same thing since—I mean, he kept his troubles quite well-hidden from me. Although, I now realize that it was partly my fault. Of course, I’d noticed that our furniture had grown a little shabby and that most of Mother’s jewelry had started disappearing, along with paintings from the walls, but I turned a blind eye. Sometimes it’s easier to stay in denial than to face one’s harsh reality.”
Nate nodded. “I can understand that.”
“As to the garden, most of that is down to our faithful gardener, Mr. Thomas, who has served Villa De Lacey since before I was born. He is a magician with plants and flowers and lives in the cottage behind the house. But the work has been getting more difficult for him, so Papa had been urging him to take on an apprentice. Still, he has yet to do so.” She smiled sadly. “Papa would have done whatever was necessary to keep the garden maintained—whether it be selling our valuables or borrowing money and getting himself deeper into debt. The garden was his pride and joy because it lies open to the world. It’s easy to hide areas of neglect indoors but there’s no hiding one’s shame out in the open. Papa always said that how a gentleman kept his garden could tell one a lot about how he lived his life.”
“Well, judging from this garden, your father’s life would have been very orderly.” Nate could not help but point out the irony.
“And it was for most of his life, I think. But it seems he got into the bad habit of gambling these past few years, and I suppose his life spiraled into a continuous cycle of chaos. Gambling, winning, and then losing, over and over again, until things got completely out of control. That’s why I think he was so obsessive about his garden. If he could maintain that façade, then he could believe all was well. I certainly did.”
