“Juniper might help.” Although Gemma did agree with Mr. Thurlowe.
“Like what they use to make gin?” Mrs. Warbler frowned.
“I brew it into a tonic that is nothing close to gin. My gran had gout and she swore by this recipe.” Or, when Gemma thought about it, her grancouldhave been sipping gin. She had been a feisty woman.
“I am in awe of how you have managed to see your way to London and then Maidenshop,” Miss Taylor said. “Why, it is as if you have traveled all of England. I don’t know that I would have the courage, Mrs. Estep.”
“Please, call me Gemma,” she reminded them. “And, we all have the courage, when we are angry enough.” Gemma looked around at the shambles of the kitchen. A yawn rose in her chest, one that she could not stifle. “I’m sorry. It has been a long journey and now—this.”
Mrs. Warbler sat back, rubbing her hand joints in small circles. “Don’t you trouble yourself over The Garland or Mr. Thurlowe. One challenge at a time, my girl. You are going to be an excellent addition to Maidenshop. We want you here. Don’t we, Miss Taylor?”
“Of course.”
“A tea garden is exactly what Maidenshop needs, and it may be a death blow to that ridiculous Logical Men’s Society.”
Ridiculous? Yes, Gemma liked that sentiment. “Mr. Thurlowe will not agree with you.”
“Mr. Thurlowe does not run Maidenshop. The matrons do.” Mrs. Warbler stood as if coming to a decision. “We are going to help you, Mrs. Estep—”
“Gemma,please.”
“Very well. We are going to help you,Gemma. The Garland has become a scourge to our fair village, and therefore, we accept your tea garden. In fact, wedemandit. Don’t we, Miss Taylor?”
“I don’t believe the Bucks will agree,” was the uncertain answer.
“The Bucks?” Gemma asked.
“Mr. Thurlowe and Lord Marsden,” Miss Taylor explained. “They are the decision-makers when it comes to the Logical Men’s Society. We used tosay, ‘The Three Bucks,’ but Mr. Balfour has married. One must be unmarried or a widower to be a member of the Society.”
“So soon, Mr. Thurlowe will not be eligible for membership once he marries you?”
There was a moment of hesitation. A regret. “Yes,” Miss Taylor admitted.
Gemma frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”
The younger woman shook her head. “I believe that it is giving up his role in the Society that makes Mr. Thurlowe reluctant to marry.”
“Reluctant?”
“We have been promised for over two years. He’s... not eager,” Miss Taylor said. “He’s very devoted to the Society.”
“Oh, pish posh,” Mrs. Warbler said. “It is past high time that man took a wife. He needs to be settled. Both of you do.”
“Except he didn’t act happy yesterday when I pushed him as you and the others recommended.”
“No man is happy about marrying.Allof them need to be coerced one way or the other,” Mrs. Warbler declared. “Indeed, changing The Garland into a tea garden might wake Sir Lionel up to notice that he needs a woman in his life.”
“Sir Lionel?” Gemma said.
“He is a widower who is in the Logical Men’s Society,” Miss Taylor offered helpfully.
“And he needs a wife,” Mrs. Warbler said bluntly. A glint came to her eyes. “Like me.”
When she spoke that firmly, Gemma wasn’t about to argue . . . although she was convincedno woman in her right mind would marry if they understood all the control to their own lives they were surrendering.
Jane had brewed the tea and now offered cups to Gemma and the others.
Gemma shook her head. She had no taste for it. What she wanted was sleep. She looked around the kitchen. Jane had also been quietly stacking the dishes. There was so much to do. “Look at this place. It will take weeks and weeks to put in order. And I don’t even want to think about how long I shall need to create the gardens.”
