“In fact, I do very well indeed. I recently purchased 23 Gracechurch Street, which is only a few doors away from the house where you are residing,” Gardiner replied.“I will wait to hear from you about Mr Darcy.” He saw Miss Lambert whispering to her mother and thought nothing of it.
“Mr Gardiner, would you like to join us for dinner on the morrow?” Vivian Lambert invited.“Phillip should have a reply from Mr Darcy by then.”
Seeing the blush on Miss Lambert’s face, Gardiner understood what she had whispered to her mother, and it thrilled him that she wanted to see him again.“As I have no prior engagements, it will be a pleasure to dine with you,” he accepted. He did not miss that Miss Lambert’s blush deepened when he accepted. He liked to think that the reaction was one of pleasure.
Without knowing it, Gardiner’s hope was true. Madeline Lambert had never previously felt an attraction to a man. She had recently turned nineteen and was very secure in her place in the Lambert family. She assisted Papa and Patrick in the shop so, even if she never married, she would not be a burden.
It had been impetuous to request that Mamma invite Mr Gardiner for dinner, and she had felt warm all over when he had accepted, as he had been watching her the whole time.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her father taking his leave of Mr Gardiner. She and her mother curtsied to his answering bow, and they were off.
Gardiner could not wait for dinner on the morrow, and it had nothing to do with the expected reply from Mr Darcy. He would have to be careful in divining how much longer Miss Lambert and her family would be in London. He did not want to seem too keen.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
So far, the dinner with the Lamberts was everything that Gardiner had hoped it would be. On going into the dining parlour, he was seated opposite Miss Lambert, as there were only four people present for the meal.
The conversation flowed freely and easily. There was no awkwardness, and Gardiner’s initial guess that Miss Lambert was intelligent was confirmed by the breadth of the subjects she had a grasp of and her display of knowledge. He made sure to attend her parents as well, but until the separation of the sexes, most of Gardiner’s time was devoted to Miss Lambert.
Once they were alone, Gardiner took the seat closest to his host, who invited him to move.
“Before we enjoy some libations, please call me Lambert.”
“I will happily address you thusly. In return, please address me as Gardiner.” He extended his hand to theolder man, and they shook.
“Port?” Lambert offered after they shook hands.
“Please,” Gardiner responded. He was not sorry that the man had not offered him cigars, as he had always avoided them and did not enjoy breathing the smoke.
Lambert poured two measures of the sweet wine and passed one to his guest.“If you are a man who enjoys smoking after the meal, I must apologise. I do not enjoy the activity myself, and my Vivian detests the smell in the house,” he revealed.
“As I am not a man who smokes, I applaud your wife’s disdain for the smell.” Gardiner raised his glass to the other man and then took a sip.
After a sip from his own glass, Lambert cleared his throat.“I received a note back from Mr Darcy. He would like to meet at your emporium at eleven in the morning on the morrow. Does that suit?”
“It most certainly does. I will be ready to receive you and your customer then,” Gardiner responded.“May I ask how long you will be in London?”
“We depart at the end of this week. We rented the house for a fortnight. I am sorry we did not come into your shop on the first day. Instead we went into the city to see some of the sights,” Lambert mused.
“If you had come another day, there would have been no guarantee I would have been there. I am not in the emporium daily,” Gardiner revealed.
As soon as the two men drained their small glasses of wine, they made their way to the sitting room where mother and daughter were waiting for them. Gardiner was pleased to note that Miss Lambert had been watching the door for their return.
So as not to overstay his welcome, Gardiner rose from his seat about an hour later once Mrs Lambert had served tea and coffee.“Mrs Lambert, I thank you for a very enjoyable meal. I must say it is much more pleasant than eating alone in my house. Miss Lambert, it was apleasureto see you again, and Lambert, we will see one another on the morrow at eleven.”
Maddie was more than pleased that Mr Gardiner had emphasised the one word during his farewell. She felt her cheeks heating again. Was she always going to blush in this man’s company?
“Until then, Gardiner,” Lambert returned.
There was a decided spring in his step when Gardiner walked back to his house. He had hoped they would be in London longer, but he understood better than most that regardless of how competent the person managing the business was, he too would not want to be away from his concern for too long. She had not said so, but Gardiner was sure Miss Lambert would accompany her father in the morning.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Gardiner’s supposition was proved right when he saw all three Lamberts approaching him with a fashionable-looking couple and a young lad.
“Lambert, will you introduce us please?” Darcy requested.
“Mr Darcy, Lady Anne, and Master William, it is my pleasure to present Mr Gardiner, the owner of this business as well as Gardiner and Associates. Gardiner, Mr Darcy, Lady Anne Darcy, and their son, Master William of Pemberley in Derbyshire and Darcy House in London,” Lambert said as he did the honours.
