thirty-eight
Anthony hated gardening, but working next to his wife in the secret garden had its perks. After the gardeners had cleaned up the patch, it was only he and she among the scented flowers, butterflies, and the sound of the waves. They had the pool all to themselves, and no one ever bothered them.
Four weeks of hard work had turned the wild place into a lovely, manicured pleasure garden with the marble statues shining in the sunlight. The plants Isabella had chosen needed to grow and bloom, but overall, the work was worth it.
He was sitting under their favourite tree with her after a particularly pleasant dip in the pool. She rested her head on his lap, her hair wet. The sunlight and the gardening had turned her skin a lovely shade of brown and gold Grandmama found outrageous, but he loved it. Her body was supple again thanks to the delicious food and the exercise, and the dark shadows in her gaze had gone.
“We have to return to London, don’t we?” she asked as he caressed her hair.
“Not yet, and I want to return here to see all the flowers growing, and of course, I’ll have a gardener take care of all the work we’ve done.”
“It’s so beautiful what we did together.”
He caressed her cheek and neck. She’d gained weight, returning to her flourishing form, but above all, she smiled more although she wasn’t the completely careless woman he’d met. Maybe she would never be again.
“I want to give you an heir,” she said.
“Isabella.” He shook his head. “You listen to Grandmama too much.”
“I mean, I want a child with you. I want our love to grow as it grows here.”
He kissed her, tasting the salt on her lips and the sunlight in her laugh.
“Your Grace?” Rogers’s voice came from the other side of the wall closing the garden. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”
Scoffing, he opened to the butler. “What is it?”
“Lord Patrick is here, sir.” Rogers wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “He brought Lady Sophia with him.”
“What? Without telling me?”
“Patrick is here?” Isabella walked over to them. “I didn’t know he would come.”
“I ordered him to,” he said. “When I sent the invitations for the ball.”
“Why?” Her eyes widened with unmistakable fear.
He didn’t want to reveal he knew the truth in front of Rogers, so he remained silent. But words weren’t needed. She paled.
“Rogers, you may return to the house. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked the moment Rogers was out of earshot.
“I didn’t want to upset you. You were recovering so well.”
She brushed a few leaves from her gown. “How did you…”
“It was obvious.”
She lowered her gaze. “All this time, you knew the truth, but you didn’t tell me.”
“Again, I wanted to protect you.”
“I felt guilty all this time, torn between telling you or not, and you already knew everything.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “Hell. I didn’t mean to make things worse.”
She brushed past him. “I need a moment.”
