“How mysterious he is,” Arabella said. “I do enjoy a mystery. Particularly one that comes with such appealing packaging.”
“Arabella!” Daphne said, her cheeks flushing scarlet.
“What? I’m a widow. I’m allowed to appreciate a fine-looking man.” Arabella lifted her face to the sun, letting her bonnet fall back. “Life’s too short for false modesty.”
“You’ll freckle,” Daphne said.
“Let me freckle. I’ll powder over them if needed.”
“Can we return to the matter at hand?” Lydia asked. “This Sebastian actually threatened Baron White with gardening shears?”
Rose nodded, unable to suppress a small smile. “He was magnificent. Completely fearless.”
She explained how Sebastian had convinced White he was a spy for a rival operation.
“How remarkably clever,” Arabella said.
“Yes, but it raises questions,” Lydia said. “What sort of gardener thinks so quickly on his feet? Who speaks like a gentleman but works with his hands?”
“Perhaps he really is a spy,” Daphne suggested breathlessly. “For this Talbot person.”
Rose felt her stomach drop. “I hadn’t considered that possibility.” Why hadn’t she?
“The simplest explanation is often the correct one,” Lydia said.
“But what do you think?” Arabella asked Rose directly.
“I honestly don’t know what to think anymore,” Rose said. “Everything I believed about my life has been turned upside down. I feel like such a fool.”
“You must be cautious, Rose,” Lydia said. “This man’s true motives are unclear.”
“If you knew him as I do, you wouldn’t say that,” Rose said, thinking of their quiet conversations in the garden.
“How well do you know him?” Arabella asked with keen interest.
Rose felt heat rise in her cheeks. “I’ve spent time with him in the rose garden. He loves books and has no access to them, so I’ve shared some of mine.”
“How generous of you,” Arabella said with a knowing smile.
“It was merely kindness,” Rose said.
“Of course it was,” Daphne said soothingly, though her expression remained worried. “But Rose, with everything else happening, please do be careful.”
“I know it sounds foolish, but I’m drawn to him in a way I’ve never experienced before,” Rose said. “It frightens me how much I care about him.”
“Attraction can cloud judgment,” Arabella said, though not unkindly. “Especially when one has little experience with it.”
“We’re almost there,” Rose said, eager to change the subject as they approached a thicket of trees. “The pool is just beyond those willows.”
As they drew closer, the sound of voices and splashing water reached their ears.
“What’s that?” Violet whispered.
“It seems we’re not the only ones who had this idea,” Arabella said. “Shall we turn back?”
“Absolutely not,” Daphne said. “We must see who it is.”
“Daphne! How wonderfully wicked of you.” Arabella laughed. “I heartily approve.”
