Simon West greeted me from his spot next to my car, the same way he’d greeted me almost every day for the past month. It still made me sad that Harold wasn’t here and that I didn’t know when he’d be back, but I was slowly becoming accustomed to Simon and to his methods. We’d fallen into a rhythm that seemed to work.
“Good morning, Mr. West.” I always kept things formal at first, too. “Chilly today, isn’t it?”
“Autumn is in the air,” he agreed.
“Today’s visit to the gardens in Tottenham isn’t official, so I’ll drive.” I opened my hand and held it out. “Toss me the keys, please.”
“The visit is on the staff calendar,” he countered.
“It’s not on the Court Circular,” I retorted. “So there won’t be media coverage. I’m not making an appearance; I’m just attending a meeting.”
“We can’t know that, and the standard is that if the engagement is on the staff calendar, it’s official.” Simon skirted the front of the car and reached to open the passenger door. “And if I drive, you can look over your notes for the meeting on the way.”
Grudgingly, I nodded. “Fine. But I still think I could handle it.”
The expression on Simon’s face told me that he was holding back a smile. “There was never any doubt, ma’am.”
I climbed into the front passenger seat and buckled in as Simon started the car and pulled away.
“Tell me, Simon, what does Juliette think about this insane need of yours to always get your way?” I’d gotten to know a little about Simon and his girlfriend in the past weeks, and I often teased him about whether or not he bullied her the same way he did me.
His lips twitched, but his attention never left the road ahead of us. “She finds it terribly annoying, but she says that my other, ah, attributes counter-act it and make it all worthwhile.”
“Hmph.” I made sure my skepticism was obvious. “One of these days, I really must meet this woman of yours. I think we’d have a lot to talk about.”
“That might be a dangerous idea.” Simon took a corner and slid me a droll glance. “I am a fervent believer in the separation of work and home life, ma’am. And I have a feeling that you and Juliette might be a combustible combination.”
I laughed. “Probably. But still, I’d like to risk it.”
“Maybe one day.” Simon slowed us to a stop at a traffic light. “What’s your meeting about today?”
“Oh.” I brightened. “A local nursery reached out to offer to sponsor a new field in the garden, and they’re sending a rep over to discuss how they can best support us. They’re going to provide seedlings, mulch, top soil, seeds ... and maybe even some equipment, too. We’re hoping that they might even help us out with things like backhoes and mowers.”
“That would be a wonderful help for your gardens.” Simon nodded. “And I’m thinking that this wouldn’t have come along if it weren’t for your involvement, ma’am. I’m sure everyone in Tottenham is very grateful.”
I squirmed a little in my seat. “We don’t know that. If it’s true, then it’s a small favor in exchange for the joy that the work brings me. Sometimes spending time with everyone in those fields is the only thing that keeps me sane.”
Sighing, I stared out the window. It was all too true that the hours I was able to carve out with my hands in the soil offered me some much-needed distraction, particularly right now. Over the past month, as the air had turned crisp and the trees had begun to change colors, it seemed that Nicky was away more often than he was at home with me. We hadn’t been able to work out time to go see the estate in East Anglia, although apparently it was still available to us.
Nothing was wrong between my husband and me ... not really. On the surface, everything was as perfect as it had ever been: when he was home, we ate together, we snuggled on the sofa and watched movies, and we spent long hours in bed, connecting on every level. Our love life was still just as sizzling as it always was.
But the problem was that he wasn’t at home long enough for me to feel as though we were building a life together. Instead, he was off to Sweden representing the Queen, or in the north of England for meetings with the No Hungry Child board, or in Canada speaking about innovative food sourcing. They were all legitimate reasons to be away, and there were reasons I couldn’t go with him, but I couldn’t shake the sense that something else was going on. Nicky was still holding something back from me.
“Ma’am?” Simon frowned at me, and I realized he must’ve been trying to get my attention. We were nearly to our destination.
“Sorry, thinking about the meeting,” I fibbed. “You were saying?”
“Just asking if there’s anything else going on at the meeting today.” We pulled into the small gravel lot adjacent to the house that was the headquarters for the community gardens in Tottenham.
“Oh, only typical things, like checking in on the budget and working out the schedule for the next few months. If we can nail down this sponsorship, we’ll also set up a time to make an announcement in the press.” I fastened Simon with a mock-stern glare. “When that happens, itwill,in fact, be a real engagement on the Court Circular, and I’ll wear genuine duchess clothes and everything.”
“And you won’t fuss about me driving, either.” Simon pulled the keys from the ignition and jumped from the car to open my door. “Here you are, ma’am. I’ll just walk you in and make sure everything is set for you inside.”
“Thank you, Mr. West.” I climbed the steps to the front door and let myself into the foyer, where Petey Groves and the rest of the committee were waiting to welcome me. We’d been working together for long enough now that I had a comfortable familiarity with this place and these people. It was one of my favorite parts of my work here.
We all chatted for a few moments while Simon did his customary sweep of the house. When he reappeared, giving me a quick nod to signify that all was well, I joined the board and the representative from the nursery as we moved into the meeting room. For the next couple of hours, I was in my element, making exciting plans for the future of my favorite project.
“Hello, hello!”
