“Your Grace,” Jenny curtsied and then moved to sit away from them, far enough to give them some privacy, but close enough for things to remain respectable.
“Help yourself to any food. There is plenty here,” Edmund said. As Rose smoothed her dress beneath her, Edmund opened the hamper and started bringing out dishes of food. There were miniature pies, cuts of meat, various cheeses, grapes, apples, bread, preserves, boiled eggs, mushrooms, and all kinds of other items.
“I think this might be too much for just the two of us,” Rose said, boggled at the size of the feast.
“Better to have too much than not enough. Besides, I was not quite sure what you liked, so I thought I had better make sure there was at least one thing you would enjoy. Considering you are so particular,” he added with a teasing smile.
Rose gulped, beginning to regret that she had portrayed herself as a spoiled woman. She picked a few things and placed them on her plate. Everything tasted wonderful. Edmund poured some sparkling water flavored with fruit. It was cool and refreshing, and the view was rather perfect as well.
“It is not too crowded for you, I hope. If they trouble you, I can ask those people to move along,” Edmund said, gesturing to a group of people who were on another grassy area, the murmur of their conversation and bubbling laughter just about reaching Rose and Edmund.
“No, not at all. This is fine,” she said, and gazed around to enjoy the view. This splash of color was a welcome change from the usual London landscape. “This is lovely,” she added.
“There are parts of London that are quite beautiful. It’s a shame that not all of it can be like this, but I suppose people have to live somewhere.”
“You prefer the country?”
“I do. You must know about our parents and their interests?”
Rose nodded. “Botany. I am aware of Charlotte’s book as well.”
Edmund chuckled. “Have you read it?”
“I have. I found it quite illuminating. I wasn’t aware that there were so many fascinating plants all around us. It made me look at the world in a different way.”
“She will be pleased. I must get around to reading it myself one day.”
“You have not read your own sister’s book?”
Edmund waved a hand through the air. “I already know everything that’s in it, and besides, I would rather touch the plants than read about them. But it was the same with my parents. They always tried to get us to study all the time, but I just wanted to be out in nature, climbing trees. That was far more fun.”
“I see. That must have been infuriating for them.”
“Not especially so. My father did encourage hands-on experimentation. It was just a shame I never got to join them on their expeditions.”
A moment of silence fell upon them. Rose knew what had happened to his parents through Lydia. She had only told Rose the vaguest story, how they had gone on an expedition but encountered bad weather. Rose wondered whether she should offer her condolences to Edmund or if it would seem trite coming from someone who was practically a stranger.
However, Edmund did not seem to want to linger on the topic and instead moved the conversation along.
“You must try these,” he said, picking up a ripe, juicy strawberry. Before she could take it from him, he was already holding it to her lips, expecting her to take a bite. She nibbled the fruit carefully, avoiding his fingers. The sweet flavor exploded within her mouth, but she drew back all the same.
Edmund nibbled the rest of the strawberry, eating everything apart from the leaf. There was something oddly intimate about sharing the same fruit, even though they had not touched each other. Rose’s cheeks became warm, and she glanced over her shoulder, checking that Jenny was still within good distance. She breathed deeply until the flush of heat passed.
“And what did your parents encourage you to do?” he asked.
She almost quipped that they encouraged her to marry, before she remembered that she would have been breaking her own rule. So instead, she gave a serious answer.
“They encouraged me to develop my own mind, to sing, to dance, to learn about literature, geography, and mathematics. They wanted me to be able to stand firm and hold myself well.”
“Then it seems they have succeeded. So, where is your favorite place?”
“My favorite place?”
“Yes, if you’ve studied geography, then you must have a favorite place.”
Rose paused. “I am not sure that I do.”
Edmund clapped his hands together and smiled with glee, as though he had just won a debate. Rose was entirely befuddled.
