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CHAPTER5
The next day
The next day, Slade pulled his brother’s carriage to the front of Rothmore Manor. Grabbing the small bouquet of petite pink roses, he took the steps two at a time. The door opened when he arrived. Gordon took his hat, and he followed the butler to the small foyer off the entry hall. “I will alert her ladyship you have arrived,” the man said, giving a small bow.
“No need, Gordon,” I am ready,” Bella said, meeting the butler at the base of the stairs. She smiled at Lord Drake, who found himself unable to resist a broad grin.
“Very good, my lady,” the older retainer said, then cleared his throat and regarded Mary, who had just made her way downstairs, behind her mistress.
Slade extended the small bouquet. “These are for you, Lady Bella.”
“Pink roses are a favorite of mine,” she gushed, holding the bouquet to her nose. “When Mama was planting hers, she introduced me to these smaller ones. As a little girl, I saw them as perfect and am still drawn to them. Thank you!” She turned to the butler. “Can you have these placed in a small vase?”
“Yes, my lady,” the butler returned.
Small steps behind Gordon announced Mary’s arrival. “I have milady’s new pelisse. If you will grab mine for me, please,” Mary said softly, showing the large cloak thrown over her arm.
The butler helped both women into their coats. A footman met them at the carriage and offered an assist into the conveyance. Mary sat in the seat opposite Bella and Slade.
“Where would you like to go?” Slade asked Bella, leaning close enough to smell the rose scent of her hair.
“I am partial to the path around the estate’s lake. ’Tis not far from here,” Bella offered.
Slade laughed. “It has not been so long since I have been home that I have forgotten the place where you and your friend exacted your mischief upon Percy and I.Frogs, I believe?”
He heard a small snort and noticed Mary had covered her nose with her hand. Her maid had been listening. That was a friendly reminder that they were not alone. It had been a long time since he had been interested in any female. Slade was courting . . . and he was courting Lady Bella Stewart.
Bella nearly choked. “You recall the frogs? As much as I would like to, I cannot take all the credit, my lord. However, they are not the vile creatures many make them out to be. They have always reminded me of a fairytale.”
“And do you believe in fairytales?” he heard himself ask. Since when did he care about fairytales?
“I do,” Bella said, smiling. “I like that they have happy endings.” She gave a soft laugh. “I had forgotten the frogs but seem to recall that we tied the clothing together.”
“Yes, and put frogs in our boots,” he said, grinning.
“I am positive that you were not around to see the aftermath of your efforts, but your brother and I found it clever. He recognized the work to be that of you and your friend, Lady Diane. As I recall, the clothing was lying just as we left it, only the ends were tightly joined. When we picked up one piece, everything came up. It took long minutes unraveling our clothing. Meanwhile, we had to stand there wet and naked. You left us . . .exposed.” Slade watched her reaction as he enjoyed the memory. It had been a chilly spring day, and he had gone into the pond on Percy’s dare. “When we arrived back at the manor house, you were already inside having your midday meal. You both appeared very innocent—innocent indeed!”
“We could not stay around to see, as much as we might have wanted. But our imagination nearly had us undone, although Percy feigned indignation over it.” She chuckled. “But then, I doubt my brother has ever forgotten.”
The sound of the road changed beneath them to a smoother sound as they moved off the rockier road to the clay road that surrounded the pond. Slade pointed to a basket in the seat next to Mary. “I hope I am not being presumptuous. It is a glorious day, and I asked my mother’s cook to prepare a light fare for a picnic.”
“No, my lord. I would welcome a picnic. I love to take advantage of these crisp, dry days,” Bella replied.
“Good. I have just the spot,” he said, as he asked the driver to stop. Before them sat the apple tree that had been the site of the mischief. He reached beneath his seat and pulled out a large, folded quilt. “I thought these would be perfect. I have one for you, as well, Mary.”
“Thank you, milord.”
Slade helped the women from the carriage and carried the basket and blankets to a large sunny spot next to the tree. “This might be better than under the tree,” he said, laying the blanket down. “Cook packed white wine and grapes, along with cheeses and lemon biscuits. They are my cook’s favorite to make. I confess, I enjoy the combination of tart and sweet,” he said, opening the basket. There was a smaller box inside the basket, and he placed it outside of their basket. Slade picked up Mary’s smaller blanket and moved toward a small bench underneath a tree, about thirty feet from theirs, hoping to gain a measure of privacy. He turned to Mary and asked her if she might prefer the bench.
“Yes, milord. I brought me stitchery, so the bench is wonderful,” the maid said.
“Cook packed a smaller parcel of food for you to enjoy,” he said, passing her the wrapped box.
“Thank you, milord. You are most thoughtful.”
The morning passed quickly as he and Lady Bella shared a lazy late morning, sipping on wine and discussing people they recalled from their childhood and memories they shared. Slade found he enjoyed talking to Lady Bella. She was unlike the other young ladies he knew of in theton. Her violet eyes sparkled when she spoke of things that stirred her imagination, especially the brother-sister torments that she had engineered with Percy.
When they were at Eton, Slade had looked forward to Percy’s shared news from home, especially that of Lady Bella. They had portrayed both a playful and adventurous side of her, including her insistence to rescue a momma cat from the roof of a barn and deliver her kittens in the same barn—despite the rotten weather.
