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“Of course they do. You know what species of plants we have in the immediate area. This is a local book, so the writer would have used the herbs they knew that grew around here.” Isabel finished writing down the ingredients and got to her feet. Her legs screamed at her as she straightened them out. How long had she been sitting like that? “If we’re quick, we should be able to get them before tea.”
Richard frowned as he stood up.
“Are you sure about that? It was looking overcast when I got here.” He gestured towards the window. “I think it’s going to rain soon, and pretty badly. You know how bad it gets when there’s a storm.”
“You think I’m going to sit here until the storm passes?” Isabel snapped. “They can take days here. I’m not going to twiddle my thumbs until it stops raining.”
“Isabel …”
“Besides, it’s not raining now. It could just be the threat of rain and stay overcast.” Isabel hurried towards the door. “Come on, Richard. Are you going to help or just stare at me?”
“You want me to help you?”
“Of course. Your eyes are sharper than mine.” Isabel flashed him a smile. “It will help to have you with me.”
Richard looked like he was about to argue. Then he sighed and walked to the door.
“All right, fine. Let’s go and get these herbs. Hopefully, it won’t pour with rain, and we’ll be lucky.”
#
Marjorie was exhausted as she left Daniel’s room. He was finally asleep after talking nonsense for the last four hours. His secretary was in his own room next door, making an even bigger fuss. She couldn’t recall a time where a man made such a big thing about being ill. Even her husband hadn’t been this bad.
Then again, considering this fever had managed to knock over a strong man like Cook, maybe they had every reason to. Marjorie hadn’t had an illness like this since she gave birth to Isabel. It was agonizing to be sick and unable to cuddle her three-month-old daughter. You felt really helpless when you weren’t allowed to do anything, and whatever you tried to say came out in a mess.
Fevers were horrible. And they could spread. It was a miracle that only five people were sick, and the rest of the household was fine. Either it was something that wasn’t contagious, or it was slow to see the symptoms. Marjorie hoped so; she had been sitting at Daniel’s bedside for most of her time back in Clovewood, and she was sweating from the warmth in the room.
Daniel insisted on having the fire blazing all the time, the curtains were closed tight, and the windows weren’t allowed to open. It was dimly lit by candles, which just made Daniel’s complexion look even worse.
And he seemed to think his illness meant he could be as rude and demanding as he wanted when he was coherent. Marjorie had bitten her tongue many times, not wanting an argument with the young man, but it was driving her mad. She wanted to slap him and tell him to stop being such a baby. He was a new father, and he should be focusing on getting better to see his new baby.
Even if there was no chance of catching this fever, she could see why her nephew’s wife left with the baby. She seemed to have a shorter temper than Marjorie, and she wouldn’t have let Daniel complain like this. There was complaining when ill, and then there was complaining. Even delirious, Daniel had got the latter down to a fine art.
At least she was back at Clovewood, even if it was for a short period. When Daniel was sleeping, Marjorie slipped out of the room and went around the house to soak up the memories. A lot of things were still there, but there were clear signs that the new viscountess was doing some decorating.
She was changing a lot of the decor, and some of the furniture was new. She was keeping up with everyone in Society, and the colours looked gaudy. Marjorie’s heart ached to see how decorators had started taking the wallpaper in the morning room down. There were rolls of the new paper on the floor by the window, and the patterns looked awful.
The younger woman certainly didn’t have an eye for design. How Daniel thought it was fine for his wife to be let loose like this, Marjorie had no idea. Her beautiful home was being desecrated by a colour-blind girl.
But it wasn’t her home anymore. She needed to remember that. Even if she managed to sort out the finances she was stuck in, Clovewood would not be her home again. With Daniel having a son, the viscountcy was secure with an heir. Even if Isabel had a son, she wouldn’t be able to get her home back.
There were moments when Marjorie wished that she had been more forceful in getting Isabel ready for Society much earlier. She needed to mix with people of their social class and further herself, but the joy that had come from her learning and going around doing science experiments made Marjorie guilty about getting in the way. She wanted that sparkle to stay. Isabel had had a lot of sparkle.
The deal that they would find her a husband before Isabel went into service should have been good. Marjorie had thought it would be a perfect opportunity to make up for the years she hadn’t pushed Isabel to become a proper lady, and she knew her daughter could keep up with her lessons. Despite her awkwardness and protests that she couldn’t be a lady, she was a fast learner. Isabel could pick up anything if she put her mind to it. If she were a bit more refined, then she would attract the right sort of person.
They had accomplished that, but then as the weeks went on, Marjorie realized that her daughter was disappearing. The person she knew was changing into someone embracing her new status with a vitality only seen when she was looking after the small animals held in the orangery. She was different. Refined, yes, but she was forgetting who she really was. The snobby attitude that was coming through was something Marjorie didn’t like at all.
It didn’t help that Lavinia was pushing for it as well. True, her cousin was really good at what she did, and she knew how to behave in Society. She had the knack of being just the right amount of confidence without letting it go over the top, and she was a really good teacher.
But Marjorie worried that Isabel was taking it on a little too much. Recently, every time Marjorie looked at her daughter or heard her speak, she almost heard Lavinia’s voice coming out of her mouth. It was not what she wanted. Marjorie had hoped that Isabel would still have her little quirks, which would make her stand out. While being a lady was everything, having something different was fine in moderation if it made the lady sparkle. Isabel seemed to have forgotten that.
Marjorie wanted her old daughter back.
At least they had managed to get a proposal. And from a duke, no less. Marjorie had been surprised and very pleased to hear that Galliston wanted to marry Isabel. Their hard work had paid off, and Isabel would be financially secure, which meant that Marjorie wouldn’t need to worry about her own position. But what happened if Isabel started going back to her old self? Would Galliston like that as well, or would it put him off?
Marjorie hoped not. He looked like the type of man who wanted things just so, but he also wanted people around him to have a voice of sorts. He wouldn’t mind too much.
They would have to wait and see.
