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Baird didn’t sleepright away. It bothered him that she’d think he would just leave her, as if he was someone who routinely abandoned people. Baird did not abandon people. He’d never abandoned anyone. It surprised him that she didn’t know that, or that she couldn’t tell he was solid, he was dependable, he was trustworthy. He made a point of sticking with the truth, lies only destroyed trust. He learned early from his father, who was the most ethical man Baird knew, that a promise had to be a promise kept. He didn’t bully, shame, or ridicule.
Baird switched to family law thinking he’d be able to help people, that he’d be able to protect children and minimize trauma to families. It hadn’t worked that way. Yes, there were cases where he could make a difference, but most of the time, the dissolution of a marriage involved pain, anger, and grief.
All of this weighed on him, and stayed with him, still very much on his mind as he met Ella for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. He must have made a sound as they were seated because Ella looked troubled. “That was a very heavy sigh, even for you,” she said.
“Sorry. I’ve been thinking about work and the meetings waiting for me after the holidays.”
“Tell me about your work.”
He allowed a small smile. “You know what I do.”
“You handle divorce cases.”
“Amongst other things.”
“Who are your clients?”
“Usually, high-profile people with a lot to lose.”
“And they come to you?” she persisted.
“Yes. They come to me to protect their interests, and I do.”
“Are they very wealthy then?”
“Most of them.”
Her brows pulled. “And this is lucrative for you?”
“It can be. I’m expensive, and some of these cases drag on for months, if not years.”
“If it is so lucrative, why do you hate it?”
So, she’d remembered what he’d said. He’d hoped that that particular conversation wouldn’t stick, but it did. Baird thought of giving her a nonanswer, something superficial and easy, but for some reason he didn’t have his guard as firmly in place as he should have. “Because there is little joy in representing people at the lowest point in their lives. They’re angry, they’re bitter, and they’re ready to inflict the most damage possible on the other, regardless if it’s a spouse or child.”
“How horrendous,” she said softly.
“It can be. Not all of the time, but there are cases I just want over. People I never want to see again.”
She was silent a moment. “How do you keep it from impacting you?”
Baird was relieved to see the waiter approaching. “I’m not sure I have.”
*
After breakfast, Bairdarranged to have his car brought around to the hotel entrance. He’d asked the hotel concierge for some recommendations that would get them out of the City Center and Baird thought a morning excursion to Dyrham Park, a stunning late seventeenth-century house surrounded by formal gardens and ancient parkland, would be a good change.
“It’s not Pemberley,” Baird said as he parked, referencing Chatsworth House which had been Jane Austen’s inspiration for Mr. Darcy’s home. “But the hotel concierge assured me Dyrham Park is worth a visit.”
Ella knew Jane had visited Chatsworth in 1811 and stayed in Bakewell while writingPride and Prejudice, and still hoped to see Chatsworth before she returned home. “Is Dyrham Park open today, or just the gardens?”
“It’s all open today and tickets won’t be a problem.”
Because it was early and still quite cold, they toured the house first, and then went outside. A few people wandered around the formal gardens, but it was relatively quiet. Ella was happy to have escaped the crowds. She walked at Baird’s side, content to just be silent. After the intense conversation last night, Ella still felt unsettled this morning.
“I don’t know what you’ve been told about Fiona, but you are nothing like her,” Baird said after a few minutes, the morning sun casting long fingers of light through the woods. “In the beginning, I thought it was a problem, but I realize it’s a good thing. Fiona and I probably weren’t the best match. We didn’t have the connection you and I have. I didn’t think it mattered, but in hindsight, we needed more chemistry. We needed stronger feelings.”
She hadn’t expected him to admit that. “If the feelings had been stronger, would you still be together?”
