Looking defeated, Lily simply nodded, which made Julian even angrier as he felt the need to correct Eleanor. He was about to open his mouth and say something to that effect when Eleanor suddenly spoke up again.
“It was lovely seeing you again, Lady Barnard, but I am afraid that I must take my leave. I was hoping to have some tea, but I have pressing matters to attend to. Perhaps another time.” She curtsied politely to them both before rushing from the room behind the housekeeper, who had removed the tray.
“My lord, I…” she began to apologize, but Julian raised a hand and stopped her.
“There is no need to apologize; accidents happen all the time. You were doing splendidly, and I am certain that everything will be better next time.”
I will make sure of it.
He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Eleanor the next time she invited herself over. Something in the things she was saying and the way she had been behaving made Julian think back to Benedict’s warnings. Perhaps he had been right, and Miss Everet had orchestrated the lie about their union to begin with.
“I will go and fetch more tea myself.” Lily began to leave, but Julian stopped her.
“Let us leave the tea for when we return from our walk.” He smiled easily at her.
“Our walk?” Lily asked with an uncertain expression.
Julian nodded. “It is such a lovely day outside, I thought a walk around the gardens would be lovely. Would you not agree? We can have our tea when your nerves have had a chance to repair themselves.”
The smile that touched her lips warmed his heart once again as he offered her his arm and ushered her from the house.
The weather outside was just as lovely as it had been earlier in the day, and Julian found himself enjoying the sun on his face. They strolled along the winding paths and chatted away over flowers and plants until Lily stopped at a small white flower.
“This is such a lovely one.” She knelt beside the neat bed of bell-shaped flowers.
“That is a snowdrop,” Julian informed her.
“A snowdrop?” She came back up and gave him a puzzled look. “What a curious name for a flower that blooms in spring.”
Leaning down, Julian plucked one from the batch and handed it to her. “They are so named for the simple fact that they bloom at the end of winter when the frost still graces the grounds. They last well into spring, making them a delightful addition to anygarden. We can plant them at Redding Hall once we procure a good gardener.”
Shutting her eyes, she leaned forward and sniffed the tiny bud. “It smells heavenly. I suppose they are also called snowdrops because of their color. They are like tiny bell-shaped drops of snow.” She opened her eyes and shot him a teasing look.
“Of course, you know how fond I am of a bell-shaped flower.” He smiled at her, watching the color fill her cheeks as he laughed.
“Well then, it is settled, we shall have many bell-shaped flowers at Redding Hall. Do you suppose we can grow cardinals, or would they not thrive here in England?” She seemed utterly at ease as they continued to stroll along.
“That is why it would be best to find a highly skilled gardener. Many species of flowers, including your beloved cardinals, can grow in England, given the right circumstances. Do you suppose you will miss living in America?” He slipped in a question to get to know her better.
Smiling at the ground as they walked, she played with the single snowdrop between her fingers. “In a way, I think I will always long for my childhood more than the country itself.”
Julian grew increasingly more curious. “How so?”
“I grew up on a farm in Ohio. Life was much simpler back then, and although my mama always taught me to act like a lady, I was allowed to run wild and free on the farm. Papa only cameinto his fortune much later in life, but I am grateful that I got to experience the simpler things in life before we moved to New York.”
She plucked thoughtfully at the flower between her fingers. “And you, do you not miss your former life as a soldier?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. As you stated, my life was far simpler than it is now. I am grateful for the opportunity to be the viscount, as well as all of the benefits that it will bring my mother and sister, but I miss my freedom.
As strange as it sounds, I enjoyed the rigorous training and physical strength that the army required. Now, I am lucky if I can shoot arrows in my garden. All of these meetings and sitting in Parliament were never things that I ever dreamed of for myself.”
She turned to glance at him with a smile. “I know what you mean. I love the life I have been blessed with, but I also miss that part of the farm. Perhaps we can make a deal with each other that once a year, we shall take leave of our lives and disappear to another country.”
He smiled at the idea as he continued to listen.
“We could go to Ohio, and you can be a simple soldier while I tell everyone I am nothing more than a farmgirl.” She laughed at her own suggestion.
“You know, that sounds like a marvelous idea to me, and perhaps, if we travel the world, we can come up with new identities wherever we go. I have always wanted to know what it was like to be a fisherman.”